SAM.gov for Beginners: Registration to First Bid

TL;DR: SAM.gov is the gateway to $700+ billion in annual US federal procurement. You must register (free, takes 7-10 business days) before you can bid. This guide covers registration, NAICS codes, searching, and submitting your first bid. Browse US tenders to see what's available now.

SAM.gov (the System for Award Management) is the single gateway to doing business with the US federal government. If you want to bid on any federal contract, you must be registered in SAM.gov. No exceptions.

This guide walks you through everything from creating your account to finding and bidding on your first contract.

What Is SAM.gov?

SAM.gov is the US government's official system that combines several functions:

• Entity Registration — registering your business as a federal contractor
• Contract Opportunities — searching for active solicitations (formerly on FBO.gov)
• Federal Award Data — tracking who won what contracts
• Exclusions — checking if an entity is barred from contracting
• Wage Determinations — finding prevailing wage rates for service and construction contracts

Think of SAM.gov as the front door to $700+ billion in annual federal procurement spending.

Step 1: Get Your UEI Number

Before you can register in SAM.gov, you need a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). This replaced the old DUNS number in April 2022.

How to get a UEI:

1. Go to SAM.gov and start a new entity registration
2. SAM.gov will automatically assign you a UEI during registration
3. You'll need your business's legal name, physical address, and EIN (Employer Identification Number)

The UEI assignment is free and usually takes a few minutes. The full registration process takes longer.

Step 2: Complete Your SAM.gov Registration

The registration process has several sections. Plan to spend 1-2 hours on it, and have these documents ready:

Required information:

• Legal business name and DBA (if applicable)
• Physical address (not a PO Box)
• EIN (Employer Identification Number) from the IRS
• Banking information (for receiving federal payments via ACH)
• NAICS codes that describe your business
• Products/services codes (PSC)
• Business type and socioeconomic status
• Point of contact information

Important sections:

NAICS Codes

You'll select the NAICS codes that describe what your business does. This is critical because contracting officers use NAICS codes to find potential vendors and determine small business size standards.

Choose your codes carefully. Don't over-claim codes you can't support, but don't under-report either. Read our complete NAICS codes guide for help selecting the right codes.

Small Business Size Standards

Each NAICS code has a size standard set by the SBA. If your business falls below the threshold (usually measured by average annual revenue or number of employees), you qualify as a "small business" for contracts under that NAICS code.

This matters because a significant portion of federal contracts are "set aside" exclusively for small businesses — meaning large companies can't compete.

Socioeconomic Categories

If your business qualifies, you can self-certify for these categories:

• Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB)
• Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB)
• Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB)
• Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)
• HUBZone — businesses in Historically Underutilized Business Zones

Each category has its own set-aside contracts. Qualifying for one or more can significantly increase your opportunities.

Representations and Certifications

This section asks about your business's compliance with various federal requirements. Answer honestly — misrepresentation can lead to criminal penalties and permanent debarment.

Step 3: Wait for Validation

After you submit your registration, SAM.gov validates your information. This typically takes:

• 3-5 business days for a straightforward registration
• Up to 2-3 weeks if there are issues or if manual review is required

Your registration must be renewed annually. Set a calendar reminder — if it lapses, you can't receive contract awards.

Step 4: Search for Contract Opportunities

Once registered, you can search for active solicitations on SAM.gov:

1. Go to SAM.gov and click "Contract Opportunities"
2. Use the search bar to find opportunities by keyword, NAICS code, or solicitation number
3. Filter by set-aside type, agency, place of performance, and response deadline
4. Click on a solicitation to read the full details and download documents

Types of Opportunities

• Presolicitation — an agency announces its intent to solicit; no bids accepted yet
• Combined Synopsis/Solicitation — the full solicitation, ready for bids
• Sources Sought / RFI — the agency is gathering information, not yet soliciting bids
• Award Notice — the contract has been awarded (useful for market research)

Tips for Effective Searching

• Don't rely only on keywords. Government descriptions use different terminology than the private sector. Search by NAICS code and PSC code too.
• Set up saved searches. SAM.gov lets you save search criteria and receive email notifications.
• Look at past awards to understand what agencies buy and how much they pay.

Or skip the manual searching entirely — GovBid monitors SAM.gov daily and sends you only the opportunities relevant to your business, with plain-English summaries.

Step 5: Read and Understand the Solicitation

When you find a relevant opportunity, read the entire solicitation document before deciding to bid. Key things to look for:

Evaluation Criteria

How will the government evaluate proposals? Common methods:

• Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) — lowest price among proposals that meet minimum requirements
• Best Value Trade-Off — the government weighs technical capability, past performance, and price
• Highest Technically Rated with Fair and Reasonable Price — technical quality matters most

Requirements

• Technical requirements — what exactly must you deliver?
• Period of performance — when does work start and end?
• Place of performance — where must work be done?
• Security clearances — are they required? At what level?
• Insurance and bonding — what's required?
• Past performance — how many similar contracts do you need to demonstrate?

Deadlines

• Questions deadline — when you can submit clarifying questions
• Proposal deadline — when your bid must be submitted (late = rejected)
• Pre-bid conference — some solicitations require or offer pre-bid meetings

For a detailed guide on writing your proposal, see How to Write a Government Proposal.

Step 6: Submit Your Bid

Most federal bids are submitted electronically through SAM.gov or a designated portal. Some may require physical submission.

Before submitting, double-check:

• All required documents are included
• All sections of the proposal are addressed
• Your pricing is complete and properly formatted
• The proposal is signed by an authorized representative
• You're submitting before the deadline (not at the deadline)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Letting Your Registration Lapse

Your SAM.gov registration must be renewed annually. If it lapses, you can't receive awards and may be disqualified from active bids.

2. Wrong NAICS Codes

Choosing incorrect NAICS codes means contracting officers can't find you, or you may be competing against companies of vastly different sizes.

3. Bidding Too Big Too Soon

Don't bid on a $10 million contract with no past performance. Start with smaller opportunities ($25K - $250K) to build your track record.

4. Ignoring the Instructions

Government solicitations have strict formatting and content requirements. If they say "12-page limit, Times New Roman, 12pt font," they mean it. Non-compliant proposals are rejected.

5. Missing the Q&A Period

If something in the solicitation is unclear, ask during the designated Q&A period. Don't guess — a wrong assumption can tank your proposal.

Useful Resources

• SBA.gov — Small Business Administration resources for government contractors
• PTAC — Procurement Technical Assistance Centers offer free counseling in every state
• SCORE — free mentoring for small businesses, including government contracting
• GovBid USA tenders — browse current US federal contract opportunities
• NAICS codes guide — find the right codes for your business

SAM.gov by the Numbers (March 2026)

GovBid currently tracks 23,000+ open SAM.gov tenders plus 597 from US municipal portals (Los Angeles County and New York City). Here's the landscape:

Top states by open tenders:

Small business set-asides: 1,849 tenders are specifically reserved for small businesses — including 168 for service-disabled veteran-owned businesses, 35 for HUBZone, and 25 for women-owned small businesses.

For Canadian Businesses

Canadian companies can absolutely bid on US federal contracts. You'll need to:

1. Register on SAM.gov with a UEI number (Canadian businesses are eligible)
2. Verify your NAICS codes apply to US procurement categories
3. Note that some contracts require US manufacturing or US-based personnel
4. Consider monitoring both CanadaBuys and SAM.gov simultaneously

For more on the Canadian procurement market, see our complete guide to finding government contracts in Canada. For state-specific opportunities beyond federal SAM.gov listings, see our guides to Texas government contracts and Pennsylvania government contracts. IT and software companies will also find tech-specific search strategies in our dedicated guide.

Is SAM.gov free?

Yes. SAM.gov is 100% free — registration, searching, and bidding all cost nothing. The US government operates SAM.gov as a public system. Be cautious of any third-party service that charges for SAM.gov registration or search access. While some paid services add convenience features (email alerts, saved searches, analytics), the underlying SAM.gov platform itself is free at sam.gov.

How long does SAM.gov registration take?

Plan for 7-10 business days from submission to active status. The process involves identity verification, which can add time if your business information doesn't match IRS records exactly. Have your EIN, legal business name (as registered with the IRS), and banking details ready before you start. If your registration is flagged for manual review, it may take up to 2-3 weeks. Once active, you must renew annually — set a calendar reminder 30 days before expiration.

Do I need a DUNS number for SAM.gov?

No. SAM.gov replaced the DUNS number system with the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) in April 2022. Your UEI is assigned automatically when you register in SAM.gov — you do not need to contact Dun & Bradstreet or any other third party. If you had a DUNS number from a previous registration, SAM.gov has already mapped it to your new UEI. You can find your UEI by searching for your business on SAM.gov.

Further Reading

• Browse US government tenders — Live SAM.gov listings updated daily
• Understanding NAICS Codes — Pick the right codes for your business
• California Government Contracts — Cal eProcure, SB/DVBE certification, and federal installations
• Virginia Government Contracts — eVA, SWaM certification, and the DC corridor
• Massachusetts Government Contracts — COMMBUYS, SDO certification, Hanscom AFB
• Florida Government Contracts — MFMP, military installations, OSD certification