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Federal Bid Deadline Calculator: Business Days Left and a Back-Planned Schedule
Pick an open notice or enter a response deadline. The calculator shows how many business days you have left, skipping weekends and federal holidays, and back-plans draft, review and submission dates. It runs in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere.
How long agencies give you to respond
Gap between the posted date and the response deadline for open notices in our SAM.gov data (). A quarter of notices give you this many days or fewer:
| Notice type | Open notices | Shortest 25% | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combined Synopsis/Solicitation | 778 | 8 days | 12 days |
| Solicitation | 573 | 15 days | 26 days |
| Presolicitation | 255 | 15 days | 31 days |
| Sources Sought | 194 | 12 days | 15 days |
| Special Notice | 96 | 11 days | 17 days |
Responses due in the next 10 business days
| Business day | Notices due |
|---|---|
| Mon, | 250 |
| Tue, | 64 |
| Wed, | 107 |
| Thu, | 269 |
| Fri, | 108 |
| Mon, | 103 |
| Tue, | 55 |
| Thu, | 62 |
| Fri, | 85 |
| Mon, | 128 |
See every notice on the closing soon list.
Federal holidays the calculator skips
- Wed, — Veterans Day
- Thu, — Thanksgiving Day
- Fri, — Christmas Day
- Fri, — New Year's Day
- Mon, — Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Mon, — Washington's Birthday
- Mon, — Memorial Day
- Fri, — Juneteenth National Independence Day (observed)
- Mon, — Independence Day (observed)
- Mon, — Labor Day
- Mon, — Columbus Day
How the calculation works
Business days are counted from tomorrow up to and including the deadline day. Weekends and the federal holidays above are skipped. The milestones are counted back from the deadline in business days: draft 5, final review 3, submission 1. They are suggestions, not requirements. Always follow the dates, time zone and instructions in the official notice. This is not legal advice. New to bidding? Read how to bid in 6 steps.
FAQ
How many days do agencies usually give to respond?
In our data from , the median gap between posting and the response deadline was 15 calendar days across 1896 open notices. It varies a lot by notice type; see the table above.
Does the calculator count federal holidays?
Yes. It skips Saturdays, Sundays and the 11 federal holidays in 5 U.S.C. 6103, moved to Friday or Monday when they fall on a weekend. Agencies can still set deadlines on any day; the notice on SAM.gov is final.
Is the back-planned schedule a rule?
No. The draft, review and submission dates are planning buffers we suggest so that you are not uploading at the last minute. Question deadlines, page limits and the submission method are set in each solicitation.
Why is the deadline time important?
SAM.gov deadlines include a time and time zone (often 2 p.m. or 5 p.m. local time of the contracting office). This calculator works in whole days, so plan to submit at least a day early.