Updated 2026-09-28 13:01 UTC · free

Open Sources Sought notices, with the spending check already done

A Sources Sought notice is an office saying it has a need and a budget and hasn’t decided who can do the work yet. Most companies ignore them because no contract comes out of the reply. So the few replies that do arrive get read, and you get to talk to the office before the solicitation is written.

287
Open, posted in 21 days
198
Small firms beat the 23% goal
9
Need a certification

I built this list because SAM.gov’s own search for active Sources Sought returns about 3,000 notices, and some of them are from 2017. This page keeps only the ones posted in the last 21 days that are still open. Next to each one is what the government spent under its industry code in FY2025 and how much of that went to small businesses. The SBA goal is 23%. When small firms win 60 or 80% of a code, you are in the right place. When they win 8%, look twice before you spend a week on a response.

Industries with the most small-business money in open notices

Ranked by what small businesses won in FY2025 under the industry code.

Industry (NAICS)FY25 totalSmall firmsTop small-business buyersOpen
541519 Other Computer Related Services$24.9B$17.0B (68%)Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of the Air Force, Defense Information Systems Agency11
236220 Commercial and Institutional Building Construction$30.6B$13.6B (44%)Department of the Army, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of the Navy16
33 $169.5B$13.3B (8%)Defense Logistics Agency, Department of the Army, Department of the Navy2
541330 Engineering Services$51.7B$12.0B (23%)Department of the Navy, Department of the Air Force, Department of the Army13
541715 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)$46.4B$10.9B (23%)Department of the Air Force, Department of the Army, Department of the Navy5
541512 Computer Systems Design Services$31.7B$8.2B (26%)Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of the Air Force, Department of the Army4
541511 Custom Computer Programming Services$10.3B$5.5B (53%)Department of the Air Force, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Veterans Affairs2
561210 Facilities Support Services$37.1B$5.4B (14%)Department of the Army, Department of the Air Force, Department of the Navy1
541611 Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services$11.3B$5.3B (47%)Department of State, Department of the Army, Department of the Navy3
336413 Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing$19.9B$3.2B (16%)Defense Logistics Agency, Department of the Air Force, Department of the Army13
336611 Ship Building and Repairing$37.2B$2.6B (7%)Department of the Navy, Department of the Army, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration2
237990 Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction$10.3B$2.5B (25%)Department of the Army, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Veterans Affairs5
562910 Remediation Services$6.5B$2.5B (39%)Department of the Army, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy1
541990 All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services$11.9B$2.3B (19%)Department of the Air Force, Department of the Army, Federal Acquisition Service4
561612 Security Guards and Patrol Services$6.0B$1.9B (32%)Office of Procurement Operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, National Aeronautics and Space Administration2
3341 $3.5B$1.9B (54%)Department of the Army, Department of the Air Force, Department of the Navy1
336411 Aircraft Manufacturing$61.2B$1.6B (3%)Department of the Navy, Department of the Army, Department of the Air Force1
541513 Computer Facilities Management Services$3.4B$1.6B (45%)Department of the Army, Department of the Air Force, Department of State2
518210 Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services$3.4B$1.3B (40%)Defense Logistics Agency, Department of the Air Force, Department of Veterans Affairs4
483111 Deep Sea Freight Transportation$3.3B$1.2B (36%)Department of the Navy, Maritime Administration, USTRANSCOM2
334511 Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing$18.4B$980M (5%)Department of the Navy, U.S. Special Operations Command, Defense Logistics Agency8
238220 Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors$1.0B$898M (88%)Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of the Navy, Department of the Army4
334220 Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing$4.5B$719M (16%)Department of the Army, Department of the Air Force, Department of the Navy3
339113 Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing$1.2B$718M (60%)Department of Veterans Affairs, Defense Logistics Agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection5
488190 Other Support Activities for Air Transportation$7.4B$713M (10%)Department of the Navy, Department of the Air Force, Department of the Army1

Open notices, best score first

What to do once you pick a notice

  1. Read all of it and put a low value on it. You will raise the number as you learn more.
  2. Go or no-go. Is there an incumbent? Do you have past performance? Is it reserved for a certification you don’t hold?
  3. Email the contact before you write anything and ask what problem they are trying to solve.
  4. Send the response and get a confirmation of receipt. Government mail filters block attachments more often than you’d think, so treat it as lost until they confirm.
  5. Ask for a follow-up conversation and when the solicitation is expected.
  6. Add up your low estimates. Until you know your own close rate, count 10% of the total as next year’s revenue. If that 10% is short of your target, you need more notices on your list, and a better proposal won’t fix it.

How we score a notice

It starts at 50. An industry code with over $100M in FY2025 obligations adds 15; under $5M takes 20 off. Small businesses winning half or more of the code adds 20, beating the 23% goal adds 10, falling below it takes 15 off. A small-business set-aside adds 10. A set-aside for a certification such as SDVOSB or 8(a) takes 10 off, since most readers don’t hold one. Under 4 days left takes 25 off.

Data: SAM.gov contract opportunities (notice type Sources Sought) and USAspending.gov contract obligations for FY2025. SAM.gov is the system of record, so check the notice there before you reply.