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Plain-language guides on federal, state, and local contracting — SAM.gov, set-aside contracts, certifications, and everything else a small business owner needs to know about government contracting. No prior experience required.
Guides
Browse all guides →Pillar guide
What SAM.gov is, how NAICS codes and set-aside certifications work, and why consistent monitoring across federal, state, and local sources is the key to winning government contracts.
Read the guide →Where federal, state, and local contracts are posted, and how to search each one. Compare keyword search, NAICS lookup, and semantic search.
Read the guide →What replaced FedBizOpps, what SAM.gov contains, and how USAspending.gov, SBA SUBNet, and 50 state databases fit together.
Read the guide →Compare SAM.gov saved searches, state portal alerts, enterprise monitor tools, and consolidated daily alerts. Pick the right setup for your business.
Read the guide →A plain-language guide to the four major federal small business set-aside programs — eligibility, certification, and how to use one once you have it.
Read the guide →How state procurement differs from federal: portals, certifications, contract sizes, response windows, and which level fits your business.
Read the guide →Browse the 40+ states ContractRadar monitors, with links to each state's procurement portal and a dedicated guide.
Read the guide →Plain-language definitions of 50+ government contracting terms — NAICS codes, set-asides, SAM.gov, UEI, RFP, RFQ, past performance, and more.
Read the guide →Posts
Guide to Denver government contracts: how denvergov.org procurement works, MWBE participation goals, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors Denver daily.
Read more →8 SAM.gov alternatives compared by price, coverage, and use case. Free and paid options for small businesses, primes, and BD teams.
Read more →A practical playbook for winning Oregon government contracts: when to pursue them, how to get COBID-certified, how to write a competitive bid, and what trips small businesses up.
Read more →A practical playbook for winning Arizona government contracts: who actually wins them, how to position your business, where to start as a new bidder, and the mistakes that lose deals.
Read more →A practical playbook for winning Washington state contracts: when OMWBE certification pays off, how to use the high competitive threshold to your advantage, and what separates winning bids from also-rans.
Read more →Guide to Georgia state contracts: how the GPR works, DOAS small business program, DBE through GDOT, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors GA daily.
Read more →Guide to Hawaii state contracts: how HANDS works, the 15% Hawaii Products Preference, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors Hawaii daily.
Read more →Guide to Idaho state contracts: how LUMA works, the 5% in-state preference, DBE through ITD, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors Idaho daily.
Read more →Guide to Indiana state contracts: how IDOA procurement works, MBE/WBE/VBE certifications, DBE through INDOT, and how ContractRadar monitors Indiana daily.
Read more →Guide to Michigan state contracts: how SIGMA works, MBE/WBE/SDVOSB certifications, DBE through MDOT, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors Michigan daily.
Read more →Guide to Minnesota state contracts: how OSP GS-Auto works, the 6% TGB preference, DBE through MnDOT, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors Minnesota daily.
Read more →Guide to Mississippi state contracts: how DFA Bid Search works, the 7% small business preference, MBE certification, and how ContractRadar monitors Mississippi daily.
Read more →Guide to Montana state contracts: how eMACS works, the 3% in-state preference, wildfire and natural resource contracting, and how ContractRadar monitors Montana daily.
Read more →Guide to Rhode Island state contracts: how RIDOP works, MBE/WBE programs, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors Rhode Island daily.
Read more →Guide to South Carolina state contracts: how SCBO works, small and minority business programs, DBE through SCDOT, and how ContractRadar monitors SC daily.
Read more →Guide to South Dakota state contracts: how ESM Solutions works, the 5% in-state preference, veteran preferences, and how ContractRadar monitors SD daily.
Read more →Guide to Utah state contracts: how U3P works, the 5% in-state preference, Silicon Slopes IT opportunities, DBE through UDOT, and how ContractRadar monitors Utah daily.
Read more →Guide to Vermont state contracts: how the VBR works, in-state preferences, VTrans DBE program, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors Vermont daily.
Read more →Guide to Virginia state contracts: how eVA works, SWaM certification, SDVOSB preference, VDOT DBE program, and how ContractRadar monitors Virginia daily.
Read more →Guide to West Virginia state contracts: how OASIS works, the 2.5% in-state preference, WV DOH DBE program, energy sector contracting, and how ContractRadar monitors WV daily.
Read more →Guide to Nebraska state contracts: how DAS Materiel works, in-state preference, DBE through NDOT, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors Nebraska daily.
Read more →Guide to New Mexico state contracts: how SciQuest works, resident and veteran preferences, energy and construction categories, and how ContractRadar monitors NM daily.
Read more →Guide to North Carolina state contracts: how eVP works, NC HUB certification, NCDOT, UNC system, and how ContractRadar monitors NC daily.
Read more →Guide to North Dakota state contracts: how NDBuys works, in-state and veteran preferences, energy and construction categories, and how ContractRadar monitors ND daily.
Read more →Guide to Iowa state contracts: how Iowa Bid Opportunities works, TSB certification, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors Iowa daily.
Read more →Guide to Kansas state contracts: how eSupplier Portal works, small business preference, KanCare, and how ContractRadar monitors Kansas daily.
Read more →Guide to Kentucky state contracts: how CGI Advantage VSS works, small business preference, MBE certification, and how ContractRadar monitors KY daily.
Read more →Guide to Maine state contracts: how CGI Advantage VSS works, in-state vendor preferences, MaineDOT DBE, and how ContractRadar monitors Maine daily.
Read more →Guide to NYC government contracts: how PASSPort works, M/WBE certification, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors NYC daily.
Read more →Guide to SF government contracts: how DataSF procurement works, LBE certification, SFO airport contracts, and how ContractRadar monitors SF daily.
Read more →Guide to Boston government contracts: how boston.gov procurement works, M/WBE certification, top categories, and tips for winning city bids.
Read more →Guide to Houston government contracts: how BeaconBid works, M/WBE and SBE certification, airport contracts, and how ContractRadar monitors Houston daily.
Read more →Guide to Philadelphia government contracts: how city procurement works, M/W/DSBE certification, green infrastructure, and how ContractRadar monitors Philly daily.
Read more →ContractRadar now offers a free tier with 5 semantic searches per day. Find government contracts — no credit card required.
Read more →Guide to Colorado state contracts: how BIDS works, small business certifications, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors Colorado daily.
Read more →Guide to Connecticut state contracts: how DAS procurement works, SBE/MBE certifications, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors CT daily.
Read more →Guide to Delaware state contracts: how DigiSolv works, resident vendor preference, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors Delaware daily.
Read more →ContractRadar now offers semantic search. Describe your business in plain language and find relevant contracts — even when terminology differs.
Read more →Guide to Massachusetts state contracts: how COMMBUYS works, SDO certifications, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors MA daily.
Read more →Guide to Nevada state contracts: how NevadaEPro works, in-state preferences, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors Nevada daily.
Read more →Guide to New Jersey state contracts: how NJSTART works, Set-Aside Act, SBE certification, and how ContractRadar monitors NJ daily.
Read more →Guide to Arkansas state contracts: how ARBuy works, in-state preferences, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors Arkansas daily.
Read more →Guide to Illinois state contracts: how BidBuy works, BEP certification, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors Illinois daily.
Read more →Guide to Florida state contracts: how MyFloridaMarketPlace works, certification programs, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors Florida daily.
Read more →Guide to California state contracts: how Cal eProcure works, SB and DVBE certifications, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors CA daily.
Read more →Guide to New York state contracts: how NYSCR works, MWBE certification, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors NY daily.
Read more →Six more states now available — Oregon, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, Arkansas, and Illinois. Same AI matching, same daily email.
Read more →Guide to Pennsylvania state contracts: how PA eMarketplace works, SDB certification, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors PA daily.
Read more →Guide to LA government contracts: how City of LA (RAMP) and LA County procurement work, local certifications, and how ContractRadar monitors LA daily.
Read more →ContractRadar now monitors state and local procurement portals — starting with Delaware, NYC, and San Francisco. Same AI matching, same daily email.
Read more →Guide to New Hampshire state contracts: how procurement works, who can bid, common categories, and how ContractRadar monitors NH opportunities daily.
Read more →Guide to Texas state contracts: how ESBD and HUB certification work, common contract categories, tips for winning, and how ContractRadar monitors Texas daily.
Read more →How to register for federal contracts — SAM.gov steps, timelines, costs, and free help from Apex Accelerators. A step-by-step guide.
Read more →ContractRadar now shows past award history from USASpending.gov on federal matches when available. See past winners, amounts, and performance periods.
Read more →Large federal contractors must subcontract to small businesses. Learn where subcontracting opportunities are posted and how to find them.
Read more →Honest comparison of government contracting tools for small businesses: SAM.gov, SamSearch, GovDash, GovTribe, Procura Federal, GovWin IQ, and ContractRadar.
Read more →Beginner's guide to federal contracting: SAM.gov registration, set-asides, NAICS codes, and how to spot winnable bids — no experience required.
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