Search is the fastest way to see what’s out there. Describe what you do in plain English and ContractRadar looks across federal, state, and local contracts at once — no codes to memorise.
Run a search
- Go to the Search page (you’ll need a free account).
- Type what you do in the search box — e.g. “commercial electrical” or “snow removal”. You don’t need exact keywords; search matches on meaning, not just words.
- Press Search.
Write a search that finds the right work
How you word your search makes a big difference to what comes back — whether it’s a one-off search or one you save for email alerts. Two rules go a long way:
- One trade per search. Keep each search focused on a single kind of work. If you do both heating & cooling and landscaping, run two searches — one for each — instead of one that mixes them. A search that tries to cover two unrelated trades at once matches each of them less well, so you’ll see weaker results and miss good ones.
- Describe the work, don’t just label it. Spell out what you actually do, the way it’d be written in a contract — not just an abbreviation. “hvac” works, but “heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning installation, maintenance, and repair” tells ContractRadar far more about the jobs you want and finds better matches. A fuller description almost always beats a short one.
A quick rule of thumb
Narrow it down with filters
Filters sit next to the search box so you only see contracts worth your time:
- State — pick one or more states to see only contracts performed there.
- Type — limit to federal, state, or local contracts.
- Deadline — hide contracts whose response deadline has already passed.
Read a result
Each result card shows the title, the agency, where the work is performed, and how many days are left to respond. Open a card for the full detail — agency, contacts, deadline, and a link to the original posting. From a card’s actions menu you can also Open original posting, Email to teammate, or Save to dashboard.
Free & Pro
Search the same thing often? Next, learn how to save a search so you can re-run it in one click.