What Are the Easiest Government Contracts to Get? 7 Proven Entry Points for Small Businesses

By the GSA Contract Services team of Authorized Negotiators  |  Helping suppliers sell to federal agencies since 1995  |  Updated September 2026

What are the easiest government contracts to get when your company has never sold to a federal agency? The practical answer is the small ones. Purchases under $15,000, set-aside quotes under $350,000, and subcontracts under larger primes all carry low hurdles. Most first-time sellers skip them and chase large solicitations they cannot win yet.

This guide ranks seven entry points by difficulty. It also shows you exactly how to position your company for each one, based on what we see work for our clients.

The federal procurement market is large, and small firms already win a real share of it. Agencies awarded $179 billion in prime contracts to small businesses in FY2025, about 28% of all prime contract dollars (U.S. Small Business Administration, June 2026). That beat the statutory goal of 23% (Small Business Administration). Total federal contracting reached $793 billion the same year (GAO, June 2026).

So the money exists. The real problem is access. Large solicitations demand past performance, cost data, and proposal teams that most new sellers do not have yet.

Small awards ask for far less. In addition, each one adds to the record that every larger buyer checks later. That record is the real prize of your first federal year.

Before ranking the options, it helps to define what “easy” actually means in this market.

How We Ranked “Easy”

We scored each contract type on three factors. These are the same factors we see decide first awards for our clients.

• Barrier to entry: the registrations, certifications, and documents you need before you can submit a single offer.
• Competition level: how many firms usually bid, and whether the rules limit the field to small businesses.
• Effort per bid: a one-page quote versus a full technical and pricing proposal.

A contract type scores as easy when all three stay low. Dollar value matters less than most people assume. With that scale in place, here is how the seven most accessible options compare.

What Are the Easiest Government Contracts to Get? The 7 Entry Points, Ranked

The list runs from the lowest hurdle to the highest. Most clients who win early work two or three of these channels at the same time.

1. Micro-Purchases Up to $15,000

A micro-purchase is any buy at or below $15,000, the threshold since October 1, 2025 (FAR 2.101). Agency staff usually pay with a government purchase card. They need no formal competition when the price is reasonable, and these low-dollar awards rarely appear as public postings.

As a result, you win them by being easy to find and easy to pay. Accept credit cards, publish current pricing online, and introduce yourself to purchasing staff at nearby federal facilities. Card holders buy from vendors who answer the phone and ship quickly.

2. Small Business Set-Asides Under $350,000

Between $15,000 and $350,000, agencies buy under FAR Part 13. These simplified acquisition procedures cut paperwork for the agency and for you. Most buys arrive as a request for quote, or RFQ, and evaluation is far lighter than a formal source selection.

Here is the part most new sellers miss. Federal rules generally reserve these purchases for small businesses whenever the buying office expects offers from at least two capable small firms. That rule removes large competitors from the field entirely.

3. Subcontracts Under a Larger Prime

Large firms that win federal awards often carry small business subcontracting plans with firm goals. As a subcontractor, you deliver part of the work and invoice the prime contractor, not the agency. That arrangement lowers the paperwork you handle directly.

Start with SBA SubNet, where large primes post open subcontracting opportunities. GSA also publishes a directory of large firms with subcontracting plans. Better still, the work counts as relevant experience when you later bid on your own.

4. Certification-Based Set-Asides

Four programs narrow the field further: 8(a), HUBZone, women-owned (WOSB), and service-disabled veteran-owned (SDVOSB). Agencies aim to award 5% of prime dollars to women-owned small businesses and 3% to HUBZone firms each year (Small Business Administration). Service-disabled veteran-owned firms received $32.5 billion in prime contracts in FY2025 (U.S. Small Business Administration, June 2026).

You apply for all four through one portal, MySBA Certifications. Reviewers check every application closely, so expect document requests before approval. Once certified, however, you compete against a much smaller pool.

5. DLA Automated Quotes on DIBBS

The Defense Logistics Agency buys spare parts, hardware, and supplies at very high volume. It posts many low-value, automated quote requests on the DLA Internet Bid Board System, known as DIBBS. Price weighs heavily in most of these awards.

Manufacturers and distributors of industrial parts do well here. You need an active SAM registration and a CAGE code. The tradeoff is volume, since winning takes consistent daily bidding rather than one attempt.

6. Facility Services: The Easiest Government Contracts for Service Businesses

Every federal building, base, and field office needs recurring local work. Janitorial, landscaping, pest control, HVAC maintenance, and guard services fill a large share of these buys. Many fall under $350,000 and target small, local firms.

Location is your advantage in this category. National firms often skip single-site jobs because travel eats their margin. For example, a local company with insurance, clean references, and fast response times competes well against much larger names.

7. Orders Through GSA eBuy (Schedule Holders Only)

Once you hold a GSA Schedule, agencies can send orders to you directly. They can place orders up to the micro-purchase threshold with any Schedule contractor without collecting quotes. Larger buys often appear as quote requests on GSA eBuy, which only Schedule holders can see.

This entry point ranks last only because it requires a Schedule first. After award, however, it becomes one of the most predictable order sources we see for clients.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Entry point	Typical dollar range	Competition	Entry hurdle	Best fit
1. Micro-purchases	Up to $15,000	Low, no formal bidding	Very low	Suppliers near federal sites
2. Small business set-asides	$15,000 to $350,000	Small firms only (usually)	Low	Most product and service small businesses
3. Subcontracts	Set by the prime	Low to moderate	Low	Firms with no federal past work
4. Certification set-asides	Any size	Certified firms only	Moderate	8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, SDVOSB firms
5. DLA DIBBS quotes	Mostly low-value	Moderate, price-driven	Low	Parts manufacturers and distributors
6. Facility services	Often under $350,000	Local, moderate	Low	Janitorial, grounds, maintenance firms
7. GSA eBuy orders	$15,000 and up	Schedule holders only	High (Schedule required)	Established product and service suppliers

How to Position for Your First Award

Every option above depends on the same foundation. Complete these six steps in order, because each one feeds the next.

1. Register in SAM.gov and get your UEI number. Registration in SAM.gov is free and required for any federal award. It assigns your Unique Entity ID and a CAGE code. Renew it every year, because a lapse stops awards and payments.
2. Choose NAICS and PSC codes that match what you sell. Buyers search by these codes. NAICS codes describe your industry, while product and service codes describe the exact item purchased. Wrong codes make you invisible in searches.
3. Complete your Small Business Search profile. In July 2025, the Small Business Administration replaced its Dynamic Small Business Search with Small Business Search, or SBS. Buyers use it for market research, so write a capability narrative with specific products, past work, and keywords. You must claim your profile before you can edit it.
4. Research agency spending before you bid. Find out who bought what you sell, from whom, and at what price. Award data from FPDS moved into SAM.gov on February 24, 2026 (SAM.gov transition notice). USAspending.gov carries the same data without a login.
5. Find federal buyers and quote consistently. Search SAM.gov contract opportunities for set-asides in your codes. Next, contact the small business specialists at agencies that already buy what you sell. Submit quotes every week, since results improve with volume.
6. Deliver well, then protect your CPARS record. On larger awards, agencies rate your delivery, quality, and communication in the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System. Those ratings follow you into future evaluations. Respond to every draft rating before it closes.

What Most First-Time Sellers Get Wrong

We see the same four mistakes in almost every new client file. Each one delays a first award by months.

1. Chasing large solicitations first. An RFP usually asks for past performance, key personnel, and detailed pricing. New firms lose these to incumbents. Start with quote-based buys and subcontracts instead.
2. Treating registration as a one-time task. SAM.gov records expire after one year. An expired record blocks awards and payments, and we see it catch established firms too.
3. Listing dozens of NAICS codes. A long list dilutes your profile. Buyers trust a focused supplier over one that claims to do everything.
4. Never talking to the contracting officer. That person runs each buy and answers questions during the quote period. Ask one clear question early, and you often learn what the agency values most.

Avoid these four, and your first awards come faster. Once you have a few wins behind you, a larger option opens up.

Where a GSA Schedule Fits After Your First Wins

A GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) lets any federal agency order from you under pre-negotiated terms. It is the largest government commercial acquisition program in the world (gsa.gov). MAS closed FY2025 with $50.6 billion in sales across about 14,579 active contractors (GSA SSQ+).

Small businesses hold about 80% of MAS contracts and win 36% of MAS dollars (GSA SSQ+). In other words, the program favors firms like yours. Still, it expects results: you must reach $100,000 in Schedule sales within the first five years (Clause I-FSS-639).

GSA removed roughly 1,500 contracts between FY2024 and FY2025 as part of its rightsizing effort (GSA SSQ+). In addition, Transactional Data Reporting became mandatory on every SIN through Refresh 31 on April 2, 2026 (gsa.gov). Full enforcement begins January 1, 2027.

That is why we usually recommend a Schedule after a company has some federal past performance and a clear sales plan. The micro-purchases and set-asides above build exactly that record.

How GSA Contract Services Helps

GSA Contract Services has helped manufacturers, distributors, and service providers sell to federal agencies since 1995. Our team of more than a dozen Authorized Negotiators supports over 250 active clients. Here is where we step in:

• Schedule offers: we prepare and negotiate your offer when you are ready for getting a GSA Schedule contract.
• Post-award compliance: our GSA contract management team handles TDR reporting, IFF payments, and modifications.
• Order handling: GSA order management keeps agency orders moving from receipt to invoice.
• Catalog uploads: our EDI and XML services keep your GSA Advantage and FedMall catalogs current.
• Multi-channel sales: our federal contracting services also cover VA, FedMall, and DLA channels.

For more practical guides like this one, browse our federal sales articles.

Quick Recap

So, what are the easiest government contracts to get? Start with the smallest, least contested buys, then build upward from there.

• Micro-purchases up to $15,000 need no formal competition.
• Set-aside buys up to $350,000 usually exclude large firms.
• Subcontracts and DIBBS quotes build past performance quickly.
• Facility service work favors local small firms.
• A GSA Schedule makes sense once you have a record and a sales plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the easiest government contracts to get with no federal experience?

Micro-purchases and subcontracts. Neither usually requires federal past performance, and both let you build a record quickly.

Do I need to be a small business to win buys under $350,000?

Not always, but it helps a great deal. Federal rules generally reserve buys between $15,000 and $350,000 for small businesses when enough capable small firms exist.

How long does a first federal award usually take?

It depends on your market and your bid volume. In our experience, firms that quote every week in the right codes win sooner than firms that bid occasionally.

Should I get a GSA Schedule before winning anything else?

Usually not. GSA expects $100,000 in Schedule sales within five years, so you need a sales plan first. Many of our clients apply after winning a few direct awards.

Ready to Win Your First Federal Award?

If you are still weighing what are the easiest government contracts to get for your company, one call can settle it. We review your registrations, codes, and market, then point you to the entry points most likely to pay off. From there, we map the route to a GSA Schedule.

GSA Contract Services, LLC Founded 1995  |  250+ active clients  |  Authorized Negotiators 4622 Cedar Avenue, Suite 123, Wilmington, NC 28403 202-280-7060  |  Sales@GSA-CS.com

Sources

• FAR 2.101 threshold definitions, as adjusted October 1, 2025
• Small Business Administration FY2025 Procurement Scorecard, June 25, 2026
• GSA Transactional Data Reporting guidance
• SAM.gov contract data transition notice, February 2026
• GSA SSQ+ sales database, FY2024 and FY2025 MAS figures