> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.civiccontracts.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Agency research

> Research government buying agencies in Civic AI — spending patterns, active solicitations, and award history to focus your capture strategy.

Winning more bids starts with knowing **who buys what you sell**. Agency research in Civic AI connects solicitations, awards, and spend context so you can prioritize the buyers worth pursuing.

## Browse agencies

Open [Agencies](https://www.civiccontracts.com/agencies) to explore federal departments and sub-agencies. Each profile summarizes contracting activity relevant to capture teams.

## Research workflow

<Steps>
  <Step title="Pick target agencies">
    Start with agencies that already buy your NAICS — or where you have past performance, clearance, or geographic presence.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review open solicitations">
    Search open opportunities filtered to that agency: "Open IT solicitations from Department of Veterans Affairs."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Study award history">
    See who won recent contracts, typical contract sizes, and whether work is set aside.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save and alert">
    Create a [saved search](/saved-searches-and-alerts) for that agency + your keywords so new postings surface automatically.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Federal agency hierarchy

Federal spending rolls up through departments, agencies, and offices. A "Department of Defense" search behaves differently from "Defense Logistics Agency" or a specific installation — get as specific as your capture plan requires.

<Card title="Top federal agencies by spending" icon="chart-line" href="https://www.civiccontracts.com/blog/top-federal-agencies-by-spending">
  See which departments obligate the most contract dollars.
</Card>

## State and local buyers

For state and local work, the "agency" may be a city procurement office, county public works department, university, or special district. Name the buyer explicitly in search queries for best results.

## Related pages

* [Federal contracts](/find-opportunities/federal-contracts)
* [Contract awards](/find-opportunities/contract-awards)
* [Find government buyers](https://www.civiccontracts.com/agencies)