Bonds & Surety› Find Construction Work to Bid › New Hampshire
Public construction work in New Hampshire is posted in four places: NHDOT (New Hampshire Department of Transportation) for highway and civil work, the NH Bureau of Purchase and Property for state agency projects, your local city, county, and school district bid boards, and SAM.gov for federal work. Most are free to search. To win the work you will usually need a bond - New Hampshire requires a 100% performance and payment bond on state contracts of $75,000 or more and local contracts of $125,000 or more.
If you build in New Hampshire and want into public and commercial work, the jobs are not hidden - they are advertised in the open, and most of the sources are free. Here is where to look, who runs each one, and the bond you will need to actually win the work.
Before you bid in New Hampshire: New Hampshire posts statewide solicitations through the Bureau of Purchase and Property - register as a vendor (free) to receive notices and respond. Register as a NH vendor
NHDOT posts advertised projects and a letting schedule, with electronic bidding through its eBidding portal. Bidders must be on the NHDOT Prequalified Contractor's List with the correct work classification as of bid opening. See the prequalification requirements.
Start here: NHDOT (New Hampshire Department of Transportation) bidding.
State agencies, universities, and many other public bodies in New Hampshire post their construction solicitations through the NH Bureau of Purchase and Property. You can browse opportunities there, and you will usually need to register to download documents or submit a bid.
Go to: the NH Bureau of Purchase and Property.
This is where most contractors should start. Cities, counties, school districts, and special districts build constantly and have to advertise it publicly. The jobs are smaller, the competition is thinner, and the bonding is more reachable for a growing company. Major New Hampshire bid boards:
Weighing a paid platform to find leads faster? See our comparison of construction bid sites and plan rooms - free and paid.
Every open federal construction contract is posted on SAM.gov, and it is free to search and register. You need an active registration and a Unique Entity ID before you can bid. Federal jobs over $150,000 require performance and payment bonds under the Miller Act - see our Miller Act guide.
New Hampshire requires a performance and payment bond, at least 100% of the contract price, on state contracts of $75,000 or more and on county or municipal contracts of $125,000 or more (RSA 447:16). (RSA 447:16.) Below those points many jobs still require a bid bond just to submit. The bottom line: if you want public work in New Hampshire, you have to be bondable.
That is where contractors lose jobs to competitors who are no better at the work - the other bidder could produce the bond and they could not. It is usually more reachable than contractors assume. If you are not sure where your bonding stands, start with what a surety bond is, see how contractors qualify, or read the full national guide on how to find construction work to bid on.
New Hampshire certifies firms for the federal DBE program through NHDOT under a Unified Certification Program. Federal DBE rules changed in late 2025 - confirm current status and eligibility before relying on it.
The work is out there. The bond is what lets you win it. Take the Grit Bond Scorecard to see where your bonding readiness stands and what to work on to grow your limits - or call our bond team and we will walk through it with you.
Call the Grit team: (801) 505-5500
Start with NHDOT (New Hampshire Department of Transportation) for highway and civil work, the NH Bureau of Purchase and Property for state agency projects, and your local city, county, and school district bid boards. For federal work, use SAM.gov. Most are free to search.
NHDOT posts advertised projects and a letting schedule, with electronic bidding through its eBidding portal. Bidders must be on the NHDOT Prequalified Contractor's List with the correct work classification as of bid opening. Requirements vary by agency and project, so confirm with the awarding authority before you bid.
New Hampshire requires a 100% performance and payment bond on state contracts of $75,000 or more and local contracts of $125,000 or more (RSA 447:16), and many jobs require a bid bond to submit. If you are not bonded yet, that is the first thing to solve - take the Bond Scorecard or call (801) 505-5500.
A note on the details: Bidding rules, registration steps, and bond thresholds change over time and vary by project and by awarding agency. Use this page as a starting map, not legal advice. Always review the specific requirements in each bid solicitation and confirm the current rules with the awarding authority before you bid.
This page is part of Grit's national guide on how to find construction work to bid on.