Manual searches often help our customers search for bids in specific fields or areas. The search fields are located on the homepage or by clicking the "Search Government Bids" tab at the top of the page. In the search box there are four options: simple search, advanced search, browse by state and browse by category. I always recommend that our customers use the advanced search, unless they know the exact title of the bid and could then use the simple search. In the advanced search customers can specify a particular keyword within a specific area and category, as well as bid type (state/local or federal).
IMPORTANT NOTE : punctuation is not necessary when entering search criteria except when using a phrase. Phrases must be surrounded by quotation marks. For example, a construction company in California could use the following search criteria to search for roofing jobs: roof "roof repair" shingle "shingle replacement". All words must be separated by a space. Another way to use the advanced search is to specify an area. Entering a particular county, parish or city name customers can specify their searches.