Bid Scout: SAM.gov Federal Bids Digest

Find new federal bids for your trade without checking SAM.gov every day

Bid Scout reads the public SAM.gov Contract Opportunities data and gives you a short list of new federal bids that fit what you do. Filter by keyword, NAICS code, set-aside, state or agency. Run it once, or put it on a schedule and get only the notices that are new or amended since the last run.

There is no SAM.gov account to set up and no API key to request. Fill in a few filters, press Start, and read the results in your browser, in Excel or in a spreadsheet.

It is built for small contractors and subcontractors looking for federal work (janitorial, landscaping, facilities, construction, security, IT and similar trades), for proposal staff who want a daily list per NAICS code, for consultants who track federal buying for several clients, and for anyone who needs SAM.gov opportunity data as JSON, CSV or Excel.

How to use it

1. Click Try for free and open the Input tab.
2. Enter what you do. For example, a keyword like janitorial, a NAICS code like 5617, a set-aside and a state. Leave anything you don't need empty.
3. Click Start. A run takes about 10 to 60 seconds. The Output tab shows the table, and the run's key-value store has a readable digest (DIGEST_MD).

To get a list every morning, turn on Only new or updated since last run, give the search a name in State key, and add an Apify Schedule.

Example inputs

Paste any of these into the Input tab (switch to the JSON view). The notes under each one come from a test in late October 2026, and your results will differ from day to day.

Small-business janitorial work in Texas

{
    "keywords": ["janitorial", "custodial"],
    "setAsides": ["SBA"],
    "states": ["TX"],
    "postedWithinDays": 30,
    "maxItems": 25
}

This returned 2 open notices, including a sources-sought notice for an Amarillo field office. Without the setAsides line it returned 15.

Construction bids in Florida

{
    "naicsCodes": ["23"],
    "states": ["FL"],
    "postedWithinDays": 14,
    "minDaysToDeadline": 5,
    "maxItems": 25
}

The code 23 matches every construction NAICS code. minDaysToDeadline hides notices that close too soon to respond to.

Landscaping and grounds work for small and veteran-owned businesses

{
    "naicsCodes": ["561730"],
    "keywords": ["grounds maintenance", "landscaping", "mowing"],
    "setAsides": ["SBA", "SDVOSBC"],
    "postedWithinDays": 14,
    "maxItems": 25
}

Roofing, HVAC and plumbing at VA and Army Corps offices

{
    "keywords": ["roofing", "HVAC", "plumbing", "painting"],
    "agencies": ["veterans affairs", "army corps"],
    "postedWithinDays": 14,
    "maxItems": 50
}

Who is winning contracts in your trade

{
    "naicsCodes": ["5617"],
    "noticeTypes": ["Award Notice"],
    "postedWithinDays": 30,
    "maxItems": 50
}

Running it on a schedule

Save your input as a task and create a Schedule that runs it. The data file refreshes overnight, so a run after 6 AM Eastern works well. Use Only new or updated since last run with a different State key for each saved search, so each one remembers what it already sent you.

From the Integrations tab you can send results to Slack, Gmail, Google Sheets, Zapier, Make or your own webhook. Every run also saves an email-ready HTML digest (DIGEST_HTML) and a plain-text digest (DIGEST_TXT) in its key-value store, and each result has a one-line digestLine that works as an email subject or chat message.

Agencies post every amendment as a separate notice. Bid Scout shows the latest version of each solicitation once and tells you how many versions it replaced, and an amended notice is marked updated so it doesn't slip past you.

What each result contains

Title, notice type, solicitation number, agency and office, posted date, response deadline and days left, NAICS and product/service codes, set-aside, place of performance and a direct link to the notice on SAM.gov. You can also include the contracting officer's contact details as published in the notice, the description text, and a relevance score used for sorting.

A digest entry looks like this:

## S--AMARILLO FIELD OFFICE JANITORIAL SERVICES
- Type: Sources Sought · Solicitation #: 140LL027Q0008
- Agency: INTERIOR, DEPARTMENT OF THE › DEPARTMENTAL OFFICES › BLM CONTRACTING ACTIVITY
- Posted: 2026-10-23 · Due: 2026-10-28 (1 day)
- NAICS: 561720 · Set-aside: Small Business Set Aside - Total · Place: Amarillo, TX
- Link: https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/55310392f07642a7840173a58e854adb/view

And a data item, shortened:

{
    "title": "S--AMARILLO FIELD OFFICE JANITORIAL SERVICES",
    "solicitationNumber": "140LL027Q0008",
    "type": "Sources Sought",
    "postedDate": "2026-10-23",
    "responseDeadline": "2026-10-28T09:00:00-06:00",
    "daysToDeadline": 1,
    "agency": "INTERIOR, DEPARTMENT OF THE",
    "naicsCode": "561720",
    "setAside": "Small Business Set Aside - Total",
    "placeOfPerformance": { "city": "Amarillo", "state": "TX", "zip": "79101" },
    "url": "https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/55310392f07642a7840173a58e854adb/view",
    "relevanceScore": 5
}

Pricing

You pay per use. There is no monthly fee.

What	Price
A digest, once per run that finds at least one notice	$0.05
Each notice returned	$0.0015 ($1.50 per 1,000)
Starting a run	$0.00005

A daily run that returns 5 new notices costs $0.05 plus 5 x $0.0015, about $0.06, which comes to roughly $1.75 over a month of daily matches. A run that finds nothing costs only the start fee. A weekly run returning about 20 notices costs around $0.08.

To set a hard limit, use Maximum cost per run in the run options. Bid Scout stops returning results when it reaches your limit. Apify's free plan includes some usage credit each month, so you can try it before paying anything.

Questions

Do I need a SAM.gov account or an API key?

No. Bid Scout never signs in to SAM.gov and doesn't use a key.

Where does the data come from, and how fresh is it?

From the public Contract Opportunities data file that the U.S. General Services Administration publishes at sam.gov/data-services. The file refreshes overnight, so a notice posted today usually appears tomorrow. If you run it daily, set Posted within the last (days) to at least 2 or 3.

SAM.gov has saved searches with email alerts. Why use this?

SAM.gov's alerts are free and work well for a search or two. Bid Scout helps when you want several searches at once, results in a spreadsheet or Slack, filters like days left to respond, or the data as CSV, Excel or JSON. Some people use both.

Does it include attachments or the statement of work?

No, attachments are not in the data file. Each result links to the notice on SAM.gov, where you can download them.

How do I find my NAICS code?

It's the industry code you picked when you registered on SAM.gov. You can enter fewer digits to cast a wider net: 5617 covers all building and grounds services, and 23 covers all construction.

Why did I get no results?

Your filters may be too narrow. Try fewer keywords, drop the set-aside, raise Posted within the last (days), or remove the state. If Only new or updated since last run is on, notices you already received under the same State key are hidden on purpose.

Why did the state filter miss a notice?

It matches the place of performance, or the issuing office's state when no place is listed. Some notices list neither, so adding a keyword filter helps.

Can I use the contact details?

They are the business contact details the contracting officer published in the notice. Turn them off with "includeContacts": false if you don't need them.

Something is wrong or missing. Where do I report it?

Open a thread in the Issues tab. Bug reports and requests are welcome there.

All input fields

Field	What it does
keywords, excludeKeywords, keywordMatch	Words or phrases in the title or description, matching any or all
naicsCodes, pscCodes	Industry and product/service codes, matched by prefix (5617 matches 561720)
noticeTypes	Defaults to notices you can still respond to. Add Award Notice to see winners
setAsides	Small business, 8(a), HUBZone, service-disabled veteran-owned, women-owned and more
agencies, states	Part of an agency or office name, and two-letter state codes
postedWithinDays, hideExpired, minDaysToDeadline	Date limits
collapseAmendments	On by default. One entry per solicitation, latest version only
onlyNew, stateKey	Return each notice once per saved search, and again if it is amended
sortBy, maxItems	Order and number of results
includeDescription, includeContacts	Turn the heavier fields on or off

Good to know

• The source is the SAM.gov Contract Opportunities public data file, published by the U.S. General Services Administration.
• Award notices dated before 2022-04-04 can contain third-party data that SAM.gov doesn't allow in bulk use, so the awardee name is left out of those.
• This is an independent tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the U.S. government, the General Services Administration or SAM.gov. Data can be up to a day old or incomplete, so confirm requirements and deadlines on SAM.gov before you bid. This is not legal or procurement advice.