us-gov-data-mcp

find_expiring_contracts

Find federal contracts expiring soon to identify recompete opportunities before solicitations are published. Filter by agency, keyword, amount, and time window.

Instructions

Find federal contracts expiring soon -- recompete opportunities.

When a federal contract's period of performance ends, the work usually has to be re-competed, and the incumbent is beatable. These are the highest-probability opportunities in government contracting, visible in public data months before any solicitation is published.

Each result includes days_until_expiry and the current incumbent.

Note: usaspending.gov itself cannot filter by end date. This walks the end-date-sorted results to find the window, so it takes a few seconds.

Tool call template

This tool declares no required parameters. Add optional parameters from the input schema as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {},
    "name": "find_expiring_contracts"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`limit`	No	How many contracts to return, 1-100.
`keyword`	No	Free-text search across descriptions and recipients.
`agencies`	No	Awarding agency names to restrict to.
`min_amount`	No	Only contracts at or above this dollar amount. Strongly recommended: it narrows the search and makes it faster.
`expiring_after_days`	No	Skip contracts ending sooner than this. A contract ending next week is too late to bid on; 120 is typical lead time.
`expiring_within_days`	No	Return contracts whose period of performance ends within this many days. 365 is a typical planning horizon.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

First observedv1.0.0Aug 21, 2026

TDQS

A4.2/5.0

Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

With no annotations, the description carries the full burden. It discloses that each result includes days_until_expiry and the incumbent, that usaspending.gov cannot filter by end date, and that the tool walks end-date-sorted results and takes a few seconds. It also signals a read-only operation through 'Find'.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is about 90 words, front-loaded with the core purpose, then provides market context, result fields, and a performance note in separate short paragraphs. Every sentence adds useful context for selection and expectation-setting.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

The tool has 6 optional parameters and no output schema, but the description names the key result fields (days_until_expiry, current incumbent) and explains latency and data-source constraints. It is complete enough for a read-only search tool with richly documented params, though a full result-shape list would be even safer.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%, with each parameter already well-documented including defaults, ranges, and intent. The description reinforces the 'window' concept and output fields, but does not need to add parameter-level detail.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description opens with 'Find federal contracts expiring soon' which clearly specifies the resource (expiring federal contracts) and action (find). The mention of 'recompete opportunities' distinguishes this from the general sibling search_federal_contracts by emphasizing the specific use case.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The description provides strong context: federal contracts whose performance period ends must usually be re-competed, and incumbents are beatable. This explains why an agent would choose this tool, though it does not explicitly name alternative tools or state when not to use it.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

Deploy Server