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Watch vs SAM.gov's saved searches and alerts
SAM.gov has its own ways to keep an eye on things: saved searches, following a record, and reminders before a registration expires. They're free and worth using. Here is what they cover, from GSA's own training and API documentation, and where supplier monitoring picks up. Checked October 24, 2026.
What SAM.gov offers
- Saved searches
- Signed in, you can save a search, then download, duplicate, rename or delete it. Email notifications can be switched on for saved searches of contract opportunities only[1]. GSA's training doesn't describe alerts on a saved entity or exclusions search.
- Following a record
- From a record's page you can follow it. Your workspace lists the records you follow across SAM.gov, and you can change the email frequency or unfollow, one record at a time or several at once[1]. The training doesn't say which changes to a followed entity send an email, so try it on one supplier before you rely on it.
- Expiry reminders
- SAM.gov emails a registration's own contacts 60, 30 and 15 days before it expires and on the day it does[2]. They go to your supplier, not to you.
SAM.gov's own help pages are built with scripts we can't link to section by section, so these rows rely on GSA's June 2024 training slides and its API pages. Screens can change; check your own SAM.gov workspace too.
Side by side
| SAM.gov saved searches and follows | Programmable Watch | |
|---|---|---|
| A new exclusion against a supplier | Notifications are listed for contract-opportunity saved searches only[1]; a follow's triggers aren't documented. | The daily exclusions file is loaded, the suppliers it could touch are re-checked within about 15 minutes, and a finding goes to email, Slack or Teams, or your webhook. |
| Registration about to lapse | Reminders go to the registrant[2]. | A warning to you before the expiry date, and a finding when it lapses. |
| Many suppliers at once | Follow each record from its page; change email frequency for several followed records at once[1]. | Upload your vendor file (Costpoint, Unanet, Coupa, SAP Ariba, QuickBooks and NetSuite exports are recognised), paste UEIs, type a sentence, or use the API. |
| Screening lists (OFAC, BIS, State) | Not part of SAM.gov: a separate search on trade.gov's Consolidated Screening List[6]. | Loaded daily and screened on every check, always shown as "possible, confirm" when the match is by name. |
| Documents (CMMC, SPRS, insurance, W-9) | Outside SAM.gov's scope. | Collected through a one-time link or the supplier portal, with issue and expiry dates and reminders. |
| A team working the list | Follows are kept in each signed-in person's workspace[1]. | Shared lists with owner, reviewer and viewer roles, cases with an owner and a due date, and an optional two-person rule for confirming a possible match. |
| A record of what you saw | The emails in your inbox. | Each check kept with its source, data date and SHA-256, a pre-award screen frozen the day before an award date you name, and an audit export. |
| Cost | Free. | Priced per supplier. The first 5 suppliers are included. No card to start. See pricing. |
Use both
Keep SAM.gov for contract opportunities, your own registration and looking a record up directly. Use Watch for your supplier base: every sub re-checked on a schedule, the screening lists and documents alongside, and a dated record of each check. Doing it by hand instead? See Watch vs a spreadsheet and SAM.gov by hand.
Sources
Checked October 24, 2026. SAM.gov changes its screens from time to time; if something here no longer matches, the source wins.
- GSA Integrated Award Environment, "Navigating SAM.gov" (training at the DoD Procurement Professionals symposium, June 2024), slides on saved searches, viewing a record and following
- Nebraska Department of Transportation, July 2026: SAM.gov email reminders and scams (expiry notices at 60, 30 and 15 days and on the day)
- GSA Open Technology: SAM.gov Entity Management API (rate limits)
- GSA Open Technology: SAM.gov Exclusions API (rate limits, extracts)
- SAM.gov data services (public entity and exclusions extracts)
- trade.gov: Consolidated Screening List
Questions
Should I stop using SAM.gov's saved searches?
No. They are the right tool for contract opportunities and for your own registration. Watch is for the suppliers and subcontractors you contract with.
Is Watch faster than SAM.gov?
Not for registrations: Watch reads them from SAM.gov's public monthly extract, so a mid-month change shows on SAM.gov first. For exclusions and the screening lists, Watch loads each day's file and re-checks the suppliers it could touch within about 15 minutes of the load.
Does Watch use the SAM.gov APIs?
Programmable's public-records registry loads SAM.gov's public extracts, and asks the Entity API for responsibility records and owners within SAM.gov's daily allowance. You don't need a SAM.gov account or API key.