Big opportunities aren’t just for big business.
BidTrail.
Small business.
Big possibilities.
Your path from a business idea to your first government contract. We make the paperwork, the opportunities, and the next step clear.
From $49/mo Annual: $490/yr, 2 months free Cancel anytime No sales calls
A possibility waiting for you
A Tier 1 logistics prime
$78,500 delivery order · Department of Defense
Illustrative match. Public award data.
The opportunity is real.
And there’s room for you.
$812.8B.
awarded in federal contracts in FY25
$172.6B.
of that went to small businesses
~527k.
registered small businesses that win nothing each year
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration federal contracting scorecard, FY2025.
One clear path. Four simple phases.
From “where do I start?”
to “I just submitted.”
No insider knowledge required.
Just your ambition, and a road to follow.
Phase 01 / Entity & EIN
Build your foundation
Form your business and get your federal tax ID, step by step.
Explore phase
This is the paperwork nobody explains. You form your LLC with your state, then apply to the IRS for an EIN, your federal tax ID. You will also want a UEI (your federal business ID) and a CAGE code (your federal supplier code); both are issued through your SAM.gov registration in the next phase, so you do not chase them here. We list each step in order, in plain English, with a plain-language reason for every field.
Phase 02 / SAM.gov Registration
Get government-ready
Register with the government and unlock the federal market.
Explore phase
SAM.gov (the government's vendor registry) is where you register once, and it is what makes you a real, findable bidder. It is also where your UEI and CAGE code are issued. Registration is not instant: the government reviews it, which usually takes 7 to 10 business days and can run longer at peak times. We show you exactly where you are in that wait, so a quiet week does not read as a stall.
Phase 03 / Find & Score
Find your right fit
See open opportunities scored against what your business does.
Explore phase
Once you are registered, we bring the open opportunities to you and score them against what your business actually does. Set-asides (contracts reserved for small businesses) are included, because those are the ones built for you. If you already have an LLC and an EIN, you can take the fast path and start right here, at matched bids.
Phase 04 / Prepare & Submit
Make your first move
Work the checklist and send your first bid with confidence.
Teaming tools on Pro and Scale
Explore phase
A solicitation is the government's request for bids; it tells you exactly what it wants and by when. We break it into a checklist so nothing gets missed, and draft the documents first-timers need most: a cover letter, a capability statement, and a point-of-contact email. Teaming tools live here too, on Pro and Scale, for founders who would rather support a prime contractor than bid alone.
Your skills. A bigger opportunity.
You don’t have to win
the biggest contract.
Just find your part in it.
Big companies win government contracts. Small businesses help deliver them. BidTrail helps you find prime contractors whose work fits your skills.
Primes this size must make good-faith efforts to subcontract with small businesses.
IT · Prime match
A Tier 1 defense systems integrator
$78,500 delivery order · Department of Defense
You offer software, cloud, and cybersecurity support. 2 of 2 of this prime's categories line up.
Large prime contractors on big federal awards are required by the government to make good-faith efforts to subcontract with small businesses. That requirement is your opening.
Illustrative matches based on public award data. Company names are anonymized.
A different way in
Skip the guesswork. Not the groundwork.
The old way
Bid cold. Hope for the best.
You skip the registration, find an open solicitation, and submit. The problem is structural, not skill: without a registered entity, a UEI (your federal business ID), and any past performance, you are competing on a field where the other bidders already have all three. It is rarely the work that stops first-time attempts here.
The BidTrail way
Get ready. Find your opening.
You build the foundation the government actually requires, in order, so you arrive at bidding as a real entity. Then you use the teaming angle: large prime contractors (a big company that wins the government’s largest contracts) are required by federal rules to subcontract with small businesses, so you can approach the primes already holding the work and propose to support them.
Private beta
The trail is open.
The first stories are on their way.
BidTrail is in private beta. Founders are taking their first steps right now.
A small investment. A new direction.
Your next chapter, priced clearly.
See the whole road free for 7 days. Pay only if you keep walking it.
Starter
Get bid-ready: the guided setup from LLC to SAM.gov, plus federal and 1 state.
$40.83 /month
Billed yearly at $490
Save $98 vs monthly
Free for 7 days. Cancel anytime. No sales call.
Founding 500: $290 for your first year
Start free on Starter- Guided setup from LLC to SAM.gov
- Federal bids from SAM.gov, plus 1 state
- See how many primes win work like yours
Pro
Compete smarter: 5 states, relevance scoring, AI drafts and the top primes in your field.
$82.50 /month
Billed yearly at $990
Save $198 vs monthly
Free for 7 days. Cancel anytime. No sales call.
Founding 500: $590 for your first year
Start free on Pro- Federal plus up to 5 states, with relevance scoring
- Bid packets, cover letters, and capability statements
- Teaming: the top primes in your field
Scale
FlagshipWin by teaming: every state we cover, every prime, and outreach you send yourself.
$165.83 /month
Billed yearly at $1,990
Save $398 vs monthly
Free for 7 days. Cancel anytime. No sales call.
Founding 500: $1,190 for your first year
Start free on Scale- Federal plus every state we cover
- Every prime, contracts ending soon, and their subcontracts
- Drafted outreach, unlimited pipeline, packets and alerts
Every plan includes the guided road to your first bid, and every plan starts with a free 7-day trial. Nothing is charged today.
Built for first-time founders
Your first federal contract
starts with a first step.
You bring the ambition. We’ll bring the roadmap.
Free for 7 days, then from $49/mo. Cancel anytime.