Federal agencies buy roughly $700 billion in goods and services every year — construction, IT, food, engineering, janitorial services, manufacturing, consulting, and more — and the law directs a share of that spending to small businesses. This page walks the whole path in plain English: what to set up, which set-aside programs exist, where contracts are posted, and where to get free one-on-one help. Every step links to the official government page so you can verify everything at the source.
Free to use. No account needed. Registering in SAM.gov and applying for SBA certifications are always free, too.
Try the 3-minute explorerPrefer the official version? Read SBA’s contracting guide: SBA contracting guide
Every year, the federal government aims to award at least 23% of prime contract dollars to small businesses, with additional targets for specific groups. Agencies are graded publicly on hitting these goals, so contracting officers actively look for capable small businesses.
Current government-wide small business goals:
There’s also a built-in on-ramp: purchases between $15,000 and $350,000 are generally reserved for small businesses whenever at least two capable small businesses are expected to compete (contracting officers call this the “Rule of Two”; the dollar thresholds took effect October 1, 2025). Contract listings over $25,000 are posted publicly on SAM.gov.
You can see how every agency scores on these goals each year:
You don’t need to do everything at once. Most businesses work through these steps over a few weeks, and free advisors (step 7) can walk you through any of them.
Almost certainly it does — agencies buy nearly every product and service. Skim SBA’s official contracting guide to understand how buying works, and look at the annual scorecard to see which agencies spend the most in categories like yours. Government work rewards patience: payment is reliable and rules are public, but winning a first contract can take months of preparation.
Every contract is tagged with a NAICS industry code, and “small” is defined per code — by average annual revenue or employee count, and the limits are often higher than owners expect. Look up your code and check your size with SBA’s official Size Standards Tool. Note your primary code and any secondary codes that fit what you sell; you’ll use them everywhere.
SAM.gov is the government’s vendor system. Registering gets you a Unique Entity ID (UEI) and makes your business eligible to receive federal awards and payments. It costs nothing — ever — and must be renewed each year to stay active. Set aside an hour or two, have your business formation details and banking information ready, and never pay a third party to “register you” with the government.
Your SAM.gov answers feed SBA’s Small Business Search (SBS), the database contracting officers and prime contractors use to find small businesses for upcoming work, so complete every optional field well. Then write a capability statement: a single page with what you do, your NAICS codes, UEI, certifications, differentiators, past projects, and contact info. It’s the résumé of government contracting — buyers will ask for it.
Being small already opens small business set-asides. If your business is majority women-owned, veteran-owned, owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, or located in a HUBZone, additional set-aside and sole-source categories may be worth exploring. One free application at SBA’s MySBA Certifications covers WOSB/EDWOSB, 8(a), HUBZone, and the veteran certifications — you can apply for several at once.
Search Contract Opportunities on SAM.gov by your NAICS codes and set-aside types, and save searches so new postings come to you. Then go beyond open listings: agency procurement forecasts preview what agencies plan to buy, and SBA’s SubNet lists subcontracting opportunities with prime contractors. Reach out to agency small business offices before solicitations drop — that’s where relationships start.
APEX Accelerators (formerly PTACs) exist specifically to help businesses win government contracts — federal, state, and local — at no cost, including registration help, bid matching, and proposal reviews. SBA district offices and resource partners add training and counseling. An advisor who has seen hundreds of first-time contractors will save you months.
Set-asides limit who can compete for a contract, which shrinks the field dramatically. Some programs also allow sole-source awards — contracts placed directly with one business. Here’s who each category is for and what SBA verifies. All certifications below are free to apply for.
For every business that meets its industry’s size standard — no certification application needed. Your small-business status comes from how you answer in SAM.gov.
Key requirements to verifyFor businesses majority-owned and controlled by women. WOSB set-asides apply in industries the government designates; EDWOSB status adds further set-asides for owners who meet economic-disadvantage limits.
Key requirements to verifyA nine-year development program for businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals — with set-asides, sole-source opportunities, and dedicated SBA support.
Key requirements to verifyFor businesses located in Historically Underutilized Business Zones that employ people who live there. Certified firms compete for HUBZone set-asides and get a price preference in some full-and-open competitions.
Key requirements to verifyFor businesses majority-owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans. SDVOSB set-asides run government-wide, and the VA gives these firms priority in its own buying.
Key requirements to verifyFor businesses majority-owned and controlled by veterans. VOSB certification matters most at the VA, which sets aside contracts for certified veteran-owned firms.
Key requirements to verifyEvery requirement above is simplified. Verify the full rules on the official page and consider discussing your situation with a free APEX Accelerator advisor before applying.
These are the official, free databases. Between them you can see what’s open for bid today, what agencies plan to buy next, who has bought what from whom, and which prime contractors need subcontractors.
The official listing of open federal solicitations over $25,000. Filter by your NAICS codes and set-aside types, and save searches to get alerts.
Agencies publish what they expect to buy in the year ahead, including opportunities they anticipate for small businesses — a way to see work before it’s posted.
SBA’s directory where buyers and prime contractors look for small businesses. Your profile is built from your SAM.gov registration — SBA explains how it works on its “How to win contracts” page.
Subcontracting opportunities posted by prime contractors looking for small business partners — a common first contract.
The record of federal contract awards. Research which agencies buy what you sell, how much they pay, and who wins.
Searchable federal spending data — useful for spotting trends, target agencies, and the prime contractors worth approaching.
Agencies weigh past performance heavily, which is a catch-22 for first-timers. Subcontracting is the standard way in: large prime contractors on major federal contracts are required to plan for subcontracting with small businesses, so they are actively looking for capable partners.
Find openings on SBA’s SubNet, research primes in your industry through FPDS and USAspending, and send them your capability statement. A season or two of subcontract work builds the record — and the relationships — that win prime contracts later. Teaming up with other small businesses on joint bids works the same way.
Federal isn’t the only buyer — states, counties, cities, transit districts, and public utilities buy the same goods and services, usually in smaller, faster purchases that make great first contracts. The mechanics differ from federal: there’s no SAM.gov — you register free on each government’s own bidding portal, and many states run their own small business certification with real bid advantages.
California is a strong example: the state aims to spend 25% of contract dollars with certified small businesses and 3% with disabled-veteran-owned businesses, certified small businesses get a 5% bid preference on state solicitations (with a DVBE incentive of up to 5%), and agencies can award contracts between $5,000 and $249,999 directly through a streamlined process reserved for certified firms. Certification is free through the Department of General Services on Cal eProcure, and many California public agencies recognize it.
Register free, browse the California State Contracts Register, set bid alerts, and apply for the state's SB and DVBE certifications — the state-level equivalent of SAM.gov.
Open official pageVerified 2026-07-21 · SourceThe state's free Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise certifications, including SB-PW for public works — the key that unlocks the state's bid preference and streamlined awards.
Open official pageVerified 2026-07-21 · SourceThe small business front door for California transportation contracting — certifications recognized, upcoming solicitations, and district small business staff.
Open official pageVerified 2026-07-21 · SourceSmall business participation goals, the free ConnectHSR vendor registry, and workshops for one of the state's largest construction programs.
Open official pageVerified 2026-07-21 · SourceThe Sacramento utility's vendor portal plus its SEED incentive program for local small businesses, with a goal of awarding at least 20% of eligible contracts to SEED vendors.
Open official pageVerified 2026-07-21 · SourceVendor registration and the county's electronic bidding portal for goods, services, and construction.
Open official pageVerified 2026-07-21 · SourceCity bidding through the eBid portal, plus contract and supplier information for city purchases.
Open official pageVerified 2026-07-21 · SourceVendor registration on the county's bids&tenders system for automatic notice of bidding opportunities.
Open official pageVerified 2026-07-21 · SourceTransit district contracting for construction, professional services, maintenance, and supplies through the PlanetBids vendor portal.
Open official pageVerified 2026-07-21 · SourceIn another state? Your state’s procurement office runs a similar portal, and your local APEX Accelerator covers state, county, and city contracting everywhere in the U.S. — free. More verified states are coming.
State and local listings verified against each organization’s official site. Last reviewed July 2026 — confirm current details on the official pages.
Government contracting has a learning curve, and there are advisors funded specifically to walk you through it. All of these are free.
The go-to network for government contracting help (formerly Procurement Technical Assistance Centers). Advisors help with SAM.gov registration, certifications, finding bids, capability statements, and proposal reviews — for federal, state, and local contracting. Find the center serving your area and book a session.
Find your APEX AcceleratorYour SBA district office runs contracting workshops and can point you to SBA’s procurement specialists, including Procurement Center Representatives who advocate for small businesses inside federal buying offices.
SBA federal contracting assistanceFor the business fundamentals behind a strong bid — pricing, cash flow, capacity — the free advisor networks can help, and we list them by state on this site.
Open the Free Help finderRegistering in SAM.gov, creating your business profile, and applying for SBA certifications are always free. Companies that charge for “registration” or “guaranteed certification” are not the government. If you want help, use a free APEX Accelerator or SBA resource partner instead.
This independent page summarizes public government guidance. Goals, dollar thresholds, and program rules change — verify anything you rely on against the official pages below before making business decisions.
This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the SBA, SAM.gov, APEX Accelerators, or any government agency, and nothing here decides whether any business can receive any certification or contract. Only the official agencies make those decisions.