How do public tenders work in the United States?

Law and buyers

The United States is not an EU member, so there is no single national procurement law for all levels of government. Federal purchasing by executive agencies follows the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), plus agency supplements such as the DFARS for the Department of Defense. Since 2025 the FAR is being rewritten under the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul, with agency class deviations in use while formal rulemaking continues, so always read the clauses in the solicitation. GAO reported about $755 billion in federal contract obligations in fiscal year 2024, most of it by the Department of Defense. The 50 states, counties, cities, school districts and transit authorities each buy under their own state procurement codes and local ordinances, which differ significantly per state.[1][2][9]

Where tenders are published

Federal opportunities expected to exceed $25,000 must be synopsized on SAM.gov under FAR 5.101. SAM.gov is also where you register your entity, free of charge, to obtain a Unique Entity ID; an active registration is required before a federal award, and it must be renewed every year. Foreign entities usually need an NCAGE code before registering for contracts. Much federal buying also runs through GSA Multiple Award Schedules and agency-wide contract vehicles, which are only open to holders. State and local tenders are published on each state's own procurement portal and on buyers' e-procurement systems such as Bonfire, BidNet Direct, DemandStar, OpenGov, Public Purchase or bids&tenders, each with its own vendor registration.[3][5][11][13]

Procedures and thresholds

Federal agencies use simplified acquisition procedures (FAR Part 13) for purchases up to the simplified acquisition threshold, and micro-purchases can be made without quotes. Larger buys use sealed bidding (FAR Part 14), with award to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, or contracting by negotiation (FAR Part 15) through a request for proposals. Indefinite-delivery contracts, GSA schedules and governmentwide acquisition contracts are common, with orders competed among holders. Many contracts are set aside for small businesses, including 8(a), HUBZone, women-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned firms. States use similar tools under their own names, such as invitations for bid, requests for proposals and requests for qualifications, with thresholds set by each state.[1][7][10][11]

Documents and language

A federal offer usually consists of the completed solicitation forms, technical and management volumes, past performance information and a price volume in the format set out in Section L of the solicitation. Representations and certifications are made once in your SAM.gov registration and apply to all offers. Depending on the work, you may need small business size status, facility or personnel security clearances, cybersecurity compliance such as for defence contracts, and bonding for construction. Offers are written in English and prices are in US dollars. State and local tenders often ask for registration with the state, a certificate of authority to do business there, tax forms such as a W-9, insurance certificates and sometimes notarised forms.[1][5]

Deadlines, award and challenges

Under FAR 5.203 a federal agency normally publishes a notice at least 15 days before issuing a solicitation and allows at least 30 days to respond for actions above the simplified acquisition threshold, 45 days for research and development, and at least 40 days for acquisitions covered by trade agreements; commercial buys can be shorter. Awards go to the lowest price technically acceptable offer or to the best value after a trade-off between price and non-price factors, as stated in the solicitation. Unsuccessful offerors can request a debriefing. Bid protests can be filed with the agency, with the Government Accountability Office, generally within 10 days of knowing the grounds, or with the US Court of Federal Claims. State protest rules differ per state.[1][4][8]

How to win a tender in the United States

In US federal negotiated procurements under FAR Part 15, now applied through the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul deviation text, Section L of the RFP tells you how to build the proposal and Section M how it will be evaluated. The RFP must state the evaluation factors, significant subfactors and their relative importance, and whether non-price factors together are more, equally or less important than price. Award goes either to the best value after a tradeoff or to the lowest price technically acceptable offer. Past performance must be evaluated in competitive source selections unless the contracting officer documents why not, so pick recent, relevant references and expect CPARS records to be checked. Use sources sought notices, draft RFPs and industry days to shape the requirement, and submit questions by the Q&A deadline; answers are issued to all offerors as amendments. Research the agency's past awards on SAM.gov and USAspending.gov and its procurement forecast. Mirror Section L's volume structure and page limits and map every claim to a Section M factor. Late proposals are generally not considered. Request a debriefing in writing within 3 days of the award notice; it also matters for GAO protest timing.[14][15][16][17]

1. Map every Section M factor and subfactor to a heading in your proposal outline.
2. Respond to sources sought notices and draft RFPs before the formal solicitation.
3. Send questions before the Q&A deadline and read every amendment.
4. Choose recent, relevant past performance references and check your CPARS ratings.
5. Study the agency's earlier awards on SAM.gov and USAspending.gov.
6. Request a written debriefing within 3 days of the award notice.

Clarification round: Questions and answers period (RFP Q&A, answers issued as solicitation amendments)

Tips for bidders

Register on SAM.gov well in advance, because validation of a new registration, especially for foreign entities, can take weeks. Use the NAICS codes and set-aside filters on SAM.gov to find relevant notices, and read sources sought notices and requests for information, which let you influence the requirement before it is tendered. Check whether a procurement is restricted to small businesses or limited by the Buy American Act before investing time. Consider teaming with a US prime contractor or subcontracting to gain past performance. For state and local work, register separately on each state portal you target, since there is no single national portal below federal level.[6][10][12][13]

Platforms in the United States

This country does not publish on TED, so there are no shares. These are the platforms from our market map, public ones first.

• SAM.gov

  To bid on US federal contracts you need a full SAM.gov entity registration (includes a Unique Entity ID), renewed every 365 days.

  How it works →Website

• Biddingo

  Register on the buyer's Biddingo page to download documents and bid online; several Canadian buyers state core vendor access is free, extra services paid.

  Website

• Bidnet Direct

  Free Basic account covers bids from member agencies, including submission; paid plans add bids aggregated from other states and federal sources.

  How it works →Website

• bids&tenders

  Each buyer has its own bids&tenders site; a free account lets you browse, but downloading and bidding typically need a paid plan or pay-per-bid.

  How it works →Website

• DemandStar

  Free business accounts cover agencies in your chosen area; paid plans widen alerts, and bid documents outside your subscription cost $5 each.

  How it works →Website

• Euna Procurement (Bonfire)

  Register free on the Bonfire portal of the buyer you want to bid to; one vendor organisation account then works across Bonfire portals.

  How it works →Website

• JAGGAER

  Each buyer runs its own JAGGAER portal, often invitation-only; supplier participation is free, and JAGGAER support helps with access issues.

  How it works →Website

• OpenGov Procurement & Contract Management

  Create a vendor account, then subscribe to each agency's portal to get notices and submit electronically; many agencies state registration is free.

  How it works →Website

• Public Purchase

  Free vendor registration; after activation, also register with each agency you want notices from, or you may miss their opportunities.

  How it works →Website

• Rohirrim

  Not a tender portal: Rohirrim sells AI software for writing RFP responses (RohanRFP) and for government acquisitions (RohanProcure); bids are submitted elsewhere.

  Website

• SOVRA

  SOVRA runs BidNet Direct (US) and Merx (Canada); a free account lets you find and submit bids, paid plans widen coverage and alerts.

  How it works →Website

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Federal Acquisition Regulation (acquisition.gov)
2. Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (acquisition.gov)
3. FAR 5.101: Methods of disseminating information
4. FAR 5.203: Publicizing and response time
5. FAR 4.1102: System for Award Management, policy
6. FAR 25.402: Trade agreements, general (thresholds)
7. Federal Register 2025-16412: FAR inflation adjustment of acquisition-related thresholds
8. 4 CFR 21.2: GAO bid protest time for filing
9. GAO: A Snapshot of Government-Wide Contracting for FY 2024
10. SBA: Contracting assistance programs
11. GSA Multiple Award Schedule
12. SAM.gov
13. Federal Service Desk (SAM.gov help)
14. FAR Overhaul, Part 15 model deviation text (acquisition.gov)
15. FAR 15.305 Proposal evaluation (acquisition.gov)
16. FAR 15.506 Postaward debriefing of offerors (acquisition.gov)
17. SAM.gov contract award data
18. USAspending.gov award search

Checked on 15 October 2026. Made by TenderRender from official sources. Not legal advice: check the notice and documents of each tender.

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