Methodology
Last updated: October 15, 2026
This page explains how FedReady counts the numbers it shows, and when each data set was last pulled. Every source is public. For the list of sources, see About FedReady.
When the data was pulled
- Open notices (SAM.gov Contract Opportunities): loaded every day, early in the morning. The search page shows the date of the latest load next to the open count.
- Contractor registrations and exclusions (SAM.gov): exclusions every day, registrations every month.
- Past awards and agency spending (USAspending.gov): read from USAspending.gov's public API when a page needs them, and kept for up to a day. USAspending.gov itself refreshes nightly.
- Award notices (“who won” pages): from SAM.gov award notices, loaded every day with the open notices.
- Procurement forecasts and SBIR topics: every day. SBIR and STTR awards every month.
- Service Contract Act wage determinations: the county list was last checked , and each wage determination's rates are re-read from SAM.gov daily.
- HUBZone areas (SBA map): pulled .
- Size standards (SBA table): the table in effect since . SBA's August 2026 proposal changes nothing until a final rule.
- The FY2025 small-business report: USAspending.gov data pulled October 10, 2026. Its methodology section lists every query.
How we count open notices
A notice is open while its response deadline hasn't passed. A few notices have no deadline; those count as open for a limited time after they're posted. Award notices, cancellations and test postings never count.
“Open to bids”, the count on the search and home pages, also leaves out notices limited to one company (sole source) or to approved sources, which the search marks and lists only when you ask for them. Counts in the guides are snapshots on the date they give, and counts taken in the last weeks of September run high, before the fiscal year ends.
How we count small-business shares
Small-business dollars and shares on industry, agency and NAICS pages use the business-size flag on each contract action in USAspending.gov: small-business dollars divided by small plus other-than-small dollars. The Small Business Administration's scorecard counts differently, so its share is higher. The FY2025 report explains the difference.
How we count award amounts
Many award notices give a contract's ceiling, the most it can be worth, as its amount. FedReady labels those amounts “ceiling” and leaves them out of typical-award figures and dollar totals. See what a contract ceiling is.
Matches and AI summaries
Match labels (strong, good or possible fit) come from fixed rules that compare a notice's NAICS code, set-aside, place and words with your business profile, and each match shows its reasons. Notice summaries are written by AI from the notice text and the attachments it could read, and say which files it didn't read. They can make mistakes, so check the notice on SAM.gov before you bid.
Corrections
If a number looks wrong, use the Report a mistake link on the AI summary or award row, or email hello@fedready.us with the page and what you expected. We'll check it against the source and fix it or tell you why it's right. See how we check our data.