Government Procurement Answers

Plain-English answers to the questions vendors most often ask about finding, bidding on, and winning government contracts.

Foundational questions

How do I find government contracts?

Government contracts are publicly posted on agency procurement portals. The easiest path is SAM.gov for federal opportunities plus an aggregator like ProcureTap to cover state an…

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How do I bid on government contracts?

Bidding on a government contract usually involves four steps: register with the issuing agency, read the solicitation in full, prepare a responsive proposal that addresses every …

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What is the difference between an RFP, an RFQ, and an IFB?

An RFP asks vendors to propose how they would solve a complex requirement (evaluation considers price plus technical approach). An RFQ asks for a price quote on a fully defined n…

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Do I need to register on SAM.gov to bid on government contracts?

SAM.gov registration is required for federal contracts but not for state or local contracts. State and local agencies have their own vendor registrations — usually free, but sepa…

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How do small businesses win government contracts?

Small businesses win government contracts primarily through SBA set-aside programs (8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, SDVOSB) that reserve specific contracts for qualifying firms, and by leve…

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State + industry deep dives

We have a dedicated answer page for every combination of state and industry — over 900 in total. Here are some popular ones:

What does my state buy?