How to use an agency's award history in InstantMarkets to understand their buying patterns, incumbents, and evaluation preferences before you bid.

Using award history to understand a buyer

Before responding to any significant opportunity, it pays to research the issuing agency's procurement history. Award history tells you how an agency buys — their preferences, their typical contract structures, and what they've valued in past vendors.

What to look for in an agency's award history

Incumbent vendors

Who has the agency awarded contracts to in this category before? An incumbent vendor has a built-in advantage — they know the agency, the agency knows them, and switching costs are real. Understanding who you're competing against shapes how you position your proposal.

Contract values and structures

What is the typical contract value for this category at this agency?
Do they award multi-year contracts with option years, or shorter-term deals?
Do they award to a single vendor or maintain multiple approved vendors?

Evaluation patterns

Cross-referencing the solicitation documents with the award decisions can reveal which evaluation criteria the agency weighs most heavily in practice. If a lower-priced vendor consistently wins, price is likely decisive. If the same incumbent keeps winning despite higher prices, past performance and relationships dominate.

Procurement frequency

How often does this agency rebid this category? Annual, every three years, every five? This tells you how long a contract term you're competing for and when you might expect the next opportunity if you don't win this round.

How to pull award history for an agency

Click Agencies in the main navigation.
Search for and open the agency's profile.
Click the Awards tab to see their full publicly disclosed award history.
Filter by category keyword or NAICS code to focus on the relevant category.

Combining award history with open opportunities

When you find an active opportunity you're considering:

Open the listing and note the agency name and category.
Navigate to the agency profile and review their award history for that category.
Use what you find to decide whether to bid, how to price, and how to differentiate.

This research step takes 15–20 minutes and can meaningfully improve the quality of your bid decision.