New: Search by Meaning, Not Just Keywords — Semantic Search for Government Contracts

Government agencies don’t always describe their needs the way you’d search for them. You search “landscaping” — they posted “grounds maintenance services.” You search “IT consulting” — they wrote “information technology professional services.” Same work, different words, missed opportunity.

ContractRadar’s search now understands meaning, not just keywords. When you search as a logged-in user, results are ranked by how closely they relate to what you described — even when the exact words don’t match.

The problem with keyword search

Traditional keyword search works by looking for the exact words you type. If a contract posting uses different terminology — which government agencies frequently do — you won’t find it. Here are some real examples:

• You search “custodial services” — but the posting says “janitorial and sanitation services”. Keyword search: no match.
• You search “cybersecurity” — but the posting says “information assurance and network defense”. Keyword search: no match.
• You search “HVAC repair” — but the posting says “mechanical systems maintenance and climate control”. Keyword search: no match.

Every one of these is a relevant opportunity that keyword search would miss entirely. If you’re only finding contracts that use your exact wording, you’re missing a significant share of the work you’re qualified for.

How semantic search fixes this

When you search on ContractRadar as a logged-in user, your query is compared against every contract opportunity by meaning, not by matching individual words. The system understands that “custodial” and “janitorial” refer to the same type of work, that “cybersecurity” and “information assurance” are closely related, and that “HVAC repair” and “mechanical systems maintenance” overlap substantially.

Results are ranked by relevance. The most conceptually similar contracts appear first, regardless of whether they use your exact terminology. You can describe what you’re looking for in plain language — “building maintenance for schools,” “software development for healthcare,” “environmental consulting” — and get results that actually match the intent behind your search.

What this means for you

Instead of trying to guess which keywords the government used, you describe what your business does in your own words. ContractRadar handles the translation.

This is especially useful if you work across multiple NAICS codes or offer services that agencies describe in varied ways. A facilities management company, for instance, might need to search for “janitorial,” “custodial,” “building maintenance,” “facilities support,” and “property management” to cover all the ways agencies post relevant work. With semantic search, a single query covers all of them.

Public vs. subscriber search

The public search page is still available to everyone and uses standard keyword matching. It’s a useful preview of what’s available in your state.

Semantic search is available to all logged-in users. When you’re signed in, the same search box uses meaning-based ranking instead of keyword matching — no settings to change, no toggle to flip. It just works.

Try it

If you’re already a ContractRadar subscriber, go to the search page and try describing what your business does in plain language. You’ll see results you would have missed with keyword search.

If you’re not signed up yet, start your free trial — $30/month after that, cancel anytime. Semantic search is included in every plan alongside daily AI-matched opportunities, past award history, and coverage across federal, state, and local contracts.