Federal snow removal contracts: finding and bidding winter work

VA medical centers, Army Corps of Engineers dams and parks, military installations, Bureau of Indian Affairs offices and federal office campuses all buy snow plowing, shoveling and de-icing, usually from local grounds and landscaping firms that already own the trucks. On October 21, 2026, six open federal solicitations on SAM.gov had snow in the title, in New Hampshire, West Virginia, South Dakota, Washington DC and at two VA sites, most of them set aside for small businesses. Many more snow scopes sit inside grounds maintenance contracts that do not say so in the title.

This page covers what is different about winter work. For the general process, see how to bid on federal service contracts. It explains how the process works. It is not legal advice; your state's free APEX Accelerator can help with a specific solicitation.

1. The codes to search

On SAM.gov, snow work is filed under several codes, so search more than one. The product and service code is usually S218 (snow removal and salt). The NAICS code varies: snow plowing on its own belongs under 561790 (other services to buildings and dwellings), but agencies often file combined grounds-and-snow contracts under 561730, landscaping services. The NAICS code on the notice sets the size standard for any set-aside, so check your size against that code with SBA's size standards tool.

Keyword searches catch the rest: "snow removal", "snow and ice", "de-icing", "sanding", "plowing". Also open the scope of any grounds maintenance notice at a northern site: snow is often a separate line item in a year-round grounds contract.

2. How snow work is usually priced

Nobody knows how much it will snow, and the price schedule decides who carries that risk. Read it before anything else. Common structures:

Per event or per push. A price each time you plow or treat an area, with the agency's estimate of the number of events for the season. You are paid for the events that happen, so a light winter means less revenue on the same standby costs.
Per inch or per tier. Different prices for snowfall bands, for example 2 to 6 inches and over 6 inches, because a deep storm takes more passes and hauling.
Seasonal lump sum. One price for the season however much it snows. You carry the risk of a heavy winter, so price it from a bad season, not an average one.
Separate lines for de-icing material (salt, sand, liquid treatment) by the ton or per application, for hand shoveling of walks and steps, and for hauling snow off site.

Many schedules mix these: a monthly standby amount plus a price per event. Price each line on its own; an agency can call for more or fewer events than its estimate.

3. Triggers and response times

The performance work statement says when you must start and how fast you must finish: for example, begin once two inches have fallen, clear priority areas (emergency entrances, patient drop-offs, main roads) within a set number of hours, and keep walks treated while snow keeps falling. Hospital sites often run around the clock. These terms, not the acreage, decide how many trucks and people you must keep on call. Count the priority areas on the site map, work out how many units it takes to clear them inside the time limit, and price that standby capacity. If there is a site visit, go, and note curbs, drains, gates and where piled snow is allowed to go.

4. The wage floor

Snow removal contracts over $2,500 are services covered by the Service Contract Act, so the solicitation includes a wage determination with a minimum hourly rate and fringe benefits for each job title, typically laborer and equipment operator titles. Storm work often means overtime and night shifts, so price those hours at the overtime rate on top of the determination's rate plus health and welfare. The wage determination guide walks through reading one line by line.

5. Salt, equipment and records

Salt prices rise once winter starts, so check whether material is a separate line or inside your event price, and whether the scope limits rock salt near buildings or requires a particular de-icer for walks. Many scopes require backup equipment, a written storm plan, a named point of contact who answers at any hour, and a log of each event (start, finish, areas cleared, material used), which is also how per-event invoices get approved. Check the insurance requirement too: plowing near parked vehicles and pedestrians raises the liability limits some agencies ask for.

6. When snow contracts are bid

Agencies want snow contracts in place before the first storm, so most are posted from late summer through November, often with response windows of two to four weeks. If you miss this season's bid, the work usually comes back: many snow contracts run a base season plus option years. Past awards with their end dates are public on USAspending.gov. The grounds contracts page lists federal grounds contracts ending soon plus the grounds solicitations open right now, and the grounds maintenance guide covers the summer side of the same work.

Where we fit

The free weekly list sends every open federal grounds and janitorial solicitation, including snow removal, plus rebids coming up, your state first, every Monday. The bid desk ($149 a month, 14-day trial) adds a go/no-go note on each one, and we can draft the response when you decide to bid. See a full sample bid.

Get the free weekly list for your trade:

The first list goes out Monday, November 2, 2026, and every Monday after that. Pick a state to get its contracts first. We store only your email address and the state you pick, and every email has an unsubscribe link. Privacy

Checked October 21, 2026 against the linked pages and that day's SAM.gov notices. The notice on SAM.gov is the authority on dates and requirements.