A step-by-step guide to configuring automated contract alerts in GovScout so you never miss a relevant opportunity from SAM.gov.
One of the biggest challenges in government contracting is staying on top of new opportunities. SAM.gov publishes thousands of solicitations daily, and manually checking every day is not sustainable. GovScout's recurring contract alerts solve this by automatically monitoring for new opportunities that match your criteria and notifying you through your preferred channel.
This guide walks you through setting up alerts from scratch, configuring notification channels, and tuning your alerts for the best results.
Prerequisites
Before setting up recurring alerts, you will need:
A GovScout account (Pro or Business tier for recurring alerts)
At least one company profile with a capability description and NAICS codes
A clear idea of the types of contracts you want to monitor
Step 1: Create a Search That Matches Your Target Opportunities
Start by going to Dashboard > Search and running a natural language search that describes the contracts you want to track. Be specific enough to get relevant results but broad enough to catch opportunities that use different terminology.
Example searches for common use cases:
IT staffing: "IT staff augmentation and professional services for federal civilian agencies"
Cybersecurity: "cybersecurity assessment, monitoring, and incident response services for DoD"
Construction: "facility maintenance and repair services for military installations"
Consulting: "management consulting and program support for healthcare agencies"
Run the search and review the results. If the top results are relevant, your query is well-tuned. If you are seeing too many irrelevant results, refine your query with more specific language or apply filters.
Step 2: Apply Filters to Narrow Results
Use the filter panel to further refine your search:
Set-Aside Type -- Select the set-aside categories you are eligible for. If you are 8(a) certified, filter for 8(a) set-asides to see only opportunities where you have a competitive advantage.
NAICS Codes -- Add your primary NAICS codes to filter out opportunities in unrelated industries.
Agency -- If you focus on specific agencies (e.g., Department of Veterans Affairs, Army, GSA), add them as filters.
Minimum Score -- Set a minimum AI relevance score to exclude low-quality matches. A threshold of 60-70 is a good starting point.
Step 3: Save the Search as Recurring
Once you are satisfied with your search results:
Click the Save Search button
Enter a descriptive name (e.g., "Cybersecurity - DoD - 8(a) Set-Asides")
Toggle Recurring to ON
Select the run frequency -- daily is recommended for most contractors
Click Save
Your search will now run automatically every day and check for new opportunities that were not included in previous results.
Step 4: Configure Notification Channels
Navigate to Dashboard > Settings > Notifications to configure how you receive alerts.
Email Notifications
Choose between real-time (one email per new match) or daily digest (one summary email)
Set a minimum score threshold to avoid notification fatigue
Add additional email recipients if team members should also receive alerts
For most users, the daily digest at a score threshold of 70 provides the best balance between coverage and signal quality.
Slack Integration
Click Connect to Slack and authorize GovScout
Select the channel for contract alerts
Choose which saved searches should post to Slack
Consider creating a dedicated #contracts or #opportunities channel so alerts do not clutter general discussion channels.
Microsoft Teams Integration
Create an Incoming Webhook in your desired Teams channel
Copy the webhook URL
Paste it in Dashboard > Settings > Notifications > Teams
Select which saved searches should post to Teams
Step 5: Monitor and Tune Your Alerts
After your alerts have been running for a week, review the results:
Too many notifications? Increase your minimum score threshold or add more specific filters.
Missing relevant opportunities? Broaden your search query or lower the score threshold.
Wrong set-aside types? Update your company profile certifications and adjust filters.
You can edit any saved search at any time without losing your notification history. Click on the saved search from your dashboard, make changes, and save.
Advanced Tips
Multiple Alert Strategies
Create separate saved searches for different strategies:
Core capability alerts -- Your primary services with high score thresholds (80+) for must-respond opportunities
Adjacent opportunity alerts -- Related but secondary capabilities with moderate thresholds (60-70) for stretch opportunities
Specific agency alerts -- Targeted searches for agencies where you have existing relationships or past performance
Combining Company Profiles with Alerts
If you manage multiple company profiles (available on Pro and Business tiers), each profile can power its own set of recurring alerts. This is particularly useful if you operate a joint venture alongside your primary business, as each entity has different capabilities and certifications.
Response Time Planning
Most federal solicitations have a 14-30 day response window. Set your alerts to daily frequency so you learn about opportunities on the day they are posted, giving you maximum preparation time. For pre-solicitation notices (Sources Sought, RFIs), earlier awareness is even more valuable since these do not have strict deadlines but inform future competitions.
Troubleshooting
Not receiving notifications? Check your spam folder for email alerts, and verify your Slack/Teams integration is still connected in Settings.
Duplicate notifications? Ensure you do not have overlapping saved searches that match the same opportunities. Consolidate similar searches into one.
Alerts stopped running? Verify your subscription is active. Recurring alerts require Pro or Business tier.
With properly configured recurring alerts, you will have a consistent pipeline of matched opportunities delivered to you daily, freeing up hours previously spent on manual SAM.gov searches.