Public procurement is a US$13 trillion annual global market that creates major opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses.

Government contracts can help businesses gain credibility, enter new markets, grow in these markets, and create a steady flow of work.

Even though established contractors dominate the market, there are many opportunities created for smaller and first-time bidders, so your firm may be eligible to compete for more tenders than you might think.

The opportunity is real, so read on to learn more about the registration, two realistic entry paths, and the six steps that take you to your first bid.

Two paths to your first contract

Almost every government procurement market divides suppliers into two primary roles: prime contractors and subcontracted entities. 

A prime contractor must fully register in the state system, have a proper legal/tax setup in the country (or be covered by a trade agreement), and often show some past experience.

Subcontractors work for a company that has already signed a contract with the government (prime contractor) and doesn’t deal directly with the buyer.

Some government contracts require “other than small” businesses, including large companies, to subcontract with a small business, which creates more opportunities for smaller firms to get involved in federal contracting.

Note: Exact rules can vary by the buying agency, contract size, country, or specific arrangement. Thus, it’s crucial that you check the current solicitation or talk to the prime contractor (the company that already holds the main contract with the government).

Step 1. Register in the right system

Usually, government procurement systems have a mandatory and free registration before you can bid. Most governments do not charge for this step, and therefore if a website asks you to pay to "help" you register, that's a red flag.

Side note: there are a few smaller countries or specialized systems that may have minor administrative fees, local company registration costs, or different rules. But the big, commonly targeted markets do not charge for the core procurement registration itself.

Here are several official free registration and search links for the largest public procurement markets:

United States (Federal)

  • Register through SAM.gov, the System for Award Management.
  • Help/support: FSD.gov.

Official registration portals are free. Use official domains such as .gov/.eu/.gov.uk. Any site that asks you to pay just to register is not official.

European Union

Any contract that a European Union (EU) government body must advertise EU-wide has to cross a value threshold first, and starting January 1, 2026, until December 31, 2027 (reviewed every two years), new thresholds were established. Below the EU-wide thresholds, each country runs its own national portal in its own language, but it is not forbidden to publish below-threshold opportunities EU-wide voluntarily.

For instance, under the Classical Public Procurement (Directive 2014/24/EU), the threshold for works contracts is €5,404,000.

Contracts above certain thresholds for 2026-2027 must be advertised EU-wide on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily - TED, the main EU-wide notice board), but the actual bid submission almost always happens on a national platform that the TED notice links to. For instance: 

The one document that works across all of them is the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD), a standard self-declaration of your eligibility.

TED coverage runs across all 27 EU member states plus Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, but it doesn't take into account the UK. 

United Kingdom

The UK Procurement Act 2023 governs public contracts in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (Scotland runs separate procurement rules, with limited exceptions). Suppliers register once through the Central Digital Platform.

Asia

  • GeBIZ: Singapore government procurement, including opportunities for foreign bidders.
  • JETRO: English-language access to Japan’s WTO-covered government procurement.

Africa

The African continent doesn’t have a single continental portal, with each country running its own system. Few nations stand out for scale and English-language access. A few examples:

Step 2. Classify your business correctly

Classification codes allow governmental buyers to describe what they are buying and to find companies that can provide it, and each country or region has its own classification codes.

For example:

  • The United States has NAICS codes that classify businesses by industry. A company providing IT consulting might have a specific NAICS code for that type of service.
  • As for the European Union, it has CPV (Common Procurement Vocabulary) codes created specifically for public procurement.

You can learn more about it in this piece: Looking Into CPV: EU’s Standard Language for Government Contracts

This is important: Since buyers use codes when searching for suppliers, pick those that genuinely match your capabilities (not the ones that look like they'd catch the most opportunities). If you select inaccurate codes, your firm won’t appear in the contracting officer’s search results.

Step 3. Build a capability statement

You may think of a capability statement as a short resume created for the government buyer, and it includes a number of details about you like:

  • Your core capabilities.
  • What sets you apart.
  • Your past performance (or comparable commercial work if you're new to public contracts).
  • Relevant certifications.
  • Your registration details (NAICS codes, for instance).

If you have no government track record yet, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re disqualified. The things that can stand in may include relevant commercial project work, your team's individual experience, or a teaming partner's history.

Contracting officers read a lot of these documents, so make sure to keep it factual and specific, not promotional.

Step 4. Find contract opportunities

In the United States, SAM.gov's Contract Opportunities section is the main source, and it’s free. You can filter by NAICS code, set-aside type, and posting date, and save your searches so you're alerted to new matches.

A few notice types are worth telling apart: 

  • Presolicitation and sources sought/RFI notices - the agency is collecting information, and consider responding even if you're not ready to bid, since it builds visibility
  • Combined synopsis/solicitation - ready to bid now
  • Award notices - useful for market research on who's winning and at what price.

In the European Union TED is free and searchable by CPV code, country, or buyer. 

Its email alert function is really useful if you don’t want to miss any notices. 

Remember what we outlined previously - opportunities below the EU thresholds can only be found on national portals, so if you're targeting a specific country, you should consider monitoring that country's system directly too.

In Asia, each national portal (GeM, JETRO, and others) has its own search and alert tools, and these are generally free.

How can Tenderwell.com help?

The Tenderwell aggregator platform helps you track opportunities across several jurisdictions in one place. 

You also get:

  1. Multiple daily alerts system (Search for tenders, and save the necessary results as alerts to get notified).
  2. An advanced filtering system (filter tenders by location, sector, budget, deadline, status, and more).
  3. Award tracking (real-time data from official award notices).
  4. Exclusive statistics and analytics for market intelligence. 

And much more.

Book a demo at Tenderwell

Search for tenders

Step 5. Understand how bids get evaluated

In the U.S., agencies score bids using one of three common methods:

  • Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) - meet the minimum technical requirements, and the lowest price wins.
  • Best Value Trade-off (or simply Tradeoff) - the buyer evaluates technical quality and price against each other, so the cheapest bid does not always win.
  • Highest Technically Rated with Fair and Reasonable Price - technical quality leads, as long as the price is reasonable.

EU buyers use a similar underlying logic, with most notices specifying either the lowest price or the "most economically advantageous tender" (MEAT), which is the EU's version of a best-value approach.

This is important: The most common beginner mistake is submitting an incomplete proposal. A missing document or missing pricing line gets you rejected before anyone even has the chance to compare your bid on merit.

At the end of the day, evaluators don't call to say you forgot something. Follow the solicitation's instructions exactly, down to the file format.

Step 6. Price and submit your bid

Smaller-value procurements use lighter, faster procedures.

In the US, micro-purchases (up to US$15,000, effective October 2025) and simplified acquisitions (up to US$350,000) are some of the examples worth knowing. These let agencies use faster, lighter-paperwork procedures (more details on threshold changes are available at Acquisition.gov). 

However, this is rather a procedural shortcut for the buying agency than a promise that you'll face less competition, since simplified acquisitions can still draw multiple bidders.

This is important: Thoroughly review the entire Performance Work Statement or Statement of Work before you price anything and check the award history for what the prior contractor charged (as it often is on SAM.gov and TED), if it's public.

Then submit before the deadline, not at it. Late means disqualified, no matter how strong the proposal was.

How long does it take to win your first contract?

Realistically, it may take from 6 to 12 months from the starting point to your first award, but there are cases in which the timeline is longer.  

The steps described above, from registration, finding the right opportunity, building relevant experience or a teaming relationship, and getting through evaluation, take time. 

Consider thinking of it as a sales cycle and not a quick transaction, and you'll pace yourself better than someone expecting results in the first few weeks.

The Tenderwell platform can help you track tenders on one platform without having to look for them in multiple sources.

Frequently asked questions

What is the easiest government contract to get? 

Keep in mind that there is no “easy” government contract. It would be more correct to say “the most accessible entry points” - and for new or small contractors, these are low-value/simplified procurements in less specialized service categories.

For example, in the United States, micro-purchases and simplified acquisitions in less specialized service categories like janitorial/custodial services and grounds/landscaping maintenance services are among the most accessible entry points for new contractors. 

For the EU, low-value and simplified national procedures can be considered the easiest starting points, but you should check thresholds and exact processes in the country of your interest, since these vary. 

Is it hard to get a government contract? 

Getting a government contract is a process that has real requirements (so, it’s not a lottery). To be able to increase your chances of winning, after registering, you have to have a proposal that strictly follows the instructions. Remember that incomplete submissions are rejected, so you don’t even get to the evaluation step. One of the hardest parts is patience, and it’s because most first awards take from 6 to 12 months.

What do I need to qualify for government contracts? 

The basics are similar almost everywhere: your business needs to be legally registered, in good standing, and enrolled in whichever national procurement system applies. For example:

  • In the U.S., that's SAM.gov with a UEI (Unique Entity Identifier).
  • In the EU, it's usually a national portal plus the ESPD (European Single Procurement Document).

Beyond that, most systems ask for a capability statement or equivalent, and depending on the contract, specific certifications, a security clearance (government authorization to access classified or sensitive information), or bonding (who covers the cost if a contractor doesn't deliver).

How do I start my own government contracting business? 

Knowing the right steps depends on the exact country you're targeting, but the usual shape is as follows: 

1. Register with that government's official procurement system. 

2. Receive whatever ID it issues you. 

3. Classify what your business does. 

4. Build a short capability statement, and start with smaller or subcontracted work, thus steadily building your track record.

In the U.S., that means SAM.gov, a UEI, and NAICS codes. In the EU, it means your national procurement portal (plus TED once you're bidding above a threshold) and the ESPD. In the UK, it's the Central Digital Platform and GOV.UK One Login.

Conclusion

Getting your first government contract comes down to two paths: 

1. You either bid directly as a prime contractor once you're fully registered.

2. You work as a subcontractor for a reputable prime and begin to create your track record.

Either way, be prepared for the process, and consider the fact that registration, finding the right opportunity, building your capability statement, and getting through evaluation all need time (from 6 to 12 months, sometimes longer), and that's ok.

As soon as you've completed the mandatory registration in your target market, Tenderwell can help you track and filter opportunities across several jurisdictions at once.