AI-powered Search

Use semantic search to find relevant contracts across multiple opportunity types

Search Types

SamSearch now supports multiple opportunity types beyond just Federal contracts. Toggle between different search types to find the opportunities that match your business needs.

Multi-Source

Search across multiple sources simultaneously.

Federal Contracts 🏛️

Traditional government contracts and solicitations

SLED Opportunities 🏙️

State, Local, and Education contracts

DIBBS 🛡️

Defense Logistics Agency opportunities

Forecasts🔮

Upcoming contract opportunities

Subcontracting 💼

Subcontracting opportunities from prime contractors

Grants 🎖️

Federal grant opportunities

SBIR/STTR 💡

Small Business Innovation Research opportunities

Search Modes

Semantic Search (Default)

Use natural language to describe what you’re looking for. No need for specific keywords or boolean operators.

Examples:

• “AI solutions for cybersecurity”
• “construction services for government buildings”
• “software development for healthcare systems”

Keyword Search (Lexical Search)

For advanced users who want precise control over search terms using boolean operators and exact phrases with Lucene syntax.

Basic Examples:

• ("cybersecurity" AND "AI") OR (NOT "project management")
• "construction" AND ("government" OR "federal")
• "software" AND "healthcare" AND NOT "hardware"

AI Query Generator ✨

Don’t know how to write keyword search queries? Use the AI Query Generator to automatically convert your natural language into proper keyword search syntax!

How it works:

1. Click the sparkle icon (✨) in the search bar
2. Write your query

   Write your query in plain English however you want in the bottom box. E.g

   • I need cybersecurity services for cloud infrastructure but not project management roles
3. Generate the query by clicking generate the query
4. AI converts to syntax

   The AI automatically converts it to the proper keyword search syntax

   • AI Generated Query: ("cybersecurity" AND "cloud infrastructure") AND (NOT "project management")
5. Query inserted and searches

   The generated query is automatically inserted into the search box and searches

The AI Query Generator understands your intent and translates it into the correct boolean operators, exact phrases, and search syntax, making keyword search accessible even if you’re not familiar with Lucene syntax.

More Search Options:

Show Combining Search Terms

• cybersecurity AND AI - Both terms must be present
• construction OR building - Either term can be present
• software NOT hardware - Exclude hardware results
• (AI OR "artificial intelligence") AND security - Grouped conditions

Show Finding Similar Words

• cyber* - Matches cybersecurity, cybernetics, etc.
• construct~ - Fuzzy match for construct, construction, etc.
• governm~1 - Fuzzy match with edit distance of 1
• *security* - Matches any word containing “security”

Show Searching Specific Areas

• title:"construction services" - Search only in titles
• summary:cybersecurity - Search only in summaries
• agency:"Department of Defense" - Search specific agency
• title:construction AND summary:government - Multiple fields

Show Finding by Numbers and Dates

• value:[100000 TO 500000] - Contract value range
• date:[2024-01-01 TO 2024-12-31] - Date range
• value:>1000000 - Greater than specific value
• due_date:[NOW TO +30DAYS] - Due within 30 days

Show Exact Phrases and Word Distance

• "artificial intelligence" - Exact phrase match
• "cybersecurity"~5 - Terms within 5 words of each other
• "government contract"~2 - Phrase with word variations
• "AI solutions" AND "cybersecurity"~10 - Combined proximity

Unsupported Characters: The following characters must be escaped with backslashes when used in searches: {, }, [, ], :, <, >, +, -

Examples:

• Use C\+\+ instead of C++
• Use \[2024\] instead of [2024]
• Use \{contract\} instead of {contract}

When to Use Keyword Search vs Semantic Search

Semantic Search

Use Semantic Search when:

• You want to search using natural language
• You’re exploring opportunities and want broad, relevant results
• You prefer AI to understand intent and context
• You’re new to government contracting searches
• You want the simplest search experience

Pro Tip: Start with semantic search for exploration, then switch to keyword search with the AI Query Generator when you need more precision or want to refine your results with specific exclusions or requirements.

Search Type Tutorials

Here are detailed tutorials for each search type:

Federal Contracts

Learn how to search federal contracting opportunities:

Federal contracts are traditional government solicitations posted on SAM.gov. Use this search type to find opportunities from all federal agencies including DOD, GSA, VA, and more.

SLED Opportunities

Watch how to search State, Local, and Education opportunities:

SLED opportunities include contracts from state governments, local municipalities, school districts, and educational institutions across the United States. We have over 5,000 websites included under SLED, providing comprehensive coverage of opportunities at all levels of government.

Can’t find a specific opportunity or website? If you’re looking for a specific state, local, or education website that isn’t appearing in your search results, or if you have questions about a particular jurisdiction, please reach out to our support team at [e-mail]. We’re constantly adding new sources and can help you find what you’re looking for.

DIBBS Opportunities

Learn about Defense Logistics Agency opportunities:

DIBBS (Defense Logistics Agency Internet Bid Board System) contains opportunities specifically from the Defense Logistics Agency for supplies and services.

Forecasts

See how to search upcoming contract opportunities:

Forecasts show upcoming opportunities that agencies plan to release. Get a head start on preparation by monitoring future contracting opportunities.

Subcontracting

Learn how to find subcontracting opportunities from prime contractors:

The Subcontracting search helps you find subcontracting opportunities posted by prime contractors seeking small business subcontractors. You can filter subcontracts by confidence level to prioritize the most promising opportunities.

Confidence Levels

Subcontracting opportunities are categorized by confidence level to help you identify the best opportunities. Filter by confidence level to prioritize your search results:

High Confidence

🟢 HIGH

Active subcontracting opportunities posted by prime contractors seeking small business subcontractors. These are direct solicitations from primes actively looking for subcontractors.

Medium Confidence

🟡 MEDIUM

Inferred opportunities from federal contracts with subcontracting plans (FAR 52.219-9). Prime contractors are required to subcontract but may not be directly soliciting.

Low Confidence

🔴 LOW

Similar to medium but with approaching deadlines or lower contract amounts. These opportunities may have limited time or smaller scope.

Use confidence filters to focus on opportunities that match your business needs and timeline. High confidence opportunities typically offer the best chance of engagement, while medium and low confidence opportunities may require more research and outreach.

Federal Grants

Learn how to find federal grant opportunities:

Federal grants provide funding for research, development, and various programs. Search through opportunities from NIH, NSF, DOE, and other grant-making agencies.

SBIR/STTR

Learn how to find Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) opportunities:

The SBIR/STTR search helps you find Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer contracts. These programs encourage small businesses to engage in federal research and development with the potential for commercialization. Search through opportunities from agencies like DOD, NIH, NSF, and other participating agencies.

Multi-Search

Learn how to search across multiple sources simultaneously: Click to activate multi-source mode, then customize which sources to include in your search.

When choosing Multi-source, all sources will be automatically selcted. To deselect a specific source and exlude it, simply click on it again and will be deselected.

Search across multiple opportunity types simultaneously to get comprehensive results. Select multiple search types to find opportunities that might fit different aspects of your business.

Filters

Use filters to refine your search results based on specific criteria. Each search type has its own specialized filters.

Federal Filters 🏛️

Sort by	Filter by
Relevance	Contract type (Solicitation)
Due date	Dept. / Ind. Agency
Alphabetically	Set Aside Code
Posted date	State

Q: How can I search using filters?

A: Use filters to find exactly what you’re looking for by combining different criteria:

Example - Finding Active Texas Contracts:

1. Go to SLED opportunities
2. Click “Active Only” filter
3. Scroll to the State filter dropdown
4. Select “Texas”
5. Get all active Texas contracts

Other Filter Combinations:

• By Industry: Use NAICS code filter + state filter
• By Contract Type: Filter by “Construction” + specific agency
• By Timeline: Use “Active Only” + due date filters
• By Location: State filter + jurisdiction filter for SLED

Pro Tip: Start with broad filters, then narrow down with additional criteria to find the most relevant opportunities for your business.

Search Results

Once you find relevant opportunities in your search results, click on any contract to view detailed information and take action.

Next Step: Learn how to navigate and use contract pages effectively on the Contract Page Overview page.

Search Tips

For Best Results

1. Use natural language - Describe what you’re looking for in plain English
2. Be specific - Include industry, service type, or location when relevant
3. Try different search types - Some opportunities might be listed under different categories
4. Use filters strategically - Start broad, then narrow down with filters
5. Save searches - Use the save search feature to monitor for new opportunities

Power Search Tips

• Exact phrase matching: Use quotes like “cybersecurity consulting” to find exact phrases
• Combine terms (in keyword mode): Use AND, OR, NOT to connect search terms
• Partial word matching (in keyword mode): Use * to find words that start with your term
• Search specific fields: Use title:“construction” AND summary:“government” to search specific parts

Saving and Managing Results

Save Search

Use the Save Search button to store your current search criteria for future use. This is especially helpful for:

• Regular market monitoring
• Specific opportunity types you track
• Complex searches you want to repeat
• Team collaboration on opportunity research

Learn more about managing your saved searches on the Saved Searches page.

Save Opportunities

Click the Save button on any result to add it to your Saved Opportunities page. This allows you to:

• Review opportunities later without losing them
• Build a pipeline of potential contracts
• Share opportunities with your team
• Track your opportunity research progress

Your saved searches and opportunities are automatically organized and easily accessible from the main navigation.