Federal supply bids a small business can quote

Nothing open right now in: office supplies, janitorial, lighting & electrical.

Location note: 4 of these 17 notices list no place of performance on SAM.gov, so we show the contracting office's city and state instead. Check each notice for the actual delivery address.

What we leave out: services, construction, sole-source awards, sources sought, IT hardware, medical items, weapons and armor, anything needing a clearance, and Defense Logistics Agency part-number buys (titles like “53--BOLT,MACHINE”), which usually require the exact approved part. Categories come from the Product Service Code and NAICS code on each SAM.gov notice, so a few bids may be filed in an unexpected place.

How this works

1. Register free on SAM.gov. To be awarded a federal contract you need an active entity registration at SAM.gov. It's free. Registration gives you a Unique Entity ID (UEI), and a CAGE code is assigned as part of the process. Allow a few weeks. You never have to pay anyone to register.
2. Pick your NAICS codes. NAICS codes describe what you sell, for example 423210 (furniture wholesale) or 424130 (industrial paper, including janitorial paper). Add the ones that fit to your registration and check you're under the SBA size standard for each with our size standards checker. If you resell rather than make the product, the nonmanufacturer rule usually requires you to normally sell that kind of item and to supply a product made in the U.S. by a small business, unless SBA has waived it. That rule doesn't apply to Total Small Business set-asides valued between $15,000 and $350,000, but it still applies to 8(a), SDVOSB, HUBZone and WOSB set-asides at any value (13 CFR 121.406). Separately, Buy American and trade-agreement rules can limit where the product was made.
3. Read the spec and delivery terms carefully. Open the notice on SAM.gov and read every attachment: the exact item (brand name or "equal"), quantities, packaging and labeling, the delivery address and date, who pays freight (FOB destination means you do), and how the agency inspects and accepts the goods. If anything is unclear, email the contracting officer before the questions deadline.
4. Quote a price that covers shipping and risk. Your price has to cover the product, freight, any taxes and fees you pay, possible returns or replacements, and your time. Check how quotes are evaluated: the lowest price doesn't always win, and an incomplete quote can be thrown out.
5. Deliver, invoice and get paid. Under the Prompt Payment Act, federal payment is generally due 30 days after the agency receives a proper invoice (or accepts the goods, if that's later), and agencies owe interest when they pay late. The award tells you how to invoice; many agencies use an online system such as PIEE/WAWF (Defense) or IPP.
6. Start with posted set-asides. Many purchases under the micro-purchase threshold (currently $15,000 for most buys) are made with government purchase cards and never posted publicly, so you can't count on finding them. Posted small-business set-asides on SAM.gov, like the ones on this page, are the realistic place to start. Free one-on-one help is available from your local APEX Accelerator or Small Business Development Center.

Source: SAM.gov public Get Opportunities API, refreshed each weekday. Always confirm details, deadlines and attachments on the notice at SAM.gov. AwardWatchdog is independent and not affiliated with the U.S. government.