Find the Work: Public, Private & Federal Bids

Public, private and federal. It's the same bid boards with different filters. We set them up so the right invitations reach your inbox, not 200 you'll never bid.

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Pillar 1 · Find the Work

One Search, Two Lanes

Most contractors think "finding work" means government bids. It doesn't. Private developers, owners and GCs post work on many of the same platforms the public agencies use. The difference is the filters. We build both searches for you and tune them to your trade, size and territory.

	Private work	Public & federal work
Who's buying	Developers, private owners, GCs, CMs, healthcare and private education, retail, industrial	Cities, counties, school districts, state DOTs, park districts, federal agencies
Where it's posted	BuildingConnected, ConstructConnect, Dodge, PlanHub, BidNet (private projects)	SAM.gov, BidNet Direct, state and local procurement portals, ConstructConnect and Dodge (public projects)
What you switch	Owner type, delivery method, GC invites, project stage	Agency, NAICS code, set-aside type, solicitation type
How you win it	Relationships with GCs plus a fast, clean number	Compliance, paperwork, bonding plus a responsive bid

Lane 1

Private Work: Get on the GCs' Bid Lists

Private work doesn't get advertised the way a city bid does. It gets invited. GCs and owners send invitations to the subs already in their system, so the job is to get your company profile in front of the right GCs, set up correctly, and filtered so you see what fits.

What we set up

BuildingConnected: a complete company profile with trades, CSI divisions, service area, union or open shop, and capacity, so GCs find you when they build bid lists.
ConstructConnect: saved searches for private projects in your territory, by stage (planning, bidding, awarded), so you can chase awarded jobs for sub work too.
Dodge Construction Network: early-stage project tracking to get in front of owners and GCs before the bid list closes.
PlanHub: profile and trade filters so GC invitations reach you by trade and radius.
BidNet (private postings): filters for private-owner solicitations in your region.

The filters we tune

Owner type: private developer, corporate, healthcare, private education, retail, industrial, multifamily
Delivery method: hard bid, negotiated, design-build, CM at risk
Project stage: planning, design, bidding, awarded (awarded is where subs find GCs who still need numbers)
Project size: a value range that matches your bonding and crew capacity
Region / radius: where you'll actually drive
Trade / CSI division: only your scopes, so the inbox stays clean

Lane 2

Public & Federal Work: Registered, Compliant, Ready to Bid

Public work is advertised by law, but you have to be registered, searchable and ready with the paperwork before the bid drops. We handle the setup and keep the search tight so you're not scrolling through solicitations you can't perform.

What we set up

SAM.gov: registration support, NAICS codes and saved opportunity searches
BidNet Direct and state/local portals: vendor registration and alerts by commodity code
ConstructConnect / Dodge (public filter): municipal, school district, park district and DOT work in your area
Federal agency targeting: NAVFAC, USACE, GSA and VA, based on your trade and size

The filters we tune

Agency level: federal, state, county, municipal, school district
NAICS / commodity codes: matched to what you actually self-perform
Solicitation type: IFB (low bid), RFP (best value), RFQ, sources sought
Set-asides: we show you where they apply, and when a project calls for a certified partner, we connect you with WBE, MBE and DBE firms we work with
Project size and region: same rules as private; bid what you can bond and staff

Explore Federal & Public Work

Two Ways to Get It Done

Set it up

We build and tune your bid boards once, private and public. You work the invites.

We run it for you

Don't want another system to manage? We run the searches and send you the bids that match your trade, size and territory.

Want the full system? See The Bid Engine.

What a Bid Board Setup Includes

Discovery call: your trades, self-perform scopes, territory, bonding and capacity
Profile build-out: BuildingConnected, PlanHub and vendor portals completed and consistent
Saved searches: private and public filters built on each platform
Inbox rules: alerts routed so bid invites don't get buried
Walkthrough: how to read an invite, decide go/no-go, and respond fast
Handoff to Win the Work: when you're ready, we help you price, write and submit

Book a Call

Finding Construction Work: Common Questions

Is finding construction work only for government contracts?

No. Private developers, owners and general contractors post and invite bids on many of the same platforms used for public work, including BuildingConnected, ConstructConnect, Dodge and PlanHub. The difference is the filters: owner type, delivery method and project stage.

What's the best platform for subcontractors to find private construction bids?

BuildingConnected is where many GCs build their bid lists, so a complete profile there matters most. ConstructConnect and Dodge help you track projects early, and PlanHub helps with GC invitations by trade and radius.

How do I find public and federal construction projects?

Register on SAM.gov for federal work, and on your state and local procurement portals or BidNet Direct for municipal, county and school district work. Then set saved searches by NAICS or commodity code, agency and region.

Do I need to be certified to bid public work?

Not for most public bids. Some projects include set-aside goals. R. Construction Solutions isn't certified, but we partner with certified WBE, MBE and DBE firms when a project calls for it.

Can you just send me the bids instead of setting up the platforms?

Yes. If you don't want another system to manage, we run the searches and send you the bids that match your trade, size and territory.

What does R. Construction Solutions set up for me?

We complete your bid board profiles, build saved searches for public and private work, route alerts to your inbox and walk you through go/no-go decisions.