Where set-aside contracts are posted
Federal agencies post contract opportunities on SAM.gov, and GSA's Find opportunities page for small businesses points there too. You can search for free without an account. To receive an award, though, you need an active SAM.gov entity registration.
A set-aside limits who can compete. A total small business set-aside is open to any firm that's small under the size standard stated in the notice. Other set-asides require a specific status, such as 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB or SDVOSB. See which statuses exist.
How to search SAM.gov for set-asides
Go to SAM.gov Contract Opportunities. This search shows procurement notices only, not entity records or grants.
Set the status to Active. Under notice type, choose Solicitation and Combined Synopsis/
Each notice carries a NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) code that describes the work. A commercial cleaning company, for example, would search 561720, Janitorial Services. Then pick a set-aside you qualify for. For most small firms that's Total Small Business Set-Aside. If you can only staff work nearby, add a place-of-performance filter.
Sign in to SAM.gov to save the search, so you can rerun it without setting the filters again.
Open the notice itself. Confirm the notice type, set-aside, NAICS code, size standard, response date with time zone, and place of performance. Then read the attachments and amendments, because they can move the deadline, change the scope or add requirements. Note which amendment you last read.
A Key West janitorial set-aside, step by step
These details come from the Coast Guard notice as posted on November 6, 2026. Check SAM.gov for amendments and its current status before relying on them.
- Solicitation number
- 70ZL26-27-
SectorKW Janitorial Services - Notice type
- Combined Synopsis/
Solicitation - Agency
- U.S. Coast Guard, Sector Key West
- Work
- Recurring janitorial services in Key West, FL
- Set-aside
- Total small business
- NAICS and size
- 561720, Janitorial Services. $22 million size standard.
- Labor rates
- Wage determination included
- Past performance
- Three recent, relevant references
- Site visits
- Nov 10 and Nov 12, 9:00–10:00 AM EST. Recommended, not required.
- Quotes due
- Nov 20, 2026, 3:00 PM EST
- Registration
- Active SAM.gov registration by closing
Now apply the four steps. The Coast Guard posted this as a Combined Synopsis/
Two hypothetical crews, two decisions
Both businesses are invented to show the reasoning.
Crew A holds until costing is done
A Lower Keys cleaning firm with about $3 million in annual receipts and an active SAM.gov registration. It has three recent commercial janitorial contracts it can cite as references, and its crew lives within commuting distance.
- Eligibility: well under the $22 million standard
- Required steps: registration active, three references ready
- Delivery: the local crew can cover the recurring schedule
- Cost: unknown, because labor hasn't been priced at wage-determination rates
HOLD. It becomes a BID if, before Nov 20, labor at wage-determination rates plus supplies and supervision comes out at a margin the owner accepts.
Crew B passes on staffing cost
A central Florida cleaning company about 400 miles away, with no employees in the Keys.
- Delivery: recurring service would mean housing a rotating crew in Key West, because it has no local staff
- Cost: by its own estimate, lodging and travel for a two-person crew would cost more than its whole expected margin on the job
- Remedy: it can't hire and train a local team before quotes are due
PASS. Delivery and Cost both fail, and neither can be fixed by Nov 20.
Bid/no-bid checklist
Use it on any set-aside notice. Your checkmarks stay on this page and aren't saved.
PASS if a mandatory requirement is unmet and can't be fixed in time, or if you can't deliver the work at an acceptable margin. HOLD if a material answer is unknown, and assign someone to find it. BID only if you're eligible and the work makes business sense.
The CSV version adds columns for evidence (the notice section or attachment) and for who owns the next step, so your team can fill it in as a spreadsheet.
Sign in with a plan that includes bid qualification. Then paste the public SAM.gov listing URL, or upload the solicitation PDF and any addenda. Attachments aren't pulled from the listing automatically, so add the ones you want reviewed.
Common search mistakes
The result card is only a summary. The requirements that change your price are in the attachments and amendments.
Being small isn't enough for an SDVOSB or HUBZone set-aside. You need that specific status.
3:00 PM EST is noon in California. Put the converted time on your calendar.
If your renewal is still processing at closing, it can cost you the award. Renew early.