Federal Contracts API for developers
Every SAM.gov contract notice in clean JSON, with the full descriptions and attachments SAM's own API strips out. No 10-requests-per-day cap, no 2-3 week entity registration, instant key. Awards, contractors and subawards cross-linked on the same key.
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What you get
See full capabilities tour with use cases, code samples, and tier breakdown for each.
Contract Notices
607,667 notices · full descriptions + attachments · daily sync
Every SAM.gov contract notice in clean JSON, with the full descriptions and attachments SAM's own API and CSV leave out (82.4% coverage, 227,172 with files). Full-text search, NAICS/PSC, dates, set-asides. SAM.gov API guide.
Federal Contracts
9,277,222 FPDS transactions · every modification · daily sync
Every prime contract transaction: who won, how much, which agency, which vehicle, when. Base award plus every modification, searchable by UEI, PIID, agency, NAICS, or award type. Contracts API guide.
Contract Vehicles
IDIQs, GWACs, FSS schedules · one row per vehicle · daily sync
The vehicles task orders are placed against: IDIQs, GWACs, FSS schedules, BPAs, and BOAs. One row per vehicle with its ceiling, ordering period, holder, agency, and NAICS, so you can see what you would have to hold to bid at all. Sourced from FPDS, searchable back to 1982. Contract vehicles API guide.
Federal Subawards (FFATA)
221,271 reports · supply-chain mapping
Every FFATA Section 2 report: who paid whom under each prime. Map a prime's supply chain, see small businesses' real federal revenue (sub income is often the larger half), screen excluded vendors for ongoing payments. Subawards API guide.
Exclusions Database
163,675 entities · full SAM.gov debarment list
Every debarred and suspended entity. Search by name, UEI, CAGE, agency, or state. Required before teaming or subcontracting. Exclusions guide.
Wage Determinations
Davis-Bacon, SCA, and CBA rates · by location + type
The prevailing labor rates a service or construction contract must pay: Davis-Bacon (construction), SCA (services), and CBA determinations, with only the current revision of each flagged. Search by location, type, or solicitation number, so you can price labor before you bid. Wage determination API guide.
Vendor Risk Intelligence
7 fraud-pattern signals per UEI · triage verdict
Screen any vendor in one call: address cluster, name-variant cluster, coordinated enforcement wave, last-award-to-debarment gap. Try the free lookup or see how it works.
Company Lookup
~885K firms · by UEI, CAGE, or name
Any contractor by UEI, CAGE, or name: SAM registration status, expiration, certifications, address, plus aggregated award history (totals, top agencies, NAICS spread, peers). Company Intelligence API · UEI lookup.
Federal Contractor Search
Multi-filter across 885K firms
Programmatic equivalent of SBA's DSBS. Filter by NAICS, state, business-type certification, active-status, name. Paginated JSON results. Try the free search or see the API.
Renewal Radar
SAM registrations expiring within N days
Every contractor whose SAM registration expires soon, most-urgent first. Filter by state or NAICS for compliance dashboards or renewal campaigns. Expiration checker.
Recompete Watchlist
Contracts nearing recompete · incumbent + contestability
Contracts nearing the end of their period of performance, before the RFP drops. Each with the incumbent, option-year runway, how contested the work was last cycle, and named subcontractors. Filter by NAICS, agency, set-aside, and your timing window. Recompete Watchlist guide.
Teaming Partners
Firms ranked by won work · named contacts
A teaming shortlist from real award history: firms that have won this kind of work, for this agency, in this state, ranked by past performance, with named points of contact. Teaming Partner Finder guide.
Works in Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client
Ask in plain English. Included with any paid plan. pipx install govconapi-mcp
Federal buyer directory
35,000+ contracting officers and buyers, with contacts and spending history. Updated daily.
Agency crosswalk
Free crosswalk of 1,700+ standardized federal agency names, hierarchy, and codes.
Bulk data export
Any slice, or the whole corpus, exported on demand. Custom pricing by volume.
Live data
Real responses from the API, one dataset per tab. Clean JSON, ISO dates, strict typing.
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Featured on AI Fire Daily, Episode #321
Federal contract data has traditionally been locked behind expensive enterprise platforms. We think that's wrong, so we built the clean data layer and opened it up.
Pricing
See full pricing with the complete tier-by-tier comparison and FAQ.
Free Trial
Full API access for 14 days. No credit card required.
- ·100 requests per day
- ·100 results max per page
- ·All search filters
- ·All 59 fields per contract notice
- ·MCP access (Claude, Cursor, etc.)
Developer
Direct access to the raw data corpus, every federal dataset in clean JSON.
- ·1,000 requests per hour
- ·1,000 results max per page
- ·CSV exports (15 per day)
- ·All core datasets: notices, contracts, subawards, entities, exclusions
- ·No SAM.gov entity required
- ·UEI Lookup API + CAGE Code Lookup
- ·MCP access (Claude, Cursor, etc.)
- ·30 GovCon Contacts dossiers/mo (web)
Pro
Joined data and insights, assembled for the decisions you make.
- ·Everything in Developer
- ·Recompete Watchlist
- ·Company Intelligence
- ·Federal Contractor Search
- ·Teaming Partners
- ·Vendor Risk Intelligence
- ·Unlimited GovCon Contacts + API
- ·Renewal Radar
Data layer, not application. We don't ship a UI that competes with what you build on this; custom endpoints and slices ship in days. Enterprise
Frequently asked
Straight answers, with the numbers.
Why use GovCon API instead of pulling from SAM.gov and USAspending yourself?
SAM.gov's public API allows 10 requests per day; the 1,000/day tier needs a UEI and system account that take 2-3 weeks to obtain. It also strips full notice descriptions and attachments out of API responses entirely. GovCon API serves both on an instant key with no login or UEI, and cross-links the same entities across FPDS and USAspending.gov, two more systems you would otherwise integrate separately.
Does SAM.gov have an API?
Yes, for opportunities and entity data, but you need a SAM.gov account and API key, and usable rate limits require entity registration (UEI + system account). GovCon API needs none of that, and adds FPDS and USAspending data SAM.gov doesn't serve.
Where does the data come from?
The federal systems of record: opportunities, the entity registry, exclusions, and contacts from SAM.gov; prime awards from FPDS; subawards (FFATA) from USAspending.gov. Every response carries a _sources field, so provenance is verifiable in the payload.
How fresh is the data, and how far back does it go?
Opportunities, spending, and exclusions refresh daily, the entity registry monthly. Live coverage runs from October 2024 (FY2025). The data coverage page lists exact windows per dataset.
What are the rate limits?
Free: 100 requests per day and 100 results per page. Developer and Pro: 1,000 requests per hour (plus a short per-minute burst) and 1,000 results per page. No UEI or system account is required to reach them, unlike SAM.gov.
How do I look up a contractor by UEI or CAGE code?
Call /companies/{uei} for a full profile: registration status, certifications, address, and award history. Search by CAGE or name too; both resolve to the same record. Free UEI and CAGE lookups need no key.
Can I use it with Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor?
Yes. An MCP server (pipx install govconapi-mcp) with 6 tools lets you search opportunities, check exclusions, and look up contractors in plain English from any MCP client. Any paid plan. Setup guide.
Can I use this for compliance or vendor due diligence?
Yes. Exclusions is the full SAM.gov debarment list, refreshed daily, searchable by name, UEI, CAGE, or agency, the check before teaming or subcontracting. Pro adds vendor-risk signals. These describe public-record relationships, not wrongdoing.
Can I bulk-export the data?
Paid plans include CSV exports (15 per day). For larger slices or the whole corpus, bulk export is available on demand, priced by volume. Contact us for a quote.
How do I sign up, and can I cancel anytime?
Enter your email for a free key instantly: 100 requests/day, all datasets and filters, 14 days, no card. Upgrade to Developer ($19/mo) or Pro ($39/mo) anytime. Cancel anytime at govconapi.com/billing, no lock-in; when a subscription ends, the key deactivates.