What to Put on Your Website to Win Government Contracts

To win government contracts, your website needs a dedicated government page that repeats your federal identifiers and proves what you can do: your Unique Entity ID (UEI), CAGE code, NAICS codes, the SBA certifications you hold and how to verify them, a downloadable capability statement, specific past performance, and a named contact with a direct phone number. Contracting officers and prime contractors usually find you first in SAM.gov or the SBA's Small Business Search, then open your site to confirm you are real and a good fit. Everything on that page should match those two databases exactly. A mismatch, such as a different address or a missing NAICS code, gives a busy buyer a reason to move to the next name on the list.

How do contracting officers and prime contractors find small suppliers?

Federal buyers usually start in government databases. The SBA's contracting guide describes SAM, the System for Award Management, as "a database that government agencies search to find contractors," and compares your SAM profile to a résumé. The SBA's guidance for contracting officials goes further: it tells them they are required to use the Small Business Search as part of market research, and that they can use it to help decide whether a contract will be set aside for small businesses or awarded sole-source.

Prime contractors work the same databases from the other side. The SBA notes that small businesses can also use the Small Business Search to find other small firms to work with, and it points to GSA's subcontracting directory of large primes that are required to set plans and goals for subcontracting with small businesses. Many of those primes run supplier diversity teams that look for qualified small, women-owned, veteran-owned and HUBZone suppliers.

A database entry gets you onto a short list. It rarely closes the sale. A buyer comparing five shops with the same NAICS code will often open all five websites, and the one that answers their questions quickly has the edge.

What federal registrations should you have before you build the page?

These are the identifiers a government page repeats, and where each one comes from.

SAM.gov registration and the Unique Entity ID

SAM.gov's entity registration page says that if you want to apply for federal awards as a prime awardee, you need a registration, and that "you must renew your registration every 365 days to keep it active." Put the renewal date on someone's calendar.

Registration also assigns your Unique Entity ID. The SBA describes the UEI as "a unique 12-character, alpha-numeric value." It replaced the DUNS number: GSA announced that on April 4, 2022, SAM.gov and other GSA systems would "no longer use the DUNS number for identifying entities." If your website, letterhead or old capability statement still lists a DUNS number, replace it with your UEI.

Registration is free. SAM.gov's own entity registration checklist says there "is no charge to get a Unique Entity ID, register your entity, and maintain your entity registration," and GSA's small business page adds that you do not need to pay a third party to complete it.

CAGE code

The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR 52.204-16) defines a CAGE code as an identifier assigned by the Defense Logistics Agency's CAGE Branch "to identify a commercial or government entity by unique location." For a U.S. company without one, the same clause says the DLA CAGE Branch "will assign a CAGE code as a part of the SAM registration process." It belongs next to your UEI.

NAICS codes and size standards

The SBA says NAICS codes "classify businesses based on the particular product or service they supply," and that a business will generally have a primary NAICS code. Size is judged per code: the SBA "assigns a size standard to each NAICS code," and size standards "define the largest size a business can be to participate in government contracting programs." The SBA's size standards page notes that most manufacturing companies with 500 employees or fewer generally qualify as small. Your own codes decide it, so check each one with the SBA's Size Standards Tool.

Which SBA certifications matter, and what do they require?

Certifications open set-aside contracts that only certified firms can bid on. Only show what the SBA has granted you. Here is what the official program pages say.

Program	Core requirement (per SBA)	What the program offers
WOSB / EDWOSB	At least 51% owned and controlled by women who are U.S. citizens, with women managing day-to-day operations. EDWOSB adds personal financial limits on the owners.	Access to WOSB set-asides. The government's goal is 5% of prime contracting dollars to women-owned small businesses.
SDVOSB	At least 51% owned and controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans (13 CFR 128.200), and certified by the SBA.	Access to SDVOSB set-aside and sole-source contracts.
HUBZone	Principal office located in a HUBZone, at least 35% of employees living in a HUBZone, and at least 51% owned and controlled by U.S. citizens (or certain eligible entities).	A 10% price evaluation preference in full and open competitions. The goal is 3% of prime contracting dollars.
8(a)	At least 51% owned and controlled by U.S. citizens who are socially and economically disadvantaged.	Set-aside and sole-source contracts, for a maximum of nine years in the program.

Self-certification no longer covers WOSB or SDVOSB set-asides

Two rules trip up owners who registered years ago. The SBA's women-owned program page says, "Before firms can compete for WOSB set-aside contracts, they must apply for certification." For veterans, FAR 19.1403 says that for SDVOSB set-aside and sole-source contracts, the contracting officer must confirm the offeror is designated in SAM "as an SDVOSB concern certified by SBA" (the rule took effect January 1, 2024, with an exception for applications filed with the SBA by December 31, 2023). A checkbox you ticked in SAM is not the same as SBA certification. If your website says "SDVOSB" and you only self-represented, fix the certification or fix the wording.

What should a government contractor website include?

Build one page, usually at a short address such as /government/ or /federal/, and link it from your main menu or footer. Our article on how to display ISO 9001 and other certifications covers the quality-system side; this checklist is the federal layer on top.

Your identifiers in plain text. Legal business name exactly as it appears in SAM, UEI, CAGE code, and primary plus secondary NAICS codes with a short description of each. Use plain text, not an image, so a buyer can paste it into SAM.gov.
Certifications held, and how to verify them. Name each SBA certification and say where to confirm it. The SBA's guidance for contracting officials says program participation is displayed on a firm's Small Business Search profile, so tell buyers to look you up there or in SAM by UEI. Add quality certifications such as ISO 9001 or AS9100 with the registrar name.
Size status by code. A line such as "Small business under our primary NAICS code" is enough. If you are small under some codes and not others, say which.
A downloadable capability statement. A one or two page PDF that repeats the same identifiers, core capabilities, differentiators, past performance and contact. It must match the website and your SAM profile word for word on the facts.
Past performance as specific work. "Trusted by the Department of Defense" says nothing. Write it as projects: the customer or prime (if you are allowed to name them), what you made or did, quantity, material or scope, period of performance, and contract or subcontract number where releasable. FAR 15.305 tells evaluators to weigh the "currency and relevance" of past performance, so recent work that resembles the buyer's need counts most. With no federal history, list similar commercial work. The same FAR section says an offeror without relevant past performance "may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably," so never pad it.
A named point of contact. One person, with a title and a direct phone number, who handles government inquiries and will actually answer. Make the phone number obvious.
Accepted payment methods. If it is true, say you accept the government purchase card. GSA's SmartPay merchant page says the federal government prefers to use GSA SmartPay solutions to pay merchants, and that merchants already accepting Visa or Mastercard are already set up to accept GSA SmartPay cards. Do not claim a GSA Schedule or other contract vehicle unless you hold one.
Capabilities that match your NAICS codes. Each code you list should point to a capability a buyer can read about: processes, equipment, materials, tolerances, capacity. Our guide to writing a manufacturing capabilities page shows the structure.

Why does consistency between SAM, the SBA profile and your site matter?

The SBA notes that the information you enter in SAM feeds the Small Business Search, so those two usually agree with each other. Your website and capability statement are maintained by hand, which is where drift happens.

Mismatches to check every quarter:

Company name: a DBA on the website and a legal name in SAM, with no line connecting the two.
Address: a moved shop that updated Google but not SAM. For HUBZone firms, the principal office address is part of eligibility, so this matters more.
NAICS codes: new capabilities on the website that never made it into SAM, or old codes in SAM for work you no longer do.
Certifications: a logo on the site for a certification that has expired or was never SBA-certified.

Make one person responsible for all four records (SAM, the SBA profile, the capability statement PDF and the website) and update them together.

How should the government page be written?

Write for a reader with twenty tabs open. Lead with two sentences on what you make and for whom, then the identifier block, certifications and past performance. Use the capability words a buyer would type into the Small Business Search, such as "5-axis CNC machining" or "aluminum weldments." Skip slogans about patriotism and quality; a part family, a tolerance or a delivery record says more. Link the page from your capability statement PDF and email signature.

Federal buyers move fast and favor the supplier who makes verification easy. A clear government page, a matching capability statement and current SAM and SBA records do most of that work. If you also sell to defense primes, our aerospace machine shop website design page shows how certifications and capabilities fit together on a shop site, and our guide to displaying certifications covers ISO 9001 and AS9100. Exhibit Domain plans are $99, $199 and $499 a month billed annually. Monthly-only billing costs 25 percent more and cancels any time, and annual plans carry a 7-day refund window. Hosting and SSL are included. See our pricing page, or request a quote for a custom project.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a SAM.gov registration to sell to the federal government?

To bid as a prime contractor, yes. SAM.gov says that if you want to apply for federal awards as a prime awardee, you need a registration, and that it must be renewed every 365 days. Registration is free and assigns your Unique Entity ID, and U.S. companies without a CAGE code receive one as part of the process.

Is the DUNS number still used for government contracts?

No. GSA announced that on April 4, 2022, SAM.gov and other GSA systems would no longer use the DUNS number to identify entities. The Unique Entity ID, a 12-character alphanumeric value assigned in SAM.gov, replaced it. Update any website or capability statement that still shows a DUNS number.

Can I self-certify as a women-owned or service-disabled veteran-owned small business?

Not for set-asides. The SBA says firms must apply for certification before competing for WOSB set-aside contracts. For SDVOSB set-aside and sole-source contracts, FAR 19.1403 requires the contracting officer to confirm the firm is designated in SAM as an SDVOSB certified by SBA, with an exception for applications filed by December 31, 2023.

What is the SBA's Small Business Search?

The Small Business Search, formerly the Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS), is the SBA database that government agencies use to find small business contractors. The SBA tells contracting officials they are required to use it in market research, and information from your SAM registration feeds your profile there.