A Small Business Guide to SAM.gov

SAM.gov (System for Award Management) is the federal government's official platform for contractor registration and opportunity postings. If you want to do business with the federal government, you need to be registered here.

Getting Registered

Registration is free and takes 1–2 weeks. You'll need:

• Your business's DUNS number (or UEI — the replacement system)
• Your NAICS codes
• Your bank account information (for direct deposit)
• Your business's legal name and address

Renew your registration annually — it expires every 12 months.

Finding Opportunities

SAM.gov's built-in search is functional but limited. Common frustrations:

• No full-text search across RFP documents
• Limited filtering options
• No relevance scoring or prioritization
• No alert system for new matching opportunities

GovRFP solves all of these by querying SAM.gov's API daily, scoring opportunities for relevance to your specific business profile, and alerting you when a strong match appears.

Understanding Opportunity Types

• Solicitation (o) — Active RFP seeking proposals
• Combined Synopsis/Solicitation (k) — Combined presolicitation and solicitation
• Pre-Solicitation (p) — Advance notice before formal RFP
• Award Notice (a) — Announcement of a contract award (useful for research)

Set-Asides to Know

If your business holds certifications, watch for these set-aside codes:

• SBA — Small Business set-aside
• 8A — 8(a) program set-aside
• SDVOSBC — Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business
• HZC — HUBZone set-aside
• WOSB — Women-Owned Small Business