Where to find security grant bids and RFPs

Why an NSGP nonprofit purchase may never be posted

For nonprofit NSGP subrecipients, the FY2026 NOFO sets the federal micro-purchase threshold at $15,000 and the simplified acquisition threshold at $350,000, effective October 1, 2025. A nonprofit may self-certify a micro-purchase threshold up to $50,000 (2 CFR 200.320(a)(1)(iv)). Below the micro-purchase limit it can order directly. From there up to $350,000, it needs price quotes "from an adequate number of qualified sources," and FEMA encourages at least three. Nothing in the rule requires a public ad at that level. Public notice is required for sealed bids and proposals, which apply above $350,000.

An NSGP applicant can request up to $200,000 per site. Our reading is that a single-site purchase at that amount remains below the federal formal-procurement threshold, although the buyer must measure its full requirement and may have stricter rules. At the quote tier, the nonprofit chooses which qualified firms to ask. FEMA's nonprofit fact sheet says full and open competition "generally means that a complete requirement is publicly solicited, and all responsible contractors are permitted to compete." That does not create a federal posting rule for simplified acquisitions.

Not every award produces an open contract, either. Some purchases fall under the micro-purchase limit, and some go to an existing contract that was already competed for the same scope. A vendor who waits for NSGP work to appear on a bid board will see little of it.

Where each type of buyer posts

Federal security money reaches several kinds of buyers, and each follows its own procurement rules. Check the solicitation for the buyer's identity and rules before you respond; the bidding guide explains why that comes first.

Cities and counties buy much of the equipment paid for by homeland security grants. FEMA's Preparedness Grants Manual requires the state to pass at least 80% of State Homeland Security Program and Urban Area Security Initiative funds to local or tribal governments within 45 days of receipt (section 8.12.1).

Public portals and bid services, by category

Each category below names one example to show what it is. An example is not an endorsement, and no single service covers every buyer. Fees and coverage change, so check them yourself.

Some buyers use prequalified vendor lists. A federally funded buyer may do so only if the list is current, includes enough qualified sources, and lets firms qualify during the solicitation period (2 CFR 200.319(e)). A list is not a contract. Buyers that use a cooperative contract reach its vendors through that contract, not through a new public bid; the vendor requirements page explains the limits on that route.

Timing: when grant-funded buying happens

Grant money is spent after it is awarded, and purchases follow the buyer's own approvals. For NSGP, FEMA announced FY2026 awards on September 28, 2026, and the federal period of performance runs September 1, 2026 to August 31, 2029. Each nonprofit buys after its state subaward and any required environmental review, on dates the state sets. New York's DHSES tells subrecipients not to seek quotes before the grant contract is executed (November 2025 guidance). As of October 2026, FEMA has not published the FY2027 NSGP notice.

School buyers follow different programs. The COPS Office's FY2026 School Violence Prevention Program funds items such as locks, lighting and metal detectors for districts, local governments and their agencies, with a 36-month period starting October 1, 2026; its application deadlines passed in August 2026. The Bureau of Justice Assistance's FY2026 STOP School Violence program lists target hardening equipment as unallowable and points applicants to the COPS program, so it is not a source of camera or lock purchases.

Being findable without crossing a line

Stay visible through the public channels a buyer can use:

• register in the state and local vendor systems where you want to sell, and keep the registration current;
• keep state licenses current and easy to verify;
• keep an accurate capability statement that lists your trades, service area and licenses;
• if you hold a cooperative contract, publish its scope, eligible users and geography accurately;
• hold any small, minority-owned, women-owned or veteran-owned business certification you qualify for; and
• respond to the public notices you see, on their terms.

Certifications help a buyer meet its own goals. Under 2 CFR 200.321, a federally funded buyer "should," "when possible," take steps such as placing these firms on solicitation lists. Those are buyer duties. They do not give a certified vendor a set-aside or a bid preference unless state or local law adds one.

Findability has a limit. Offering a nonprofit free planning help to get onto its quote list can bar you from the competition you want to enter. The conflict rule, and the three categories of pre-solicitation activity, are on the bidding page.