Frequently Asked Questions

Grants.gov is the official U.S. government website listing all federal discretionary grant opportunities. Federal agencies post grants here when they have funding available for nonprofits, community organizations, schools, local governments, research institutions, and businesses.

govprocure searches all 81,000+ active and recent grant listings so you can filter by eligibility, deadline, award amount, and keyword without navigating the grants.gov interface.

SAM.gov (System for Award Management) is the federal government's official database of contract opportunities, vendor registrations, and award information. If you want to do business with the federal government — selling goods, providing services, or bidding on contracts — your business must be registered in SAM.gov.

It also lists every open solicitation: requests for proposals, requests for quotes, and combined synopsis/solicitations. govprocure searches SAM.gov solicitations and filters them by state, NAICS code, set-aside type, and deadline, making it faster to find opportunities relevant to your business.

USASpending.gov is the official source for federal award data — every contract, grant, and loan the U.S. government has awarded since 2000. It is required by the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA Act).

govprocure includes 328,000+ award records from USASpending, letting you search by recipient, agency, state, NAICS code, and award amount. This is primarily useful for market research: finding out who currently holds contracts similar to what you want to bid on, and what they were paid.

grants.gov data is updated daily (nightly sync from the official XML extract). SAM.gov solicitations are updated daily. USASpending award data covers 2000–2026 and is refreshed periodically.

Each database on govprocure shows a "last updated" timestamp so you always know how fresh the data is.

Yes. All three databases — grants.gov, SAM.gov, and USASpending.gov — are U.S. government public domain data. There are no redistribution restrictions.

govprocure provides search, filtering, and export tools that make this data easier to find and use. Searching is free with a free account. Exporting reports requires a one-time purchase.

Click "Start Searching Free" on any page. govprocure uses a quick one-step account setup — no password required. Your account is used to save search preferences and manage report purchases.

With a free account you can:

• Run unlimited queries across all three databases
• Filter by state, NAICS code, agency, keyword, set-aside type, and date range
• See matching records in the results table
• Use the pre-built Quick Search presets

Exporting results as PDF, CSV, or JSON requires a report purchase.

Free results show the key identification fields: title, agency, deadline, and opportunity ID.

Paid reports include the complete record: full description, contact information, CFDA codes, eligibility details, set-aside certifications, award amounts, and all other fields from the source database.

In the Grants or SAM filter panels, select your state from the State dropdown. For USASpending awards, use the State filter to see contracts awarded to businesses in a specific state.

You can combine state with NAICS code, keyword, and set-aside filters for precise results.

A set-aside contract is a federal contract reserved for a specific category of business. Common set-asides:

• Small Business (SB) — any business meeting SBA size standards for the NAICS code
• Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) — verified veteran-owned businesses
• Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) — verified women-owned businesses
• 8(a) Business Development — small disadvantaged businesses certified by SBA
• HUBZone — businesses in historically underutilized areas

If you hold any of these certifications, set-aside contracts are competitions where larger firms cannot participate.

NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) codes classify businesses by what they do. Every federal contract and grant references NAICS codes.

Use our NAICS lookup page to find the right code for your business. If you're unsure, the SBA's NAICS search tool at naics.com is also helpful. You can register multiple NAICS codes on SAM.gov.

SAM.gov registration is free and required before you can receive federal contracts or most federal grants. You will need:

• Your Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Social Security Number
• Your NAICS codes
• Your bank account information for electronic funds transfer
• Your UEI (Unique Entity Identifier, which SAM.gov now assigns)

Register at sam.gov/register. Allow 7–10 business days for processing.

Each grant listing on grants.gov includes a link to the application package and instructions. General steps:

• (1) Register your organization in SAM.gov if not already done.
• (2) Register at grants.gov/applicants.
• (3) Find the opportunity using govprocure or grants.gov directly.
• (4) Download and complete the application package (usually SF-424 forms plus program-specific attachments).
• (5) Submit through grants.gov before the posted deadline.

Official guide: grants.gov/applicants/apply-for-grants

Most federal grant applications use standard forms:

• SF-424 — Application for Federal Assistance (cover sheet for most grants)
• SF-424A — Budget Information (Non-Construction)
• SF-424B — Assurances (Non-Construction Programs)
• SF-LLL — Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable)

Program-specific forms vary by agency. All standard forms are available at grants.gov/forms.

Responding to a federal solicitation depends on the type:

• Request for Quote (RFQ) — submit a quote by the deadline, usually via SAM.gov or email to the contracting officer listed.
• Request for Proposal (RFP) — submit a formal proposal package including technical approach, past performance, and pricing.

The solicitation document includes all instructions. Key rules:

• The contracting officer contact is always listed in the solicitation.
• You can ask clarifying questions during the question period.
• Never submit a response after the deadline — late submissions are disqualified.

Official guide: acquisition.gov

Your UEI is assigned when you register in SAM.gov. If you are already registered, your UEI is visible in your SAM.gov workspace.

The UEI replaced the DUNS number in April 2022. Register or look up your UEI at sam.gov.

No. govprocure is a search and research tool. We surface opportunities from public federal databases and help you find relevant programs faster.

For application assistance:

• PTAC (Procurement Technical Assistance Centers) offices provide free help to businesses pursuing federal contracts — find your local PTAC at aptac.org.
• SBDC (Small Business Development Centers) provide free consulting — find yours at americassbdc.org.