SAM.gov alerts vs Solicity
SAM.gov is where every federal bid is posted, and its saved searches will email you new matches for free. So why pay for anything else? Here's an honest side-by-side, written by a locksmith and low-voltage contractor who used SAM.gov alerts for years.
What SAM.gov alerts do well
- Free and official. Every bid is there first, straight from the agency.
- Flexible filters. You can save a search by NAICS code, product or service code, keyword, set-aside and place of performance, then get emails when new notices match.
- Everything in one place. Documents, amendments and award notices all live on the notice page.
If you already know exactly which codes and words your work is filed under, and you have time to sort through the results, SAM.gov alone can work.
Where trade contractors get tripped up
- You have to know the right codes. Trade jobs are filed under neighboring codes all the time, and some codes exclude you by name (the security systems code says "except Locksmiths"). Miss a code and you never hear about those jobs. See NAICS codes for the trades.
- Shared codes mix trades. HVAC and plumbing share one code, electrical and cabling another, so a code search sends you a lot of other people's work.
- Plain keywords pull in junk. "Lock" matches blocks and clocks, "access" matches everything.
- Nothing tells you if you can bid it. You open the notice to find it's set aside for a certification you don't hold, or it's a "sources sought" survey, not a bid.
Side by side
| SAM.gov saved search | Solicity | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $39 a month, 14 days free |
| Setup | Build your own search from codes and keywords | Pick your trade and states; the codes, product codes and words are pre-tuned |
| Shared codes and junk keywords | Up to you to sort | Sorted out, so each bid lands under the right trade |
| Can I even bid this? | Read the set-aside on each notice | Checked against your certifications; "Not for you" when you can't |
| Ship it or drive to it | Read each notice | Every bid marked supply or on-site; supply shown from all 50 states |
| Real bid or just a notice | Read the notice type | Closed bids and "not a bid yet" notices labeled as such |
| Amendments | Each amendment is its own notice | Grouped into one bid, with "new deadline" flagged |
| Finding a sub | Not included | Small businesses with federal wins in that trade and state, plus local shops near the job |
| What similar jobs went for | Not included (award data lives on USAspending.gov) | Past award amounts for similar jobs, on each bid |
| Where to bid | On SAM.gov or as the notice says | Same: Solicity never submits bids for you |
The short version
SAM.gov is the source, and you'll still use it to read the full notice and send your quote the way it asks. Solicity saves you the digging: the right bids for your trade every morning, what you can and can't bid, and help with the job once you find it. If a $39 month helps you land one small federal job, it has paid for itself many times over. If not, cancel in one click.
Solicity is an independent tool and isn't affiliated with SAM.gov or the General Services Administration.
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See the federal bids for your trade, every morning
Pick your trade and your states. Solicity finds the federal jobs every morning, shows which ones you can bid, and helps you find a sub.
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