Government plumbing contracts and plumbing bids for plumbing contractors
Government plumbing contracts are posted on SAM.gov every week, but few of them say "plumbing" the way a plumber searches. In the newest part of the public SAM.gov file on November 1, 2026, 6,267 federal solicitations had a response date still ahead, and 47 of them were plumbing, boiler, steam, water line, sewer, drain or backflow work. VA offices held 23 of those, the Department of Defense 10, Interior 5 and Agriculture 3. FederalContracts reads every new federal notice the morning after it posts, scores it out of 100 against your services, codes, set-asides and states, and sends one short list with the best fits first.
A notice titled "Z1DA--Correct Domestic Water System" is plumbing work, and a keyword alert for "plumbing" will never find it.
| Match | Solicitation and agency | NAICS | Set-aside | Place of performance | Response due |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81 | Design-Build Maintenance and Repair Army Reserve (MRAR) of Equipment Concentration Site (ECS), B-56767, at North Fort Hood, TX | 236220 | Total small business | Gatesville, Texas | 20 Nov |
| 73 | C--BGNDRF PIPING UPGRADES | 237110 | Total small business | Not stated | 13 Nov |
| 72 | Z1DA--CON-NRM-668-22-106 Correct Domestic Water System | 238220 | Full and open | Not stated | 3 Dec |
| 71 | 16292 Steam Boiler Replacement | 238220 | Total small business | Hill Afb, Utah | 11 Nov 7 days left |
| 71 | Y--White Horse Hill National Game Preserve Water Main Extension | 237110 | Total small business | Not stated | 3 Dec |
How do you get a government plumbing contract?
You get a government plumbing contract by registering in SAM.gov, then answering open solicitations under NAICS 238220 (plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors) and the construction codes 236220 and 237110 that carry water line and piping projects. VA medical centers, military bases, national parks and prisons post repair, replacement and testing work, much of it set aside for small business or veteran owned firms.
| Where the work is | Typical buyers | What it looks like | How you get in |
|---|---|---|---|
| VA medical centers | Department of Veterans Affairs | Domestic water system corrections, boiler testing and maintenance, steam header and valve replacement, backflow prevention testing, dental vacuum piping | |
| Military installations | Air Force, Navy, Army | Steam boiler replacement, boiler plant work, sewage piping renewal, steam valves | |
| National parks and forests | Interior, Forest Service | Water heater replacement, waterline replacement, restroom rehab, vault toilets | |
| Prisons and secure facilities | Federal Bureau of Prisons | Grease trap maintenance, water tank replacement | |
| Dams and water systems | Bureau of Reclamation, Army Corps | Piping upgrades, water line and facility replacement |
The ranked list covers the SAM.gov side every morning. On Capture it adds New York City bids from the City Record, so a city building plumbing bid and a federal VA boiler job land in the same list. State and county bids are not covered.
Plumbing contracts for bid in a typical month
Count the buyers first. Of the 47 open notices, deduplicated by agency and solicitation number, 19 were full solicitations, 15 were combined synopsis and solicitation notices, 7 were sources sought and 6 were presolicitations. A sources sought notice is the moment to send a capability statement before the set-aside decision is made.
- VA. The largest buyer with 23 open notices. Examples include correcting a domestic water system, upgrading electrical and plumbing in a building, replacing boiler and sump pumps, boiler maintenance and testing, backflow prevention testing and replacing dental vacuum piping. Most carry a project number in the title.
- Defense. Ten open notices for steam boiler replacement at an Air Force base, a boiler at Cannon AFB, steam valves for a Navy ship and sewage piping renewal on a Coast Guard cutter.
- Interior and Agriculture. A water heater replacement in the Superior National Forest, the Oconaluftee and Ross Springs waterline replacements and restroom rehabilitation in national park units.
- Justice and Homeland Security. Prison grease trap cleaning and tank work, which repeat every year.
These counts are matched on the notice title, so they understate plumbing that hides under a generic building repair title. That is why the matcher reads the full text of each notice.
Who plumbing contracts are set aside for
Of the 47 open notices, 18 were service-disabled veteran owned set-asides, 14 were total small business set-asides, 1 was a VA veteran owned set-aside, 1 was 8(a) and 1 was a women-owned small business set-aside. Three said no set-aside used and 9 carried no set-aside field, mostly presolicitations. Because VA posts so much of this work, a service-disabled veteran owned plumbing company has more addressable notices than any other group.
If you are veteran owned, government contracts for veterans shows how VA and Veterans First work. Set-asides explained covers the other programs.
Plumbing NAICS and service codes the matching reads
Put every code you can perform on your profile. The same boiler job can post under a plumbing code at one office and a building construction code at another, which is why the matcher reads the full notice text and not only the code.
| Code | What it covers | Typical federal notice |
|---|---|---|
| NAICS 238220 | Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors | Boiler replacement, steam systems, water heaters, backflow testing |
| NAICS 236220 | Commercial and institutional building construction | VA "Y1" and "Z1" projects that correct a water system or upgrade plumbing in a building |
| NAICS 237110 | Water and sewer line construction | Waterline replacement, piping upgrades, sewer lines |
| NAICS 562991 and 562998 | Septic and miscellaneous waste services | Grease trap cleaning, portable restrooms, sanitary tank cleaning |
| PSC J041 to J048 | Maintenance and repair of equipment | VA boiler, steam and plumbing repair notices |
| PSC Z1 and Y1 groups | Construction and repair of facilities | Repair of water systems, piping and fixtures in a building |
What decides whether you win a government plumbing contract
- Licenses and testing. Backflow prevention testing and boiler work usually require state licenses and certified testers named in the proposal. List them on your capability statement.
- Davis-Bacon wages. Construction work over 2,000 USD pays the prevailing wage on the attached determination. Service contract work uses the Service Contract Act wage determination. Price from the one attached to the notice.
- Bonding. Construction over 150,000 USD needs bid, performance and payment bonds. Talk to your surety before chasing a VA water system replacement.
- Site visits. Many VA and Army notices set a site visit date before the quote is due. Missing it can end the bid, so the deadline in the list matters as much as the score.
- Small jobs first. Work under the simplified acquisition threshold, now 350,000 USD, uses faster procedures. A boiler testing contract is how a shop builds the past performance that a larger plant replacement asks for.
How plumbing bid matching works
- Describe what you do in one line. Commercial plumbing, boiler repair, steam systems, backflow testing, water heater replacement, water line work. The matcher reads the full notice text against it, so a project number with no description still reaches you when the scope is a water system.
- We read every new notice. Each federal solicitation, presolicitation and sources sought notice is read in full the morning after it posts, not only the title and the NAICS code.
- Each notice gets a score out of 100 with a reason. Scope fit, set-aside eligibility, place of performance and days left to respond, so a boiler job an hour from your shop ranks above one three states away.
- You get one short list. The best fits first, with the due date and the award history of similar contracts, so you know who won the last boiler contract at that medical center before you price the next one.
Who pays for a plumbing bid list
- Commercial plumbing and mechanical contractors. Firms that already serve hospitals and campuses add VA and base work near their shop.
- Boiler and steam specialists. A boiler testing crew sees VA and Air Force notices before the quote date.
- Backflow and water testing firms. Annual testing contracts repeat, so catching one early matters for years.
- Veteran owned plumbing companies. A service-disabled owner sees the set-asides ranked above the notices it cannot bid.
- Estimators. A firm that bids three federal jobs a month needs the right three with the due date, not fifty project numbers to open one by one.
Ways to find plumbing bids compared
| Option | What you get | What it costs | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAM.gov saved searches | Every federal notice by keyword or code, emailed raw | Free | |
| Construction bid feeds | Plans and notices by trade | From a few hundred USD a year, PlanHub from 1,999 USD a year | |
| Bid aggregators | Federal, state and local notices in one feed | From about 599 USD a year for one state on BidNet Direct to five figures nationally | |
| Research databases | Award history, forecasts, contacts | GovTribe from 1,500 USD a year, GovWin IQ quoted in five figures | |
| FederalContracts | Federal notices scored out of 100 against your services, codes and set-asides, with the reason and the deadline | 129 USD a month, or 768 USD a year on Bid Desk |
If most of your plumbing comes from general contractors and private owners, a plan room matters more than anything we do. If the problem is catching the federal boiler, water system and testing notices that fit your service area before the response date, the ranked list is what saves the time. Government bidding sites compared lists the official portals and paid services side by side.
What plumbing contractors get on each plan
- Bid Desk, 129 USD a month or 768 USD a year. Federal solicitations, 1 company profile, 3 seats, 5 saved searches, a daily ranked digest, deadline reminders and 3 years of competitor award history, so you see who did the last boiler job before you price.
- Capture, 349 USD a month or 2,088 USD a year. Federal solicitations plus New York City bids from the City Record, 5 business lines (for example plumbing, boiler and steam, and backflow testing as separate lines), 15 seats, per business line digests and full award history with exports.
Every plan feature is on our plans and pricing page. Annual billing costs half of twelve monthly payments.
How do I bid on government plumbing contracts?
Register in SAM.gov, add NAICS 238220 and your plumbing capabilities, then answer open solicitations. Read the statement of work, the wage determination and any site visit date before you price, and check the response date. Sources sought notices are your chance to be considered before the set-aside is chosen.
What is the NAICS code for plumbing contractors?
Most federal plumbing and boiler work posts under NAICS 238220, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors. Water line projects use 237110, building projects that include plumbing use 236220, and grease trap and tank cleaning use 562991 or 562998. List every code you can perform.
Who buys the most government plumbing work?
The Department of Veterans Affairs buys the most by notice count. Of the 47 plumbing, boiler and water line notices open on November 1, 2026 in the newest part of the SAM.gov file, 23 came from VA, 10 from the Department of Defense and 5 from Interior. Agriculture and Justice add smaller jobs.
Do plumbers need a bond for federal work?
For construction over 150,000 USD you need bid, performance and payment bonds under the Miller Act. Repair and testing contracts under that value usually do not. Ask your surety for your single project and aggregate limits before entering a VA water system replacement.
Are there set-asides for plumbing contractors?
Yes. Of the 47 open notices, 18 were service-disabled veteran owned set-asides and 14 were total small business set-asides, with a few for 8(a) and women-owned firms. Registering the right socioeconomic status in SAM.gov decides which of these notices you can answer.
See today's plumbing contracts ranked for your company
Choose the plumbing profile above, or type your own services, state and NAICS codes. Bid Match ranks a dated snapshot of public federal solicitation records against them, so you see the list you would get each morning before you pay anything.
Related reading: government HVAC contracts, government construction contracts, government electrical contracts, government roofing contracts, small business government contracting opportunities, set-asides explained.