Public tenders in the United States are spread across many official portals, from the federal government’s main system to state and local platforms. As of 10 October 2026, ScoutTide has collected 13,749 open tenders in the country, and that count changes daily. In the last 7 days, 4,634 new tenders appeared. About 3,960 are closing within the next 7 days. This guide explains where these tenders are published, what is in demand, who the busiest buyers are, how much time bidders typically get, and how to keep track without checking every portal by hand.
Where public tenders are published
The largest share of open tenders in the United States comes from US SAM.gov, the federal government’s main procurement portal. Of the 13,749 open tenders, 8,501 come from SAM.gov. That is the place to start for federal contracts, including defense, logistics, and civilian agencies.
State and local governments publish on their own platforms. The official sources ScoutTide reads include:
- OpenGov Procurement (US local government): 1,488 open tenders
- Massachusetts COMMBUYS: 651 open tenders
- New York State Contract Reporter: 624 open tenders
- E-Rate Form 470 (US schools & libraries): 504 open tenders
- California Cal eProcure: 327 open tenders
- Beacon (US local government): 266 open tenders
- North Carolina eVP: 245 open tenders
Each portal has its own registration requirements, so check the specific site for how to create an account and what information is needed. The official sources ScoutTide reads page lists these and others.
What is in demand
The sectors with the most open tenders are, as of 10 October 2026:
- Manufacturing: 4,129
- Construction: 1,409
- Engineering services: 606
- Energy and utilities: 527
- Facilities management: 414
- IT services: 296
- Transport and logistics: 281
- Healthcare: 235
Manufacturing is by far the largest category, driven heavily by defense logistics buyers. Construction is second, with work across federal, state, and local projects. Engineering services, energy, and facilities management follow. IT services and healthcare are smaller but still represent hundreds of open opportunities each.
For a direct view, see Manufacturing tenders in United States or Construction tenders in United States. Other sector pages include Engineering services tenders in United States, Energy and utilities tenders in United States, and Facilities management tenders in United States.
Who buys
There are 2,425 different buyers with open tenders. The busiest buyers are defense and logistics agencies, mostly parts of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and the Navy’s supply command. The ten busiest buyers, with open tenders each, are:
- DLA MARITIME COLUMBUS / DLA LAND AND MARITIME: 1,579
- DLA LAND COLUMBUS / DLA LAND AND MARITIME: 699
- DLA AV RICHMOND / DLA AVIATION: 570
- NAVSUP WSS MECHANICSBURG / NAVSUP WEAPON SYSTEMS SUPPORT MECH: 543
- NAVSUP WSS PHILADELPHIA / NAVSUP WEAPON SYSTEMS SUPPORT: 492
- TROOP SUPPORT CONSTRUCTION & EQUIPMENT / DLA TROOP SUPPORT: 302
- DLA AVIATION / DLA AVIATION OKLAHOMA CITY: 194
- NUCLEAR COMMAND, CONTROL & COMMUNICATION WEAPON / FA8221 AFNWC PZBB: 188
- DLA AVIATION OGDEN / DLA AVIATION AT OGDEN, UT: 147
- DLA MARITIME MECHANICSBURG / SPRMM1 DLA MECHANICSBURG: 142
The five busiest buyers together account for 3,883 open tenders, which is 28% of the total. If you sell parts, supplies, or services to the military, these names matter. Many of their tenders are for manufactured items, which explains the size of the manufacturing category.
Beyond defense, state and local buyers publish on the platforms listed above. Schools and libraries use E-Rate Form 470 for telecommunications and internet services. Local governments use OpenGov and Beacon for construction, facilities, and services.
Deadlines: how much time you get
Most open tenders have a stated deadline. Of the 13,749 open tenders, 112 have no stated deadline. For those with a deadline, the time left is:
- Under 7 days: 3,957
- 7 to 29 days: 6,930
- 30 to 59 days: 992
- 60 days or more: 1,758
The median time left until the deadline is 12 days. That means half of all open tenders close within less than two weeks. The median time between a notice first appearing and its deadline is 20 days. So bidders typically have about three weeks from publication to response, and by the time you find a tender, some of that window is already gone.
None of the 13,749 open tenders state an estimated value. That means you cannot filter by contract size or use stated values to judge which opportunities are worth pursuing. You will need to read each notice to understand the scope and decide whether it fits.
A practical routine for finding tenders
Checking every portal by hand is not realistic. The federal system alone has thousands of open tenders, and state and local platforms add more every day. A practical routine has three parts.
First, decide which sectors and buyers matter to you. If you sell manufactured goods, the defense logistics buyers are the largest source. If you do construction or facilities work, state and local portals will be more relevant. Use the sector pages to see the current volume: Manufacturing tenders in United States, Construction tenders in United States, Engineering services tenders in United States, Energy and utilities tenders in United States, and Facilities management tenders in United States.
Second, check the official portals that match your market. For federal work, start with US SAM.gov. For state and local, use the relevant platforms such as Massachusetts COMMBUYS, New York State Contract Reporter, California Cal eProcure, or North Carolina eVP. Each portal publishes its own registration requirements, so read those before you rely on a site.
Third, use a service that collects tenders for you. ScoutTide collects open tenders from official portals, matches them against what your company sells, and sends a daily list of new matches. It also shows titles in English, which helps when a portal publishes in another language or uses dense agency abbreviations. You can see all open tenders in United States to get a sense of the volume.
The United States ranks 3 of 183 countries by open tenders, so the number of opportunities is large. But the median deadline of 12 days means you need to act quickly. A daily check, or a daily list, is the difference between bidding and missing the window.
A note on staying current
The counts in this article are as of 10 October 2026 and change daily. New tenders appear every day, and deadlines pass. What is open today may be closed next week. For that reason, the most useful tool is not a static list but a routine that brings new tenders to you.
ScoutTide does that by collecting open tenders from official portals, matching them against what you sell, and sending a daily list of new matches. If you want to see how it works, you can sign up to get tenders like these matched to your business. For details on what each plan includes, see plans and pricing.
Frequently asked questions
How many open tenders are there in the United States?
As of 10 October 2026, ScoutTide has collected 13,749 open public tenders in the United States. The count changes daily. In the last 7 days, 4,634 new tenders were added.
Which official portals publish these tenders?
The largest source is US SAM.gov with 8,501 open tenders. Others include OpenGov Procurement (US local government), Massachusetts COMMBUYS, New York State Contract Reporter, E-Rate Form 470 (US schools & libraries), California Cal eProcure, Beacon (US local government), and North Carolina eVP.
How much time do bidders get before a tender closes?
The median time left until the deadline is 12 days. Of the tenders with a stated deadline, 3,957 close in under 7 days, 6,930 close in 7 to 29 days, 992 close in 30 to 59 days, and 1,758 close in 60 days or more. The median time between a notice first appearing and its deadline is 20 days.
Do tenders state their estimated value?
No. As of 10 October 2026, 0 of the 13,749 open tenders state an estimated value. There are too few stated values to give a typical contract value, so you will need to read each notice to judge its scope.
Who are the busiest buyers?
The busiest buyer is DLA MARITIME COLUMBUS / DLA LAND AND MARITIME with 1,579 open tenders. The five busiest buyers together have 3,883 open tenders, which is 28% of the total. Most of the top ten are defense logistics and Navy supply agencies.