Your SAM registration is active; that’s a real milestone. Now comes the part most new federal contractors don’t realize: registration is just the starting line, not the finish. What you do over the next 90 days turns active into ready.
Here’s the good news: you don’t have to figure it out the hard way. There’s already a clear path forward; it's not about luck or knowing someone. It’s about building a solid foundation, making your business easy to find, and setting up simple systems so you can respond to opportunities with confidence.
What You’re Aiming To Achieve By Day 90
This is a practical set of SAM registration next steps that builds readiness and visibility in the right order.
By Day 90, you should have three things in place:
- A solid foundation with clean SAM details and bid-ready documentation basics
- A strong Small Business Search (SBS) profile backed by a one-page capabilities statement, so buyers and primes can confirm fit without extra back-and-forth
- A simple opportunity system in SAM with saved searches and a focused target list you can pursue with more consistency
Days 1–30: Build Your Foundation
Start with a registration reality check
The first month is about making sure your registration can support real bidding. Your SAM record helps buyers validate who you are and confirm your eligibility at the moments that matter most.
One rule is worth knowing early. FAR clause 52.204-7 ties SAM registration to two key points in the process: when you submit an offer or quotation and at the time of award. In practical terms, keeping your record accurate and easy to validate helps review and award steps move smoothly.
From there, focus on the basics that keep validation clean: points of contact, addresses, NAICS codes, and the details that confirm who you are and what you do.
Build bid-ready documentation
Month one is where you build “minimum viable” documentation. Not perfection. Not enterprise tools. Just repeatable habits and files that make future responses easier. It keeps quotes and proposals cleaner because you’re pulling from prepared inputs rather than starting from scratch.
Think about the questions a buyer or prime will ask when they’re deciding if you’re ready. They want to see how you track labor, support invoices, manage subcontractors when allowed, and document delivery and acceptance. When those answers are already mapped, you can reuse them across quotes and proposals with confidence.
A simple example helps. A small IT support team sees a request for a quote with a short turnaround. Pricing is fine, but questions about labor categories and billing support show up. When timekeeping and invoice backup are already defined, the response stays clean and consistent.
This is also the right month to get clear on insurance and bonding. Requirements vary by solicitation, but it’s common for coverage and bonding expectations to change based on scope and risk. A short conversation with an insurance broker and, when relevant, a surety helps you pursue work that matches what you can deliver today.
Days 31–60: Establish Your Visibility
Build a Small Business Search profile
Month two is about making sure the right people can find you and quickly understand what you offer. Your SAM registration helps you show up in searches, but it doesn’t make you stand out. Buyers and primes often use Small Business Search, or SBS, during market research, and a vague profile can get passed over. You may still hear people call it DSBS. SBA now refers to it as Small Business Search, formerly DSBS, but the goal is the same: make it easy to validate fit without friction.
Treat SBS like a buyer tool, not a biography. Strong profiles make it easy to confirm three things at a glance: what you do, what proof supports it, and what makes you a solid next conversation. That means writing with the same plain language buyers use in requirements, getting specific about your capabilities, and using keywords that match what you actually sell and where you actually perform.
This is also where your past performance highlights earn attention, even if they’re commercial. A few clear examples of similar scope and outcomes help a buyer or prime connect the dots and move the conversation forward.
Back it up with a capabilities statement
This is also the right time to create, or tighten, a one-page capabilities statement. It is not just a marketing document. It is the asset that supports outreach, simplifies buyer evaluation, and keeps follow-ups consistent. When a buyer or prime asks, “Send me something,” your capabilities statement should answer the question in a buyer-friendly way, without forcing them to dig through a profile to figure out what you really do.
Keep it consistent with your SBS language. When both assets tell the same story, you create a smoother path from “found you” to “let’s talk.” That’s the point of visibility.
Online presence supports this phase too. Not every contracting officer will review every platform, but many buyers and primes look for basic consistency. A simple, professional website and a clean public footprint should echo the same capabilities and focus.
Days 61–90: Position For Opportunities
Set up SAM to show you the right work
Month three is about actively positioning yourself to respond when the right opportunities show up. You are not bidding on everything you see. You are building awareness of what’s out there, what requirements look like, and what a good-fit opportunity actually asks for.
Contract opportunities are posted on SAM. Anyone can search without an account, and a user account lets you save searches, follow changes to opportunities, and join interested vendor lists.
This turns opportunity tracking into a simple weekly routine. Saved searches bring relevant notices to you, and following an opportunity keeps you current when amendments, documents, or due dates change. Pair that with a focused target list of agencies and primes, and you get a pursuit system that stays aligned to your capacity and supports stronger bid decisions.
Make proof easy to present
Now make it easy to show capability in a response.
Past performance is frequently a major evaluation factor. Your job in month three is to prepare clear highlights that are ready to reuse. Start with your best commercial projects. Write short summaries that show scope, results, and relevance. Keep the format consistent so you can update and reuse without rebuilding each time.
Key personnel information belongs here when your work type typically requires it. Professional services and IT often ask for resumes, roles, and qualifications. Drafting these early keeps responses sharp and makes tailoring easier.
Finally, tighten your target list. Pick a short set of agencies, installations, and primes that consistently buy what you sell. Staying focused long enough to learn how they buy makes your opportunity flow more predictable and your decisions more confident.
What Success Looks Like At Day 90
Day 90 is not about doing everything. It’s about finishing the few building blocks that prepare you for a successful future in contracting.
By Day 90, you’re not just registered. You’re positioned. Your readiness basics are in place, so bidding feels more straightforward. Your SBS profile and capabilities statement make it easier for buyers and primes to validate fit. Your SAM saved searches, paired with a focused target list, help you stay consistent in what you pursue week to week.
Moving Forward
If you want this 90-day plan to translate into real progress, focus on the pieces that create lift fast. A stronger SBS profile, a clear capabilities statement, and saved searches in SAM make it easier for buyers and primes to understand fit, and easier for you to stay consistent in what you pursue.
USFCR has guided businesses through federal contracting since 2010. If you want support executing these steps, our team can help you tighten registration accuracy, strengthen SBS positioning, build a capabilities statement that holds up in outreach, and set up a focused opportunity approach that matches your capacity. Reach out to a USFCR specialist when you’re ready, and we’ll help you prioritize the right moves for your business and move forward with a plan that matches your goals and capacity.
FAQ
How soon after SAM registration can I start bidding?
FAR clause 52.204-7 ties SAM registration to two key points: you need an active registration when you submit an offer or quotation, and again at the time of award.
If you’re ready, you can pursue opportunities right away. Many new contractors use the first few weeks to tighten documentation and visibility, so early bids reflect capability clearly.
Do buyers still use DSBS?
Yes. DSBS is still the term many buyers and primes use when they talk about small business market research. SBA now refers to the tool as Small Business Search and describes it as formerly DSBS, but the practical takeaway is the same. Your profile should be complete and written for quick evaluation so a buyer or prime can confirm fit fast.
Do I need federal past performance to win my first contract?
Not always. Relevant commercial experience can help when it’s documented clearly and matches the scope the buyer needs. Past performance is a formal evaluation area in the FAR, and CPARS is the official source for past performance information on applicable federal contracts.
What should I set up first on SAM.gov?
Saved searches and follow features. A SAM user account allows you to save searches, follow changes to opportunities, and join interested vendor lists.
