How to bid on government contracts in Florida

Find the bids

Each city, county, school district and special district posts bids on its own website or on a bid portal. State agencies post on MyFloridaMarketPlace, and federal offices on SAM.gov.

BidSignal reads 296 of these bid sites every morning. Our directory lists them by county, and each trade has a page of its own:

Every Florida bid site, by county

Register as a vendor

Register with the state for state bids, with SAM.gov for federal bids, and with each local buyer you want work from. A buyer that uses a bid portal wants an account there too, and most portal accounts are free.

How to register as a Florida vendor

Bid portal accounts: which are free and how to register

Know the bid types: ITB, RFP, RFQ and ITN

Florida's purchasing law for state agencies defines them in section 287.012 and says when each is used in section 287.057. Cities, counties and school districts follow their own purchasing codes, so read the first pages of each bid for its rules.

ITB: invitation to bid

A call for sealed bids, used when the buyer can define the work or the goods precisely. The contract goes to the responsible, responsive vendor with the lowest responsive bid.

RFP: request for proposals

A call for sealed proposals, used when the buyer can define the purpose and the deliverables but an invitation to bid isn't practicable. The award goes to the proposal most advantageous to the state, weighing price and other criteria.

ITN: invitation to negotiate

A call for sealed replies, used to find the best way to reach a goal or solve a problem and to pick vendors to negotiate with. The contract goes to the vendor that will give the best value.

RFQ: request for a quote

In the statute, a request for written pricing from a vendor already on a state term contract. An RFQ from a city, county or school district may ask for a quote or for your qualifications, so check its first page.

Design work is different. Under section 287.055, the Consultants' Competitive Negotiation Act, the state, cities, counties and school districts rank at least three of the most qualified architects, engineers, landscape architects or surveyors, then negotiate a price with the top one.

Check for a pre-bid meeting

For a city, county or other local construction project expected to cost more than $200,000, section 255.0525 says the bid must be advertised at least 21 days before the bid opening and at least 5 days before any scheduled pre-bid conference. Over $500,000, the notice runs at least 30 days before the opening.

When a bid calls its pre-bid meeting or site visit mandatory, put it on your calendar the day you see it. BidSignal's email marks each mandatory pre-bid the posting lists.

Send a sealed bid before the opening

For state agencies, section 287.057 says each call for bids, proposals or replies gives the time and date they are due and of the public opening. Send yours early: the posting's deadline is the one that counts.

Under section 119.071, sealed bids, proposals and replies stay out of the public record until the agency gives notice of its intended decision, or 30 days after the opening, whichever comes first.

Bonds, insurance and the forms

A contractor building or repairing a public building or public work must furnish a payment and performance bond before starting work, under section 255.05. A city, county or other local buyer may waive it on contracts of $200,000 or less, and state work of $100,000 or less needs none.

Florida law also asks contractors on public contracts to use E-Verify (section 448.095), and a firm on the state's convicted vendor list can't bid on most public contracts for 36 months (section 287.133). Each bid lists the insurance it wants, so ask your agent for the certificate early.

If you disagree with the award

For state agency bids, section 120.57 sets the steps: file a written notice of protest within 72 hours after the agency posts its notice of decision or intended decision, then a formal written protest within 10 days. Saturdays, Sundays and state holidays don't count toward the 72 hours.

Miss either deadline, or a bond the law requires, and you waive the protest. For a city, county or school district bid, read the bid's protest section: it says which rules and deadlines apply.

After the award

Once the sealed bids are public, ask the buyer for the bid tabulation to see the other prices and where yours landed. BidSignal's emails also show how many firms bid the last time a buyer put out similar work, and the lowest bid, when its results are public.

Won a state contract? Keep a verified Florida Substitute W-9 on file: without one, the state can't place orders with you or pay you. checked Nov 2, 2026