Frequently Asked Questions

Government contracting is the process of selling products or services to government agencies through legally binding contracts. Instead of producing everything in-house, federal, state, and local agencies hire private businesses to provide what they need — from office supplies and software to construction, consulting, training, and professional services.

In 2025, the federal government alone spent over $833 billion through contracts with private businesses. That money flows to companies of all sizes, across nearly every industry. Our Guide 1 covers the full picture in plain English.

Yes — and not just in the "anyone can try" sense. Many government contracts are awarded to small businesses, and some opportunities are specifically set aside for eligible small business categories. The federal government is required by law to award at least 23% of all contracting dollars to small businesses every year.

There are programs — SBA certifications like SDVOSB, 8(a), WOSB, and HUBZone — that restrict certain contracts so only certified small businesses can compete. If you qualify, those programs dramatically reduce your competition.

Businesses in nearly every industry can pursue government contracts. Federal agencies buy everything from construction and landscaping to software, consulting, manufacturing, transportation, and professional services. If your business provides a product or service a government agency could realistically use, there may be opportunities in your lane.

The first step is getting registered on SAM.gov, which is where every government contractor starts. Guide 2 walks you through every step.

No — and this is one of the biggest misconceptions out there. The federal government is required by law to award a percentage of contracts to small businesses. In fact, the government's goal is to award at least 23% of all federal contracting dollars to small businesses every year.

There are even special programs — set-aside certifications — that restrict certain contracts so only small businesses can bid on them. The system was literally designed to include businesses like yours.

You don't need federal experience to start. If you've done the work in the private sector — whether it's IT, cleaning, consulting, construction, or anything else — that counts.

Many small businesses start by subcontracting under a larger company to build past performance, then graduate to bidding on their own. The key is having a legitimate business that can deliver what it promises. You don't need a government contracting résumé to get started — you need to register and start learning the process.

You don't technically need an LLC — but you do need a legitimate, legally registered business structure. That could be an LLC, a corporation, or even a sole proprietorship with an EIN.

That said, most people in government contracting operate as an LLC or corporation because it provides liability protection and looks more professional to contracting officers. If you haven't set up your business entity yet, do that first — then come back and register on SAM.gov.

The core registrations are completely free. SAM.gov registration is free. SBA certifications are free. Searching for opportunities on SAM.gov is free.

The only costs you might run into are optional tools that save you time — things like proposal writing software or templates. But the barrier to entry? It's your time, not your wallet. If someone is charging you thousands just to register, walk away.

Registration is 100% free. The federal government does not charge for registration, Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) assignment, or annual renewals. Third-party services that charge to register on your behalf are optional and unnecessary.

The initial UEI validation process typically takes 1 to 2 business days. The full initial registration usually takes 7 to 10 business days from start to finish.

A Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is a mandatory 12-character alphanumeric ID assigned automatically and for free by SAM.gov to officially identify your business.

Note: The UEI officially replaced the DUNS number in April 2022. You no longer need a DUNS number for federal contracting.

You must renew your registration annually (every 12 months) to remain eligible for federal contracts. A lapsed registration means you cannot be awarded or paid on contracts until it is reinstated.

SAM.gov is your registration. SBS (formerly DSBS) is your visibility.

Registering in SAM gets your business into the federal system. Your SBS profile — maintained by the Small Business Administration — helps contracting officers, agency buyers, and prime contractors discover and evaluate your business during market research. Think of SAM as your registration and SBS as your business listing.

Learn more: Read our Get Found guide →

There are several common reasons:

• Your SAM registration is inactive or expired
• Your profile has not synchronized yet after a recent update
• Your profile information is incomplete
• You recently updated SAM.gov and changes have not appeared yet

Start by verifying your SAM registration status — that fixes the problem about 80% of the time. If you recently made changes, allow 48–72 hours for the systems to sync before troubleshooting further.

Yes. Many contracting officers use SBS as part of their market research process before publishing a solicitation. Small business specialists use it to verify that set-aside opportunities are viable. Prime contractors use it to find qualified subcontractors.

A complete, keyword-rich profile makes it easier for buyers to understand your capabilities, certifications, and experience. The easier you are to find, the easier it is to be considered — before you ever see an RFP.

Next step: Build your Capabilities Statement →

Focus on specific services, certifications, and keywords buyers actually search for. Avoid vague filler like “We provide quality services.” Instead, clearly explain:

• What you do (specific services or products)
• Who you serve (agency types, industries, project sizes)
• Relevant certifications and licenses
• Geographic area you operate in

The goal is to help buyers quickly understand whether your business is a potential fit — before they ever reach out. For a full breakdown of how to write this, see our Capabilities Statement guide. The same principles apply directly to your SBS narrative.

Saved searches let you set up alerts for contract opportunities that match your business — so you don't have to manually search every day. You can filter by NAICS code, set-aside type, location, notice type, and more.

Most experienced contractors run multiple saved searches to stay on top of new opportunities in their lane. When an opportunity pops up, you want to be reviewing it the day it posts — not two weeks later when you happen to check.

Once you find an opportunity worth pursuing, our deepRFP guide walks through how to analyze solicitations and build a competitive proposal efficiently.

DeepRFP is an AI-powered proposal platform built specifically for government contracting. It analyzes federal, state, and local solicitations, extracts requirements, identifies evaluation criteria, builds compliance matrices, and generates a structured proposal draft based on the opportunity.

What makes DeepRFP different from generic AI tools is that it was designed for government proposals from the ground up. Instead of manually sorting through hundreds of pages of requirements, attachments, and instructions, the platform helps organize critical information and creates a draft that can often be 70–80% complete before editing.

For businesses actively bidding on government contracts, it can dramatically reduce the time spent preparing proposals.

Learn more: Read our full DeepRFP Review →

Yes.

AI can absolutely help write government proposals. In fact, DeepRFP can generate a surprisingly strong first draft based on the solicitation and supporting documents you provide.

However, AI should not be treated as a replacement for human expertise. Government proposals still require review, editing, pricing decisions, technical input, compliance verification, and company-specific information.

The best way to think about AI is as a proposal accelerator. It can help organize information, build structure, and generate draft content much faster than starting from a blank page. You still provide the strategy, experience, and final decisions.

Learn more: Read our full DeepRFP Review →

Yes. If I were bidding on a government contract tomorrow, I'd use it.

The biggest value isn't that it writes proposal content. The biggest value is that it helps you understand the solicitation faster and removes a huge amount of manual work from the process.

Most businesses don't struggle because they can't perform the work. They struggle because they get overwhelmed by the solicitation itself.

DeepRFP helps extract requirements, organize evaluation criteria, build compliance matrices, and generate a structured proposal draft so you can spend less time sorting paperwork and more time improving your response.

For active government contractors, I believe it's one of the most useful proposal tools currently available.

Learn more: Read our full DeepRFP Review →

For government contracting, yes.

ChatGPT is an excellent general-purpose AI tool, but it wasn't built specifically for analyzing government solicitations. Large RFPs often include dozens of attachments, technical exhibits, pricing documents, statements of work, amendments, and supporting files. Managing and organizing all of that information manually inside ChatGPT can quickly become difficult and time-consuming.

DeepRFP was designed specifically for this workflow. It can analyze solicitation documents, extract requirements, identify evaluation criteria, build compliance matrices, organize proposal sections, and generate structured proposal drafts within a system built around government contracting.

I still use ChatGPT. But if my goal is reviewing a real government solicitation and preparing a proposal, I would choose DeepRFP every time because it's purpose-built for the job.

Learn more: Read our full DeepRFP Review →

Honest answer: it varies — and it's not fast.

From the time you register on SAM.gov to submitting your first competitive bid, you're looking at roughly 2 months (accounting for entity validation, CAGE code assignment, and market research). After you submit, the evaluation process can take weeks to months depending on the contract size.

And here's the part nobody likes to hear: most first bids don't win. That's not failure — that's the process. The businesses that succeed are the ones that keep bidding, request debriefs, and improve with every submission. This is not a get-rich-quick play. It's a long game with real payoff for those who stick with it.

You don't need it — but once you start responding to real RFPs, you'll understand why people use it.

Government proposals aren't simple forms. They're structured responses to detailed requirements, and a single missed item can get your bid thrown out. Proposal software helps you extract requirements, organize your response, and make sure you don't miss anything.

For your first bid or two, you can absolutely do it manually. But if you plan to bid regularly, a tool like DeepRFP can save you dozens of hours per proposal. It's optional — but it's the kind of optional that pays for itself quickly.