How to find SDVOSB set-asides on SAM.gov

Service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB; some contractors say “DVSOB”) get contracts that agencies reserve for that certification. Here is how to find those notices yourself on SAM.gov, and how to get them filtered into your inbox without living on the site.

Quick path: On SAM.gov Contract Opportunities, filter by set-aside type for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, then narrow by NAICS, place of performance, and notice type. Or set the SDVOSB filter once in Solicitation Daily and get weekday matches by email.

What SDVOSB (and “DVSOB”) means

SDVOSB stands for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business. “DVSOB” is informal shorthand some contractors use for the same idea. On federal notices the official set-aside label is usually along the lines of “Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Set-Aside (FAR 19.14)” or a similar FAR citation.

Eligibility and certification rules live with the Small Business Administration and, for many VA procurements, Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert). This page does not certify anyone and is not legal advice. Confirm your own status before you bid.

Find SDVOSB notices on SAM.gov (manual)

Go to the public SAM.gov Contract Opportunities search (free account required for some features; browsing notices is public).
Open filters. Under set-aside / socioeconomic, choose the service-disabled veteran-owned option the UI lists for the notice types you care about.
Add your NAICS codes (for construction, examples include 236 for building construction and 238 for specialty trades) and, if you travel less, a place-of-performance state.
Prefer notice types you can act on: Solicitation and Combined Synopsis/Solicitation for live bids; Presolicitation and Sources Sought for early signals.
Open each notice. Read the set-aside statement, due date, attachments, and amendments. Deadlines and codes change; always verify on the live notice.
Save the search or set SAM.gov alerts if you want raw government emails. Those alerts are unfiltered noise compared with a trade + set-aside digest.

What to double-check on every SDVOSB notice

Set-aside text — Confirm it is SDVOSB (or SDVOSB + other programs), not only “small business” or unrestricted.
Response due date and time zone — Agencies post times that may not be Central; build in buffer.
Place of performance — Some notices list only the contracting office; the work site may be elsewhere or “various.”
NAICS and size standard — Your firm must meet the size standard for that NAICS when you certify as small.
Attachments and amendments — Specs, wage determinations, and site visits often hide in PDFs; amendments can move the due date.
Sole-source vs competitive — Some veteran set-asides are competitive; others are directed. Read the notice type and narrative.

Trades where SDVOSB volume shows up often

Volume shifts week to week. On Solicitation Daily trade pages you can see recent open counts and sample notices for:

Also see the hub: federal bid alerts by trade.

Get SDVOSB matches by email

Solicitation Daily reads the public SAM.gov Contract Opportunities feed each weekday and matches notices to the trades, states, and set-asides you pick. Check SDVOSB (and optionally hide unrestricted bids) so your brief prioritizes or limits to those set-asides.

Free: weekly Top 5 every Monday — no credit card.
Pro: every match each weekday by 7 AM Central — $19/month with a 14-day free trial, or $190/year.

Set up free alerts with SDVOSB

Related guides

Solicitation Daily is a private service, not affiliated with any government agency. Searching and bidding on SAM.gov is free. We are not SAM.gov, GSA, SBA, or the VA. This guide is educational only and is not certification, legal, or bidding advice.