US government contracting is several markets with different publication and access routes. Start by choosing the buyers and work you can serve. Then separate open solicitations from early planning notices and historical awards. This source map helps a sales team decide where to look before creating a feed.
Choose the route that matches the job
| Your question | Starting point | Next guide |
|---|---|---|
| What federal work can we respond to? | SAM.gov Contract Opportunities | Federal discovery and qualification |
| Which state, city or school district buys our service? | The named buyer's official procurement website and linked bidding portal | State and local source mapping |
| What may be purchased later? | Agency forecasts, sources sought and market-research notices | Check the response requested; it may not be a priced proposal. |
| Who received federal contract spending? | USAspending | Inspect award type, agency, recipient, period and value measure. |
| Can we sell through an existing contract vehicle? | The vehicle's official terms and ordering guidance | Check admission and order eligibility before treating an order as accessible. |
A SAM.gov search is not a nationwide state-and-local procurement search. A federal funding relationship also does not prove that a local recipient publishes its purchases through the federal solicitation system.
Classifications and geography change across markets
Federal notices commonly use NAICS and product/service classifications. State and local systems can use different catalogues. Keep the native system and code attached to each record. A numeric match across different classifications does not establish equivalent goods or services.
Record buyer location separately from place of performance. A federal department in Washington can purchase services elsewhere; a statewide contract can require delivery well beyond your local service area.
Keep pipeline and research separate
An active solicitation is a candidate for qualification, subject to deadline and eligibility checks. A sources-sought notice requests market information; an agency forecast is planning information. A signed award is historical evidence. Avoid reporting all three as “open contracts.”
USAspending's data guidance distinguishes spending fields. Obligations, transaction amounts and potential contract values answer different questions. Do not add modification transactions to full award totals or call a vehicle ceiling the incumbent's realized revenue. Preserve identifiers and the value basis in any buyer analysis.
A first-week source map
Choose ten target buyers, not fifty states. For each, record the official procurement URL, external platform if used, registration requirements, relevant terminology, active-notice search and award-history route. Test the map against two known procurements per buyer. Note missing attachments, stale records and routes you cannot access.
Illustrative example: a regional network-support provider may find federal base-support work, a state agency's statewide framework and a school district's network refresh. Those are separate decisions about access, delivery obligations and references. Compare fit before comparing headline values.
Duke's US coverage must be demonstrated for the particular federal or state/local sources you need. This map does not certify all-state monitoring, complete awards or automatic renewal predictions. Bring your sample notices and source map to a Duke discussion.
Continue with federal search and qualification or state and local discovery.
Source guidance checked: 13 September 2026. Editorial owner: Antoine Simon. Next review: 13 December 2026, or sooner if a source or procedure changes. Examples are illustrative, not live tenders.