> ## 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.

# State and local contracts

> Search state, local, education, and transit procurement opportunities in Civic AI — one plain-English search across dozens of government bid portals.

State and local procurement is fragmented. Every state runs its own portal; cities, counties, universities, and transit agencies often post separately. Civic AI indexes many of these sources so you can search them in one place.

## Why state and local matters

| Advantage                  | Detail                                                        |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Lower barrier to entry** | Many awards do not require federal SAM registration           |
| **Geographic fit**         | Local agencies prefer vendors who can show up on site         |
| **Past performance path**  | State/local wins build credibility for larger federal work    |
| **Volume**                 | Thousands of solicitations publish outside SAM.gov every week |

## Search state and local opportunities

<Steps>
  <Step title="Add geography to your query">
    Examples:

    * "Open construction bids in Ohio"
    * "California school district IT RFPs"
    * "New York City professional services RFQs due this month"
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name the agency type when helpful">
    "County road maintenance Texas" or "SEPTA procurement" narrows results faster than generic keywords.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the source portal">
    Click through to the official posting for addenda, pre-bid meetings, and submission rules.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Registration expectations

Unlike federal work, there is no single national vendor registry. You typically register per portal:

* State systems (e.g. Texas SmartBuy, Cal eProcure, NJSTART)
* City and county bid boards
* Cooperative purchasing networks
* Education and special-district portals

Civic AI indexes postings from many of these systems; registration still happens on each portal when required.

<Card title="State procurement portals guide" icon="map-pin" href="https://www.civiccontracts.com/blog/state-procurement-portals-guide">
  Overview of major state systems and how to register.
</Card>

## Combine federal and local search

Teams that only watch SAM.gov miss adjacent work. A practical capture strategy uses Civic AI for **both**:

1. Federal set-asides and recompetes in your NAICS
2. State and local bids in your home region
3. Award research to find incumbents and teammates

<Card title="Federal vs state vs local" icon="scale-balanced" href="https://www.civiccontracts.com/blog/federal-vs-state-vs-local-contracting">
  When to prioritize each market.
</Card>

## Data coverage

Portal coverage grows continuously as new pipelines come online. See [Data sources](/reference/data-sources) for the current source list and update cadence.

## Related pages

* [Search basics](/search-basics)
* [Small business set-asides](/find-opportunities/small-business-set-asides) — mostly federal, but some local preference programs exist
* [Saved searches and alerts](/saved-searches-and-alerts)