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How to find SDVOSB set-aside contracts

The fastest way to find SDVOSB set-aside contracts is to search SAM.gov Contract Opportunities and filter by the SDVOSB set-aside code. Every federal contract notice on SAM.gov carries a set-aside code, so this one filter removes everything your business cannot bid on.

What SDVOSB means

SDVOSB stands for service-disabled veteran-owned small business. It is a federal contracting program run by the Small Business Administration: certain contracts are set aside so only SDVOSB firms can compete for them. The SBA's program page lists who qualifies and how certification works.

Filter by the set-aside code on SAM.gov

Open SAM.gov Contract Opportunities and set the set-aside filter to SDVOSB (the code is SDVOSBC). Now you only see notices reserved for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. This is the single highest-value filter you can apply, because it cuts out the thousands of notices open to everyone. Practitioners who build their own SAM.gov monitors do exactly this: one open-source monitor on GitHub watches by NAICS code plus set-aside type, naming SDVOSBC as one of its example filters.

Layer on your NAICS codes and keywords

After the set-aside filter, add your NAICS codes so you only see work in your line of business. Then add keywords for the services you sell and the states where you can perform. Check the place of performance on each notice before you spend any bid effort on it. See reducing search noise and judging fit before spending bid effort.

Save the search and watch for changes

Save the filtered search in your SAM.gov workspace and turn on notifications. SAM.gov emails saved-search results once a day at 9 p.m. Eastern, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers how-to guide. Also follow each notice you plan to bid on, so you hear about amendments. An amendment can move the due date or change the work, and missing one can kill a bid. See daily contract discovery and avoiding missed deadlines.

How GovInbox handles this

GovInbox matches on the same set-aside codes SAM.gov uses, across all eight set-aside programs, instead of guessing from keywords. It pulls new notices from the official SAM.gov Contract Opportunities API every 4 hours, keeps the ones in your programs, NAICS codes, keywords, and states, and writes a plain-English brief for each match. Set-aside coverage is the deepest part of the product. You or your AI agent can search and read briefs through the API or MCP server.

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