How to bid on federal construction projects: SAM.gov from zero

Published October 14, 2026Updated October 14, 202656 views

Federal agencies — from the VA to the Forest Service to your nearest military base — buy construction constantly: new builds, renovations, re-roofs, paving, demolition. All of it is posted publicly, and any registered business can respond. The system behind it is SAM.gov (System for Award Management), the U.S. government's official contracting site.

If you've never touched it, SAM.gov looks intimidating. It isn't. Getting bid-ready is two free steps; the other three are just how you work once you're in.

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