Free guide
Learn the government market before you enter it
Thinking about government contracting — someday, or right now? Before you form a business, pick a certification, or write a bid, spend 20 minutes learning what the government actually pays for work like yours. This guide shows you how, using free public data. No account needed.
9
steps in the walkthrough
20 min
to size up your market
$0
free public data, no account
Why it matters
Why past award data matters
The single best predictor of what an agency will pay for a service is what it has paid for that service before. USAspending.gov is the official, free source of every federal contract award. By studying past awards in your industry (your NAICS code), you learn:
Who buys
which agencies award contracts in your industry
What they pay
typical award values, from small to large
Who wins
the size and type of businesses getting awards
How to position
which set-asides, certifications, and capabilities win
If you're still at a 9-5 and weighing the leap, this research costs you nothing and tells you whether there's a real market waiting for you. Do it first.
The walkthrough
Step-by-step: research your market on USAspending.gov
- 1
Go to USAspending.gov and open "Advanced Search"
On the homepage, click "Advanced Search" in the top navigation. This opens the award search tool where you can filter by industry, agency, and time period.
- 2
Filter by your NAICS code
In the left sidebar, click "Award Type" then "NAICS Code". Enter the NAICS code for the work you do — or plan to do (e.g.
722330for mobile food services, or238220for plumbing/HVAC). Not sure of your code? Search "NAICS code for [your trade]" — it's a free public classification system, and picking one takes five minutes. - 3
Set a recent time period
Click "Time Period" and select the last 12 months (or 3 years for more data). Recent awards reflect current agency budgets and priorities.
- 4
Read the "Award Amount" summary
The top of the results shows the total obligated amount and number of awards. This tells you the size of the market in your NAICS code. A large total with many small awards means many entry-level opportunities; a few huge awards means a concentrated market.
- 5
Sort by "Award Amount" to see the range
Click the "Award Amount" column header to sort. Scroll through to see the smallest and largest awards. This is your pricing range — the realistic size of contracts you could pursue.
- 6
Filter by "Set Aside" to find your lane
Click "Set Aside" in the sidebar. Look for "Total Small Business Set-Aside", "8(a)", "WOSB", "HUBZone", or "SDVOSB". These are contracts reserved for small businesses — including ones that don't exist yet. If you'd qualify for a certification once you form, that's a built-in advantage waiting for you.
- 7
Filter by "Awarding Agency" to find your buyers
Click "Awarding Agency" and check the agencies that appear. These are your future buyers. Note the top 3-5 agencies — they're where you'd focus your capability statement and opportunity tracking.
- 8
Open a few awards to study the winners
Click any award row to see the recipient, amount, agency, and description. Study 5-10 winners: What size are they? What certifications do they hold? What does their scope of work look like? This tells you exactly what a winning business in your market looks like — and what to build toward.
- 9
Export the data and keep it
Click "Export" (top-right) to download the award data as a CSV. The agencies, NAICS codes, and award values you found are your target market — when you're ready, Meridian turns that list into a tracked opportunity pipeline with deadlines and next steps.
Found your market? Start positioning for it.
Meridian turns everything you just learned into a step-by-step plan — from forming your entity and picking NAICS codes to registrations, certifications, and your first bid. Work on it 15 minutes a day with the Daily Sprint.
No credit card required · No business entity required to start