# Government Contract & Grant Monitor (`second_coming/gov-contract-monitor`) Actor

Monitor and search US government contract opportunities from SAM.gov and grant opportunities from Grants.gov. Filter by keywords, agency, value, and posting date.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/second\_coming/gov-contract-monitor.md
- **Developed by:** [Richard P](https://apify.com/second_coming) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, AI
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 0 monthly users, 89.3% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$0.02 / scan run

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Government Contract & Grant Opportunities Monitor

An [Apify Actor](https://apify.com/) that monitors and searches US government contract opportunities from **SAM.gov** and grant opportunities from **Grants.gov**. Find new business opportunities, track funding, and stay informed about federal contracting and grant opportunities.

### Features

- **Grants.gov Integration** — Search federal grant opportunities using the public API (no API key needed)
- **SAM.gov Integration** — Search federal contract opportunities via the SAM.gov Public API (requires free API key)
- **Keyword Search** — Search with multiple keywords across both sources
- **Filters** — Filter by agency, minimum estimated value, and posting date
- **Deduplication** — Automatic deduplication by title across sources
- **Webhook Notifications** — POST high-value opportunities to any webhook URL for Slack, Teams, Zapier, etc.
- **Structured Output** — Clean dataset with timestamp, source, title, agency, value, dates, type, set-aside, and URL

### Input Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
| `keywords` | `array` | **Yes** | List of keywords to search for (e.g., `["cybersecurity", "AI", "cloud"]`) |
| `sources` | `array` | No | Data sources: `"sam"`, `"grants"`. Default: `["sam", "grants"]` |
| `samApiKey` | `string` | No\* | SAM.gov API key. **Required if `"sam"` is in sources**. Get one free at [api.sam.gov](https://api.sam.gov/) |
| `maxResults` | `integer` | No | Maximum results to return (default: 20, max: 200) |
| `filterBy` | `object` | No | Filters: `agency` (string), `minValue` (number), `postedWithinDays` (number) |
| `webhookUrl` | `string` | No | URL to POST new opportunities as JSON |

**\* SAM.gov requires a free API key** from [api.sam.gov](https://api.sam.gov/). Sign in to SAM.gov, go to Account Details, and request a Public API Key.

### Example Input

```json
{
  "keywords": ["cybersecurity", "information security"],
  "sources": ["sam", "grants"],
  "samApiKey": "YOUR_SAM_API_KEY",
  "maxResults": 10,
  "filterBy": {
    "agency": "Department of Defense",
    "minValue": 500000,
    "postedWithinDays": 30
  },
  "webhookUrl": "https://hooks.slack.com/services/..."
}
```

### Output

Each result contains the following fields:

| Field | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| `timestamp` | When the result was retrieved (ISO 8601) |
| `source` | Source database: `sam.gov` or `grants.gov` |
| `title` | Opportunity title |
| `agency` | Publishing agency/department |
| `value` | Estimated value (if available) |
| `postedDate` | Date posted |
| `responseDeadline` | Proposal deadline |
| `type` | `contract`, `grant`, or `opportunity` |
| `setAside` | Small business set-aside information |
| `url` | Direct link to the opportunity |

### How to Get a SAM.gov API Key

1. Go to [SAM.gov](https://sam.gov/) and sign in (create an account if needed)
2. Navigate to your **Account Details** page
3. Click **"Request Public API Key"** under the API Access section
4. Copy the generated API key and provide it in the `samApiKey` input field

### Local Development

```bash
## Clone and install
cd gov-contract-monitor
python3 -m venv .venv
.venv/bin/pip install -r requirements.txt

## Run locally
APIFY_ACTOR_PYTHON_VENV_PATH=.venv apify run --purge

## Deploy
apify push
```

### Pricing

- **$0.02 per run** (pay-per-event)
- Dataset storage charges may apply based on Apify's standard pricing

### Use Cases

- **Business Development** — Find new contract opportunities in your niche
- **Grant Writers** — Monitor grant opportunities matching your expertise
- **Government Contractors** — Track set-aside opportunities for small businesses
- **Research** — Analyze government spending patterns and opportunities
- **Competitive Intelligence** — Monitor agency-specific contracting trends

# Actor input Schema

## `keywords` (type: `array`):

List of keywords to search for in contract and grant opportunities

## `sources` (type: `array`):

Which databases to search. 'sam' searches SAM.gov (requires API key), 'grants' searches Grants.gov (public).

## `samApiKey` (type: `string`):

Required for SAM.gov source. Get a free API key from https://api.sam.gov/ (Account Details page on SAM.gov)

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of results to return across all sources

## `filterBy` (type: `object`):

Optional filters to narrow results

## `webhookUrl` (type: `string`):

Optional URL to POST high-value new opportunities as JSON. Useful for integrations with Slack, Teams, etc.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "keywords": [
    "cybersecurity",
    "AI",
    "cloud computing"
  ],
  "sources": [
    "sam",
    "grants"
  ],
  "maxResults": 20,
  "filterBy": {
    "agency": "",
    "minValue": 0,
    "postedWithinDays": 0
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "keywords": [
        "cybersecurity",
        "AI",
        "cloud computing"
    ],
    "sources": [
        "sam",
        "grants"
    ],
    "samApiKey": "",
    "maxResults": 20,
    "filterBy": {
        "agency": "",
        "minValue": 0,
        "postedWithinDays": 0
    },
    "webhookUrl": ""
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("second_coming/gov-contract-monitor").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "keywords": [
        "cybersecurity",
        "AI",
        "cloud computing",
    ],
    "sources": [
        "sam",
        "grants",
    ],
    "samApiKey": "",
    "maxResults": 20,
    "filterBy": {
        "agency": "",
        "minValue": 0,
        "postedWithinDays": 0,
    },
    "webhookUrl": "",
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("second_coming/gov-contract-monitor").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "keywords": [
    "cybersecurity",
    "AI",
    "cloud computing"
  ],
  "sources": [
    "sam",
    "grants"
  ],
  "samApiKey": "",
  "maxResults": 20,
  "filterBy": {
    "agency": "",
    "minValue": 0,
    "postedWithinDays": 0
  },
  "webhookUrl": ""
}' |
apify call second_coming/gov-contract-monitor --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=second_coming/gov-contract-monitor",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/avkhfZRDTOwZZYVH8/builds/r44L8rGicRxJKrBdw/openapi.json