This week, Abby Souffrant of A&L Business Solutions is back in the saddle for a deep-dive pod companion to the This Week in Procurement broadcast and she's not holding back. From a surprising (and slightly controversial) vending machine contract in Oxford, Mississippi, to a brand-new $1.2M family support pilot program out of Washington State, Abby walks through five hand-selected government contracting opportunities across the SLED market (State, Local, Education, and beyond).

Abby also gets on her soapbox (in the best way) about why agencies are starting to charge for bid documents, how ChatGPT is creating a wave of copy-paste proposals that get everyone disqualified, and why "proof of concept" will always matter more than passion alone in the government contracting arena.

Contracts Covered This Week:

1. 📣 Vending Machine Contract - Oxford, Mississippi | Due: March 19, 2026 | $50 bid doc purchase required
2. 📣 Basic Needs Support Pilot Program - Washington State | Up to $240K/vendor | Max $1.2M total | Due: TBD (May 2025–June 2027 term)
3. 📣 Beach Safety & Ocean Conditions Dashboard - California | Tech/data play | Proposals due March 20, 2026
4. 📣 Public Art Master Plan - New Jersey | Budget: $7,500 | Due: February 28, 2026
5. 📣 Life Skills Education Trainer - Ohio | 46-page RFP | Due: March 3, 2026

Want access to these RFPs and hundreds more? Join the Under Contract Academy

Are you positioned as the "fix it now" vendor? This week on This Week in Procurement, host Abby Souffrant breaks down five hand-selected government contracting opportunities across the country that are open and ready to bid; from vending machine contracts in Mississippi to life skills training in Ohio.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The top 5 SLED (State, Local & Education) contracting opportunities for the week of February 6–12th.
• What buying signals agencies are sending and how to position your business to win.
• A regional breakdown of government spending trends across the East Coast, South, Midwest, and West Coast.
• This week's Pro Tip: Why leading with your metrics (not burying them) is the fastest way to get agencies to stop scrolling.
• Dear Abby: Which vendor portal should you register with first: federal, state, or local?

Whether you're a nonprofit, SaaS integrator, training firm, vending operator, or workforce development provider, there's an opportunity in this episode with your name on it.

📌 Want access to hand-selected contracts you can bid on right now? Join the Under Contract Academy. www.skool.com/undercontract

📌 Subscribe & turn on notifications! Our next series walks you through registering your business live in all 50 state procurement portals, starting with California.