How do I get notified of new government bids?
Set up saved searches with email or instant alerts on each portal you monitor (SAM.gov, each state's portal, each local platform). A single-source aggregator like ProcureTap consolidates all sources so one saved search covers federal, state, and local at once.
Getting notified of new bids requires deciding whether to monitor sources individually or through an aggregator.
Single-source approach: register on each portal, set up saved searches matching your NAICS codes and geography, and enable email notifications. SAM.gov has saved searches with configurable frequency (immediately, daily, or weekly). Each state portal (Cal eProcure, TxSmartBuy, MyFloridaMarketplace, etc.) has its own notification system. Each local platform (Bonfire, PlanetBids, Jaggaer, DemandStar) requires per-agency setup.
Pros of single-source: you get the "official" notification directly from the source. Free. Cons: monitoring 20+ sources individually is extremely time-consuming. Notification quality varies (SAM.gov is reliable; some state portals are slow or miss postings). You may need to check every source separately when investigating an opportunity.
Aggregator approach: use a service that scrapes all sources and lets you set up a single saved search matching your criteria across federal, state, and local at once. ProcureTap offers free tier with 3 saved searches and weekly digest emails, and Pro tier with unlimited saved searches and instant/daily alerts.
Pros of aggregator: one saved search covers all sources. Consistent notification format. You see similar bids across sources so you can decide which portal-of-record to use. Cons: aggregator coverage may lag the source by a few hours (ProcureTap re-scrapes every 6 hours). Paid tiers cost money.
Recommended stack: SAM.gov saved searches for federal (free, official, real-time), plus one aggregator for state and local coverage. This gives you fastest federal notifications plus broad state-local coverage without registering on 300+ portals individually. For most small businesses this combination captures 95%+ of relevant opportunities.
Notification frequency tip: instant alerts are noisy but essential for opportunities with short response windows (Sources Sought, quick-turn IDIQ task orders). Daily digest works for standard RFPs. Weekly is too slow for time-sensitive federal work.