Federal Procurement Forecasts: Plan Your FY2027 Bid Pipeline
September is the month federal contractors chase whatever drops on SAM.gov with a short fuse. October is quieter, and that quiet fools a lot of firms. The new fiscal year starts, the solicitations slow down, and it feels like there is nothing to do until spring. In reality, October through December is when agencies publish what they plan to buy, and when the contractors who win next summer's awards start building relationships around those plans.
Federal procurement forecasts are the most underused free tool in public-sector business development. This guide explains where to find them, how to read them without over-trusting them, what the current continuing resolution means for timing, and a step-by-step way to turn forecasts into an FY2027 bid pipeline.
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What a Federal Procurement Forecast Is (and Isn't)
Federal agencies are required to tell the market what they expect to buy. Under the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637), executive agencies above a contract-volume threshold must prepare forecasts of expected contract opportunities for the next and succeeding fiscal years. Agency small business offices point to Public Law 100-656, the Business Opportunity Development Reform Act of 1988, as the source of this requirement.
A typical forecast entry includes the agency, place of performance, NAICS code, estimated award date, acquisition strategy, contract type, whether it is planned as a small business set-aside, and a point of contact. GSA describes its forecast tool as including those data elements, along with award status.
What a forecast is not: a solicitation or a promise. GSA states that the tool "is for information and planning purposes only" and "does not commit the government to purchase," and that final decisions on competition, small business participation and estimated value are made if and when a solicitation posts on SAM.gov. The Department of Transportation adds that its forecast "is not intended to be all-inclusive" and that projected procurements are subject to revision or cancellation.
That is exactly why forecasts are valuable. They show you intent months before the solicitation, when you can still influence your position.
Where to Find FY2027 Forecasts
Source | What you get | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
Governmentwide forecast listings from participating agencies, filterable by agency, place of performance, NAICS, award date, set-aside and contract type | Your main search. Save filters for your NAICS codes and states. | |
A directory linking to each agency's forecast resources | Check agencies that publish on their own sites, such as VA and Interior. | |
Agency small business offices | Agency-specific forecasts and outreach events | Get on their event lists for industry days. |
Past awards, incumbents and period-of-performance dates | Find recompetes and see who is winning in your NAICS. |
Two recent changes matter here. The Department of Transportation says that starting October 1, 2025, its new forecasts (FY26 and later) appear on the GSA governmentwide tool, with older entries kept on DOT's site for reference. And GSA decommissioned the ezSearch function in FPDS.gov on February 24, 2026, making SAM.gov the authoritative place to search federal contract award data. If your team still has old FPDS bookmarks, update them.
Some agencies refresh their forecasts at the start of the fiscal year. USDA, for example, says its forecast is updated annually at the beginning of the fiscal year in October. Others update more often. Check your target agencies monthly.
FY2027 Starts Under a Continuing Resolution
FY2027 starts on October 1, 2026 without full-year appropriations in place. Congress passed a continuing resolution, signed on September 2, 2026 as P.L. 119-103, that keeps the government funded through December 11, 2026.
A continuing resolution funds agencies temporarily, generally at prior-year levels, rather than giving them new allocations that reflect new priorities. It is also routine: the Peter G. Peterson Foundation counts 141 CRs enacted from fiscal year 1998 through 2026, and notes that the October 1 deadline has not been fully met since 1997.
What this means for your pipeline:
Expect some forecast dates to slide. An "anticipated Q1 award" may move once full-year funding is settled.
Recurring work, such as maintenance and repair that agencies buy every year, is often more predictable than new projects.
Use this window for positioning, not panic. Capture work you do now pays off when funding clears and solicitations release in a bunch.
Watch the December 11 date. Another CR, a full-year bill or a lapse will each shift timing differently.
Turn Forecasts Into a Pipeline in Five Steps
Step 1: Confirm your foundation
Your SAM.gov registration must be active and your NAICS codes must be accurate. Remember that the solicitation's assigned NAICS code, not your registration, sets the size standard for that bid. Our guides on SAM registration for construction and NAICS codes cover both.
Step 2: Pull and filter
Filter the forecast tool by your construction NAICS codes, the states you can actually staff, and the contract types you can perform. Filter by set-aside type only for programs your firm actually qualifies for. Export or copy the results into your tracker.
Step 3: Score each opportunity
Run every forecast entry through a quick go/no-go screen before you spend capture time on it. Use the same criteria as your bid/no-bid process:
Is the scope work we have done, at a similar size?
Can we bond it?
Do we have relevant past performance to cite?
Do we know the agency or the incumbent?
Does the estimated award date fit our backlog?
Step 4: Cross-check against award history
For each surviving opportunity, look up prior awards in SAM.gov. Who holds the current contract? When does its period of performance end? Is this a new requirement or a recompete? If it will be issued as a task order under an existing vehicle, check whether you hold a position on that vehicle; our IDIQ task order guide explains why that matters.
Step 5: Build the tracker and a capture plan
For each target, record the forecast listing ID, agency, NAICS, estimated value, anticipated solicitation and award dates, set-aside status, point of contact, incumbent, and your next action with a date. Review it every two weeks. A simple spreadsheet works. A CRM works better if your team already lives in one.
This is also a strong use case for AI. I use AI tools to summarize long forecast exports, group entries by agency and scope, and draft first-pass notes on each opportunity. A person still decides what to pursue, but the sorting that used to take a day takes an hour.
How to Use the Point of Contact
Forecast listings name a contact for a reason. GSA's guidance is to reach out to the listed point of contact with questions and include the listing ID so they can identify the opportunity.
Keep it short. Two or three sentences: who you are, the listing ID, one specific question.
Ask useful questions. Is the estimated award date still current? Is there a planned industry day or sources-sought notice? Is the acquisition strategy settled?
Attach a tailored capability statement. One page, matched to the scope. See our capability statement guide.
Respond to sources-sought notices. When the market research notice posts, answer it. That response can influence whether the work is set aside and how it is structured.
If a project calls for socioeconomic participation you do not have in-house, plan your teaming early. R. Construction Solutions partners with certified WBE, MBE and DBE firms when a project calls for it, and those conversations go better months before a solicitation than two weeks after.
What I've Seen Inside Contractor Shops
After 30+ years in construction operations and business development, the federal pursuit pattern I see most is reactive. A firm finds a solicitation on SAM.gov with three weeks left, scrambles a proposal, and loses to a competitor who had been talking to the agency since the forecast posted. The losing firm concludes that federal work is "wired." Usually it was not wired. The other firm simply started earlier.
The firms that build steady federal backlog treat October through December as capture season. They pull forecasts, pick a short list of realistic targets, make contact, and show up to industry days. When the solicitation drops, they are refining a proposal, not starting one.
Build Your FY2027 Target List With Us
If you want help pulling forecasts for your NAICS codes, screening them, and building a capture calendar your team can run, we can do that with you. Contact us or call (719) 838-5551.
Sources
GSA, Use GSA's Forecast Tool to Find Contracting Opportunities
15 U.S.C. 637, Additional powers (Legal Information Institute)
Peter G. Peterson Foundation, What Is a Continuing Resolution?
FAQ
What is a federal procurement forecast?
It is an agency's published list of contracts it expects to award, with details like NAICS code, estimated award date, contract type, set-aside plans and a point of contact. It is for planning only and does not commit the government to buy.
Where can contractors find FY2027 procurement forecasts?
Start with the GSA Acquisition Gateway Forecast Tool, then use the Acquisition.gov directory for agencies that publish forecasts on their own websites.
How does the continuing resolution affect federal construction contracting?
FY2027 starts under a CR that funds the government through December 11, 2026, generally at prior-year levels. Expect some forecasted award dates to shift until full-year funding is settled.
Should I contact the point of contact on a forecast listing?
Yes. GSA recommends reaching out with questions and including the listing ID. Keep the message short, ask a specific question and attach a tailored capability statement.
Where do I search past federal contract awards now that FPDS ezSearch is gone?
GSA decommissioned FPDS.gov ezSearch on February 24, 2026. Contract award searches now happen in SAM.gov, and the public can also use USASpending.gov.
