Semantic Search: Search GovCon Data in Your Own Words

What is semantic search?

Most platforms rely on keyword search—you type in specific terms, and only get results that use those exact words. The problem? If you don’t use the exact language found in the data, you could miss important results.

GovTribe’s semantic search fixes that.

With semantic search, you can search government data using plain language. No keyword hunting. No guesswork. Just type what you're looking for—we’ll understand what you mean and pull relevant results, even if your words don’t match exactly.

What can you find with semantic search?

Semantic search works anywhere there’s a search bar in GovTribe. You can search broadly using the global search at the top of your screen or run more focused searches on specific pages. Here’s just some of what you can search semantically:

• Contract opportunities, awards, and vehicles
• Grant opportunities and awards
• Agency, vendor, and contact profiles
• Government and user files

Basically, if it’s on GovTribe, you can find it with semantic search.

Why should you use semantic search?

✅ Find more opportunities even if you don’t use the exact wording
✅ Explore new markets without needing to know government jargon
✅ Connect the dots with results across files, contacts, vendors, and awards
✅ Get results even when services have multiple names or acronyms

Find federal opportunities with semantic search

For example, here's how you could use semantic search to find federal opportunities.

1. Go to the Federal Contract Opportunities page
2. Click the dropdown button on the search bar
3. Select Semantic
4. Enter your search phrase
5. Hit Enter or click the magnifying glass icon

You’ll see results that match your search—even without the exact keywords that appear in the opportunity. And if you want to narrow your results, just apply filters by agency, due date, set-aside, and more like you would with a standard search.

Get notified about new search results

Found a search that gives you great results? Save it and never miss an update. With saved search, you'll get automatic alerts whenever new results match your criteria. If you want to learn how to set up your own saved searches, just swipe through the three easy steps below or check out our full blog about it for tips and best practices.

1. Use semantic search to find what you're looking for.

2. Click the floppy disk icon and select Save This Search from the dropdown.

3. Name your search, choose how often you'd like to get updates, and hit Save.

Get started

Semantic search is available on all GovTribe accounts. Try it today—or start a free trial if you’re new to GovTribe. If you have any questions, feel free to open up a chat with our success team in the platform or email success@govtribe.com. We’re always happy to help.

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• AI Insights: Chat your way to a better GovCon strategy.
• Reports: Spot funding trends and opportunities.