Government security contracts and federal security contracts for bid
Government security contracts post on SAM.gov every week: protective security officers for federal buildings around Los Angeles, armed guards at an FAA technical center in New Jersey, a single guard post at a VA clinic in Fairbanks, access control and escorts at an Army intelligence site in Virginia. Most of them are in a state where you hold no guard license, need armed officers you do not have, or are set aside for someone else. FederalContracts reads each new federal guard and security services notice the morning after it posts, scores it out of 100 against your services, licenses, set-asides and the states you cover, and sends one short list with the best fits first.
A 40 officer 8(a) guard company in Virginia and a 900 officer national firm see the same notices. They should not be reading the same list.
| Match | Solicitation and agency | NAICS | Set-aside | Place of performance | Response due |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95 | INSCOM G-2 Access Control and Security Escorts (ACES) | 561612 | 8(a) | Fort Belvoir, Virginia | 4 Nov |
| 74 | WJHTC Armed Security Guard Services | 561612 | 8(a) | Atlantic City, New Jersey | 29 Oct |
| 73 | Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX-1) Security | 561612 | 8(a) | Norfolk, Virginia | 9 Oct Closes today |
| 71 | Domestic Guard Services | 561612 | Full and open | Arlington, Virginia | 9 Oct Closes today |
| 69 | Protective Security Officer Services, Los Angeles Area | 561612 | Full and open | California | 20 Nov |
Where do I find government security guard contracts?
You find federal security guard contracts on SAM.gov under Contract Opportunities, filtered by NAICS 561612 (Security Guards and Patrol Services) and product service code S206 (guard services). Electronic security work such as intrusion detection, access control and camera maintenance posts under NAICS 561621. City, county and state guard contracts are bid on each buyer's own portal.
| Where the work is | Typical buyers | What it looks like | How you get in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Protective Service | DHS FPS regions, for GSA owned and leased buildings | Armed protective security officers (PSOs) at courthouses and federal office buildings, usually multi-year IDIQs with hourly rates | |
| Military installations | Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Defense agencies | Access control, gate guards, security escorts, force protection support | |
| Civilian agencies | VA, State Department, DOT and FAA, NASA, Army Corps of Engineers | Clinic and campus guards, domestic guard services, armed guards at technical centers and dams | |
| Electronic security | GSA, VA, DHS and agency facility offices | Intrusion detection, access control systems, CCTV and alarm maintenance | |
| Subcontracts | Large guard primes and base operations contractors | Single sites or regions carved out of a large award |
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 agency guard contract in New York lands in the same list. Other state and city portals are not part of the product, so keep their vendor registrations.
Security contracts for bid you will see in a typical week
These are the kinds of federal security notices that were open in early October 2026, taken from the public SAM.gov record:
- Protective Security Officer Services, Los Angeles area. Department of Homeland Security, full and open competition, armed PSOs across multiple federal buildings.
- WJHTC Armed Security Guard Services. Department of Transportation for the FAA technical center in New Jersey, set aside for 8(a) firms.
- Fairbanks Alaska CBOC Security Guard. Department of Veterans Affairs, a clinic guard post set aside for service disabled veteran owned small businesses.
- INSCOM G-2 Access Control and Security Escorts. Department of Defense in Virginia, set aside for 8(a) firms.
- Domestic Guard Services. Department of State, a large armed guard requirement for its domestic facilities.
- IRS Intrusion Detection System at a federal building and courthouse in Nevada. General Services Administration, small business set-aside, an electronic security maintenance job under 561621.
Two things stand out. Set-asides are everywhere in this category, and the size of the work ranges from one post at a clinic to more than a thousand officers on one contract. A useful list has to separate the two for you, because a 40 officer company cannot staff the second and a national firm has no interest in the first.
Security guard NAICS and service codes the matching reads
| Code | What it covers | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NAICS 561612 | Security Guards and Patrol Services | The main code for guard, PSO, patrol and escort work. Recent notices list a 29 million USD small business size standard. |
| NAICS 561621 | Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths) | Alarm, intrusion detection, access control and CCTV installation and maintenance |
| NAICS 561611 | Investigation Services | Background investigation support, sometimes bundled with security work |
| PSC S206 | Guard services | The product service code on most guard and patrol notices |
| PSC J063 and N063 | Maintenance and installation of alarm, signal and security detection systems | Used on many electronic security notices |
Agencies are not consistent. A gate guard contract may post under a base operations code, and a security system job may carry a facilities maintenance code. The matching reads the description and the statement of work as well as the codes, so an access control escort requirement still reaches you when the code on the notice is not the one you watch.
Who awards federal security contracts
The biggest single buyer of contract guards in civilian government is the Federal Protective Service, part of DHS. FPS protects buildings owned or leased through GSA, and it buys protective security officers region by region. These are usually indefinite delivery contracts with fixed hourly rates and firm fixed price task orders, a one year base and up to four option years. A five year FPS contract for PSO services in Northern Virginia awarded in December 2022 carried a ceiling near 39 million USD, which gives a sense of the scale of one region.
The Department of Veterans Affairs buys guard services for medical centers and community clinics, and under its Veterans First rules much of that work is set aside for service disabled veteran owned firms. The Defense Department buys access control, gate guards and escorts for installations, and many of those are 8(a) or small business set-asides. The State Department, the FAA, NASA and the Army Corps of Engineers buy guards for campuses, technical centers and dams.
If you hold a veteran certification, the government contracts for veterans page covers how VA set-asides work. If your company also does custodial work in the same buildings, the government cleaning contracts page covers that side.
What decides whether you win a government security guard contract
- Service Contract Act wages. Guard contracts carry a wage determination for the county, with Guard I and Guard II rates plus health and welfare. Your hourly price has to cover those, so price per county, not per company.
- State licenses. Officers need the guard license of the state where the post is, and armed posts need the state firearms permit as well. A notice in a state where you are not licensed is a notice you cannot staff in time.
- Officer qualifications. FPS and many agencies require background checks, suitability determinations, weapons qualification, medical standards and agency specific training before an officer stands a post. Ask how long suitability takes in that region and price the transition period.
- Clearances. Some Defense and intelligence sites require the prime and subcontractors to hold a facility clearance. Without one, those notices are not for you yet.
- Past performance. Many guard awards are best value, and some notices rank past performance above price. Comparable posts at similar headcount matter more than general experience.
- Price structure. Read whether the award is lowest price technically acceptable or a trade-off. In a lowest price competition, every cent of overhead on the hourly rate counts.
How security contract matching works
- Describe your company once. Services (armed guards, unarmed officers, patrol, access control, electronic security), NAICS codes, set-asides and the states where you hold licenses.
- We read every new notice. Each federal solicitation is read in full the morning after it posts, including the description, not only the title and code.
- Each notice gets a score out of 100 with a reason. Service fit, place of performance against your licensed states, set-aside eligibility and time left to respond.
- You get one short list. The best fits first, with the due date and the question deadline, plus who won the last similar contract at that agency.
Who pays for a security bid list
- Small and 8(a) guard companies. A firm with a few dozen officers needs the single site posts and small set-asides that a national competitor ignores. The ranked list puts those first.
- Veteran owned security firms. SDVOSB and VOSB companies see the VA clinic and medical center posts that are set aside for them, ranked above work they cannot bid.
- Regional PSO contractors. Companies already holding an FPS region watch for recompetes and new regions in neighboring states where they hold licenses.
- Electronic security integrators. Alarm, access control and camera companies get the 561621 maintenance and installation jobs at federal buildings without wading through guard notices.
The same ranking runs for every one of them. What changes is the profile behind it.
Ways to find government security contracts 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 | |
| State and city portals | That buyer's own guard bids | Free vendor registration | |
| 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 for national research tools | |
| 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, licensed states and set-asides, with the reason and the deadline | 129 USD a month, or 768 USD a year on Bid Desk |
If you need many states and counties in one feed, an aggregator covers far more of them than we do. Price details are on government bidding sites compared. If the problem is reading 40 federal notices to find two you can staff, the ranked list is the part that saves the time.
What security companies 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 holds the current guard contract before the recompete.
- 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 guard services and electronic security as separate lines), 15 seats, per business line digests and full award history with exports.
Every plan feature is on pricing. Annual billing costs half of twelve monthly payments.
How do I get government security contracts?
You get government security contracts by registering in SAM.gov, listing NAICS 561612 and the set-asides you hold, and bidding notices in states where your officers are licensed. Start with small set-aside posts at VA clinics, military gates or single federal buildings, build past performance, then bid regional protective security officer contracts. A ranked daily list keeps you from missing the posts you can staff.
How do I find security contracts for bid?
Search SAM.gov Contract Opportunities for NAICS 561612 and the service code S206, and add 561621 if you do electronic security. Then register on the state and city portals where you hold guard licenses. FederalContracts reads the federal notices every morning and sends the ones that fit your services, states and set-asides first, with the reason for each score.
Are government security guard contracts profitable?
Government security guard contracts can be profitable, but margins are thin because the Service Contract Act sets the minimum Guard I and Guard II wages and benefits for each county. Profit comes from accurate pricing per location, low turnover, filling posts quickly and winning option years. Contracts with long periods of performance and stable posts are usually worth more than one-off event work.
What NAICS code is used for security guard contracts?
NAICS 561612, Security Guards and Patrol Services, is the code used for most security guard, protective security officer, patrol and escort contracts. Electronic security work such as alarms, intrusion detection, access control and CCTV maintenance uses NAICS 561621. Recent federal notices list a 29 million USD small business size standard for 561612.
Do I need a security clearance to bid on federal security contracts?
Most federal guard contracts do not require a company security clearance, but officers must pass background checks and agency suitability before they stand a post. Some Defense, intelligence and high security sites require the prime contractor and any subcontractors to hold a facility clearance, and the notice says so. Read the security requirements section before you price.
Can a small security company win federal contracts?
Yes. Many federal security contracts are set aside for small businesses, 8(a) firms, HUBZone firms or service disabled veteran owned firms, and single site posts at clinics, gates and federal buildings suit a company with a few dozen officers. Teaming as a subcontractor to a regional prime is another common way to build the past performance that larger awards ask for.
See today's security contracts ranked for your company
Choose the security profile above, or type your own services, licensed 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: DHS contracting opportunities, DoD contract opportunities, government contracts for veterans, government contract alerts, small business government contracting opportunities.