馃悤 AwardWatchdogSmall-business federal set-asides, sniffed out daily

Guides for small federal contractors

Practical, sourced and linked to live data: 1,234 open notices, 301 sources sought and 2,137 upcoming recompetes.

How to find set-aside contracts on SAM.gov

A step-by-step guide to searching SAM.gov Contract Opportunities for small business set-asides: filters, notice types, NAICS codes and saved searches, plus 978 open set-asides you can browse now.

How to respond to a sources sought notice (with a template)

What a sources sought notice is, why answering one can turn a contract into a small business set-aside, what to include, and a copy-paste response template. 301 open notices to practice on.

What a recompete is and how to track one

A recompete is a contract that's ending and will be competed again. Here's how to find them on USAspending.gov, judge your chances and prepare. 2,137 set-aside recompetes tracked now.

The rule of two, explained

What the rule of two is, where it lives in the FAR (including the 2025 FAR overhaul), how it applies to SDVOSB, HUBZone, WOSB and the VA, and how small businesses can use it.

How to win your first federal contract

A practical roadmap for small businesses: register in SAM.gov, pick NAICS codes, start with small purchases and set-asides, use sources sought, find help at APEX Accelerators and price to win.

8(a) vs SDVOSB vs WOSB vs HUBZone

Compare the four SBA contracting programs side by side: who qualifies, how to get certified, how long it lasts and what set-asides it unlocks, with live counts of open set-asides for each.

How to read a SAM.gov notice

A field-by-field walkthrough of a SAM.gov contract opportunity: notice ID, set-aside, NAICS, response date, place of performance, attachments, amendments and the bid/no-bid questions to ask.

How to find teaming partners

How small businesses find primes, subs and joint-venture partners for federal contracts: award data, SBA Small Business Search, SubNet, mentor-prot茅g茅, and the rules on limitations on subcontracting.

Get the daily set-aside digest (launching soon)

New bids for your NAICS codes and states in one short morning email. Join the list and we will let you know when it goes live.

Free. No emails until launch. By joining you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe anytime.