How to Find Government Contracts as a Veteran-Owned Small Business

You Have the Certification. So Why Isn't the Work Coming?

Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business certification is one of the most powerful advantages in federal contracting. The VA is legally mandated to give SDVOSBs first right of refusal on contracts under the Veterans First Contracting Program. The Department of Defense, GSA, and dozens of civilian agencies have SDVOSB set-aside goals built into their procurement plans.

And yet most SDVOSBs spend their first two years frustrated — certified, registered on SAM.gov, and receiving zero contracts.

The problem is not the certification. The problem is how most veteran-owned businesses approach the search. They go to SAM.gov, type in their service, and stare at a wall of opportunities they cannot decode, cannot qualify, and have no relationship to win.

This article describes the six-step process Marcus uses to find real SDVOSB opportunities — not the ones that are already wired for someone else.

Step 1: Know Your Set-Aside Codes Before You Search

SAM.gov uses specific set-aside codes to flag contracts reserved for particular business categories. For veteran-owned businesses, the two codes you care about are SDVOSB (Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business) and VOSB (Veteran-Owned Small Business).

When you search without filtering by these codes, you are looking at the full federal marketplace — most of which you are not eligible to win on a set-aside basis. Filter first. The universe of opportunities shrinks dramatically, but the ones that remain are actually accessible to you.

Within the VA system, also look for contracts posted under the Veterans First Contracting Program. These are the highest-value set-asides because the VA is required by law to award to SDVOSBs before opening competition to the broader market.

Step 2: Work Backward From Your NAICS Code

Every federal contract is assigned a NAICS code — a six-digit number that describes the type of work being procured. Before you search for opportunities, you need to know which NAICS codes describe what your business actually does.

Most small businesses pick one code and search only that. This is a mistake. Federal agencies frequently miscategorize contracts, and related NAICS codes often cover work you are equally qualified to perform. Marcus typically identifies three to six relevant NAICS codes for each client before beginning a contract search.

Once you have your NAICS codes, use them to build a saved search in SAM.gov. Set the search to email you when new opportunities matching your codes are posted. This is your early warning system — the difference between being first to a solicitation and finding it three days before proposals are due.

Step 3: Read Sources Sought Notices Before They Become RFPs

A Sources Sought notice is not a solicitation. It is a market research tool agencies use to determine whether enough qualified small businesses exist to justify a set-aside. When an agency posts a Sources Sought, they are asking: is there a universe of capable vendors in this category?

Most small businesses ignore Sources Sought notices because there is no contract to win from them directly. This is exactly backwards. Responding to a Sources Sought is how you get on the agency's radar before the competition starts. It is how you start a relationship with the Contracting Officer. It is how you find out whether a future contract will be set aside for SDVOSBs.

When you respond to a Sources Sought, keep it professional and brief. State your SDVOSB status, your NAICS code, your relevant experience, and your capability to perform the work. Do not send a brochure. Do not send a proposal. Answer the questions they asked.

Step 4: Look for Expiring Contracts

Every existing federal contract has an end date. When a contract expires, the agency needs to either re-compete it or exercise an option. Re-competes are among the most predictable opportunities in federal contracting — you know the work exists, you know the agency funds it, and you know the timeline.

The USASpending.gov database lets you search active contracts by agency, NAICS code, and expiration date. Find contracts in your category that expire in the next twelve to twenty-four months. That is your target list. Those are the agencies you should be building relationships with right now — before the solicitation drops.

The incumbent contractor has an advantage in a re-compete. But incumbents also get complacent, raise their prices, and sometimes stop performing. If you can document that you will do the work better and at a competitive price, re-competes are very winnable — especially when the agency is required to consider SDVOSB offerors first.

Step 5: Use GovScout and Marcus to Pre-Screen Opportunities

This is where the search stops being manual. Marcus — the AI government contracting consultant built into GovScout — can evaluate any opportunity against your specific business profile and give you a plain-language assessment of whether it is worth pursuing.

When you find a solicitation you are considering, describe it to Marcus. Tell him your certifications, your NAICS codes, your past performance, your team size, and what the opportunity is asking for. Marcus will evaluate the scope match, flag any compliance requirements you need to watch, assess the competitive landscape, and give you a direct recommendation: bid or walk away.

This is the function that a $300-per-hour government contracting consultant performs for large companies. GovScout makes it available for free to every veteran-owned small business with an internet connection.

Step 6: Build the Relationship Before the Solicitation Drops

Federal contracting is a relationship business. This is the step that no tutorial covers — because it cannot be automated and it takes time.

Once you identify a target agency and a target program office, the goal is to make a legitimate introduction before any active procurement begins. Attend industry days. Respond to Sources Sought notices. Request a capability briefing with the small business office. Get your name in the file before the clock starts.

When the solicitation drops, you want the Contracting Officer to already know who you are. You want your past performance on file. You want the evaluators to have seen your capability statement. None of that happens if your first contact with an agency is a proposal submission.

The Bottom Line

SDVOSB certification is a tool, not a guarantee. The veteran-owned businesses that win federal contracts are the ones who treat contracting as a pipeline to be built, not a lottery to be entered. They identify targets early, respond to market research, build relationships before solicitations open, and use every resource available — including Marcus — to make smart bid decisions.

If you are an SDVOSB and you are not winning contracts yet, start with step one. Know your set-aside codes. Search smarter. And respond to the next Sources Sought you find — even if there is nothing to win from it today.

GovScout is free for every small business. Marcus is available 24 hours a day. There is no reason to navigate this alone.