Guides / SAM.gov alerts: set up free email notifications for new contract opportunities
SAM.gov alerts: set up free email notifications for new contract opportunities
Last reviewed November 5, 2026 · Educational content, not legal advice
Short answer: SAM.gov has free email alerts. Sign in, save a Contract Opportunities search, then turn on Notify for it. Saving alone sends nothing. The steps below follow the Federal Service Desk (FSD.gov) help articles, checked November 5, 2026.
What you need
- A free SAM.gov user account. Anyone can search contract opportunities without one, but saving searches and following notices require signing in (SAM.gov, FSD.gov).
- No entity registration is needed for alerts. You do need one to bid as a prime (SAM.gov entity registration). SAM.gov is free to use (SAM.gov).
Step 1: save a Contract Opportunities search
- Sign in to SAM.gov.
- Select Search in the header, or the Contract Opportunities link on the home page. For more filters, use Advanced Search.
- Narrow the results with the filters on the left. Useful ones: NAICS and product service codes, set-aside, place of performance, notice type, and active status.
- Open the Actions menu above the results and choose Save. Name the search and select Save.
Source: FSD.gov KB0029889.
Step 2: turn on email notifications
- Select Saved Searches at the top of the search results, or go to your Workspace and select Saved Searches.
- If you have many, filter to contract opportunities saved searches.
- Select the actions button next to the saved search’s title, then Notify.
FSD.gov: “When a new contract opportunity matches your saved search with notifications enabled, you will receive an email with a link to your saved search.” To stop, open the same Actions menu and select Stop Notify. Only Contract Opportunities saved searches have the Notify feature (FSD.gov KB0051519).
Step 3: follow the notices you are working on
A saved search tells you about new matches. To hear about changes to one notice, such as amendments or a new due date, open it while signed in and select Follow in the upper right. Followed notices are listed in your Workspace under Followed Records (FSD.gov KB0017560).
What SAM.gov alerts don’t do
- The email links to the search, not the notices. You still open SAM.gov and work through the results.
- They match filters, not fit. A saved search does not know your bonding capacity, your past performance or whether the documents are complete, and it does not rank results.
- One search per angle. Several NAICS codes, set-asides and states often means several saved searches to maintain.
- Reading is still on you. Eligibility gates, deadlines and evaluation methods are in the attachments. Use the bid/no-bid checklist on each one.
For many small businesses, free SAM.gov alerts plus a daily habit of checking them is enough. Set them up either way—they cost nothing.
A scored morning digest instead
OppBeacon works from the same public SAM.gov data but does the reading step. Every morning around 7 AM ET (Solo and Pro), OppBeacon ranks the new SAM.gov notices for your company, with a fit score and a one-line verdict; open any match for a full bid/no-bid read of its posted files. The Free plan gets 3 AI bid/no-bid analyses a month and a weekly email of your best matches. Every conclusion cites the notice text it came from, each report shows a price range from similar past awards on USAspending.gov, and it tells you which documents it could not read or that the agency did not post. Several tools now score opportunities, so compare on whether you can check the evidence. See a real sample report, OppBeacon vs SAM.gov saved searches or pricing(Free plan; Solo $29/month with a 14-day free trial, no card).
FAQ
Does SAM.gov send email alerts for new contract opportunities?
Yes. Sign in, save a Contract Opportunities search, then choose Notify from that saved search's Actions menu. FSD.gov says you will then receive an email with a link to your saved search when a new contract opportunity matches it.
Why am I not getting SAM.gov saved search emails?
Saving a search does not turn on email by itself—you have to select Notify for it. Only Contract Opportunities saved searches have the Notify feature, so searches saved in other SAM.gov domains will not send alerts.
Do I need an entity registration to get SAM.gov alerts?
No. Saving searches and following notices need a signed-in SAM.gov user account. Entity registration is what you need to bid as a prime contractor.
How do I get emails when one notice changes?
Open the notice while signed in and select Follow. Followed records are listed in your Workspace under Followed Records.
Is SAM.gov free?
Yes. SAM.gov states there is no cost to use SAM.
Sources
- FSD.gov — How do I save a Contract Opportunity search in SAM.gov? (KB0029889)
- FSD.gov — Contract Opportunities: Can I get notifications on my saved searches? (KB0051519)
- FSD.gov — Contract Opportunities: How do I follow items on SAM.gov? (KB0017560)
- SAM.gov — Contract Opportunities ("Do I need a user account?")
- SAM.gov — System for Award Management ("There is no cost to use SAM")
- SAM.gov — Entity Registration
More guides
- How to find federal contract opportunities on SAM.gov
- NAICS codes for small business government contracting
- Sources sought vs RFI vs RFP vs RFQ (and IFB): what each SAM.gov notice means
- Federal set-aside types: small business, 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB and WOSB
- How to respond to a sources sought notice
- How to decide whether to bid on a SAM.gov opportunity (bid/no-bid checklist)
OppBeacon is an independent software product. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the U.S. government or SAM.gov. We do not submit bids, register businesses, file government paperwork, or provide consulting, IT, or development services. Data comes from publicly available SAM.gov records.