Contracts coming up for re-bid: how to find them, and why incumbents lose

Every federal cleaning and grounds contract has an end date, and you can look it up for free. When a contract ends, the work goes back out for bid, and the company holding it has no guarantee of keeping it. In the 130 re-bids we traced in VA, MD, DC, DE and PA over the last two years, the incumbent kept the work only 38% of the time.

The pricing is worth knowing too. When a new firm won, it usually came in above the old contract's price, not below it. This guide explains how long contracts run, how to see when one ends, and what to do about it whether you hold the work now or want to win it.

How long a federal contract lasts

Most cleaning and grounds contracts start with a base year followed by several option years, and the agency decides each year whether to keep going. Federal law limits service contracts to five years. An "option to extend services" clause lets the agency add up to six months while it finishes the next award. So a contract usually ends within five and a half years of starting. Agencies can also end a contract early, or fold it into a larger one.

The next contract normally goes out for bid several months before the current one ends. That's the window that matters, both for the firm holding the work and for everyone who wants it.

How to find out when a contract ends

Every federal contract award is public on USAspending.gov. It's free, and you don't need an account.

1. Open Advanced Search and choose Contracts as the award type.
2. Filter by your NAICS code (for example 561720 janitorial or 561730 landscaping) and by place of performance (your state, county or ZIP code).
3. Open an award. The current end date runs through the options used so far. The potential end date assumes every option is used, but it doesn't include a possible six-month extension.

After that, watch for signs that the re-bid is coming. The usual first one is a sources sought notice on SAM.gov from the same buying office. Agencies use these to decide whether to set the contract aside for small businesses. Agencies also publish plans for upcoming contracts, which GSA collects in its Forecast of Contracting Opportunities.

To give a sense of scale, we ran this search on October 7, 2026, and found 655 federal contracts in our seven trades in VA, MD, DC, DE and PA that can end in the next 6 to 12 months. After leaving out contracts held by large businesses, AbilityOne work, sole-source awards and contracts outside $25,000 to $3 million a year, 38 remained. Their median yearly value is about $214,000, and 26 of the 38 drew three bids or fewer last time. For what cleaning and grounds contracts in our five states are worth, and how many firms bid on them, see our contract values guide.

What happened at re-bid in our region

We traced 130 federal cleaning, grounds and facilities contracts in our five states that were re-bid and awarded in the last 24 months, and compared each new award with the contract it replaced. The incumbent kept the work in 38% of them. When a new firm won, the median yearly price went up 14%. When the incumbent kept the work, it went up 6%.

So holding a contract is no guarantee of keeping it, and new winners usually came in above the old price, not below it. Prices tend to rise at re-bid. Newer wage determinations and changes to the work are likely reasons, though public data can't tell us why any single award went the way it did.

How we counted: awards come from USAspending.gov. We matched each new award to the contract it most likely replaced: same buying office or ZIP code, same trade and place, ending around the new start, with a similar description. In a spot check, about three in four matches looked right. Price changes compare yearly values for the 48 new-winner and 33 incumbent re-bids with prices on both sides. Treat these figures as a guide, not an exact count.

If you hold a contract now

Look up your potential end date today and count back six months. That's roughly when the next bid starts to take shape. If your buyer posts a sources sought notice, answer it, because your response can help keep the contract set aside for small businesses.

When the bid comes out, reprice from the new wage determination instead of copying last time's numbers. The rates may have changed, and so may the work statement. While you still hold the work, start writing down what's gone well: how you've staffed it, the inspections you've passed, the problems you've solved. That record becomes the strongest part of your proposal. Re-bids are rarely won in the last week, so start early.

If you want to win one

Start by listing the contracts near you that end within the next year, noting the buyer, the yearly price and how many bids each drew last time. Answer the sources sought notices that come out for them. Doing that tells the agency you exist, and it helps keep the work set aside for small firms.

When the bid posts, go to the site visit. It's the best way to see what the work really takes. Price on the new wage determination, and treat the old price as context rather than a target. Above all, make sure your registration and eligibility are in order well before the bid posts. If you're new to federal work, start with our first-contract guide.