Bonds & Surety› Find Construction Work to Bid › Washington
Public construction work in Washington is posted in four places: WSDOT (Washington State Department of Transportation) for highway and civil work, WEBS (Washington's Electronic Business Solution) 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 - Washington requires a performance and payment bond on public works contracts (with a 10% retainage option on contracts of $150,000 or less).
If you build in Washington 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 Washington: Washington routes state and many local solicitations through WEBS - vendors register free to receive bid opportunities. Not every agency posts in WEBS, so check local portals too. Register in WEBS
WSDOT posts advertised contracts on its contracting opportunities hub, with electronic bidding through Bid Express. Prime contractors must be prequalified (free), which requires five completed projects and a reviewed financial statement. See the prequalification requirements.
Start here: WSDOT (Washington State Department of Transportation) bidding.
State agencies, universities, and many other public bodies in Washington post their construction solicitations through WEBS (Washington's Electronic Business Solution). You can browse opportunities there, and you will usually need to register to download documents or submit a bid.
Go to: WEBS (Washington's Electronic Business Solution).
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 Washington 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.
Washington requires a performance and payment bond on essentially all public works contracts (RCW 39.08.010). On contracts of $150,000 or less the contractor may elect to have the agency retain 10% in lieu of a bond, and on projects under $50,000 an agency may waive the bond under the Limited Public Works process. The bond is the default - the waivers are options. (RCW 39.08.010.) Below those points many jobs still require a bid bond just to submit. The bottom line: if you want public work in Washington, 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.
Washington certifies firms through the Office of Minority and Women's Business Enterprises (OMWBE), which handles state MWBE and federal DBE certification. Federal DBE rules changed in late 2025 (goals suspended pending recertification) - confirm current status with OMWBE 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 WSDOT (Washington State Department of Transportation) for highway and civil work, WEBS (Washington's Electronic Business Solution) 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.
WSDOT posts advertised contracts on its contracting opportunities hub, with electronic bidding through Bid Express. Prime contractors must be prequalified (free), which requires five completed projects and a reviewed financial statement. Requirements vary by agency and project, so confirm with the awarding authority before you bid.
Washington requires a performance and payment bond on public works contracts (with a 10% retainage option on contracts of $150,000 or less) (RCW 39.08.010), 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.