Federal Contracting Glossary
SAM.gov
The U.S. federal government's official system for contract opportunities and entity registration, consolidating the former FedBizOpps and other legacy sites.
Definition
SAM.gov (the System for Award Management) is the U.S. government's official, free website for both federal contract opportunities and the entity registration every contractor must complete to do business with the government. It absorbed FedBizOpps (the former opportunities site) and other legacy systems, and is the authoritative source for solicitations, sources sought, RFIs, and award notices above the relevant thresholds.
Registration in SAM.gov is mandatory before award and produces the Unique Entity ID (UEI) used to identify your firm across federal systems. Agencies across the government — civilian and defense — post opportunities there. Aggregators like WinAContract pull from SAM.gov and related data sources into a single, searchable feed.
How this affects your proposal
Set up keyword and NAICS-code saved searches on SAM.gov for opportunities relevant to you. Acting fast on a fresh notice — pulling the solicitation, reading Sections L and M, and starting your bid/no-bid assessment — wins more contracts than perfect proposals submitted late.
Common questions about sam.gov
What was FedBizOpps?
FedBizOpps (FBO) was the federal government's prior opportunities portal. Its functions were merged into SAM.gov, which is now the single official site for federal contract opportunities.
Do I have to register in SAM.gov to win a contract?
Yes. Active SAM.gov entity registration — including your UEI and required representations and certifications — is generally required before an agency can make an award to you.
Related terms
Unique Entity ID (UEI)
The 12-character identifier assigned in SAM.gov that uniquely identifies your business …
FAR / DFARS
The Federal Acquisition Regulation and its Defense supplement — the rulebooks that gove…
Negotiated Procurement
A federal acquisition conducted under FAR Part 15, where the agency may hold discussion…
Writing a proposal that involves sam.gov?
GovCon is the AI proposal-writing tool built specifically for federal offerors. Free plan, no card required.
Start free →See all federal contracting terms in the GovCon glossary, or read our long-form federal contracting guides.