As we approach September 30, the end of the federal fiscal year, something happens across agencies every year: contracting officers start swiping their purchase cards (P-cards) to spend down remaining budgets.
Why? Because in government contracting, unspent funds don’t roll over — they disappear. To avoid losing budget authority, agencies often make last-minute buys, especially through P-cards, which are designed for streamlined, quick-turn purchases under the micro-purchase threshold.
For savvy contractors, this means a surge of opportunities in the final weeks of the fiscal year. Contracting officers are looking for fast, compliant ways to put funds to work, and if you’re not visible, available, and ready to accept P-card payments, you may be leaving money on the table.
What You Can Do Now
- Make sure you’re visible: Update your SAM.gov profile, refresh your website, and ensure buyers can easily find your offerings.
- Be P-card ready: Not all vendors accept procurement card payments. Confirm with your merchant processor or bank that you can handle these transactions without issue.
- Market proactively: Remind your federal customers and prospects that you’re open for business, ready to deliver, and equipped to handle micro-purchases quickly.
The Bottom Line
The last quarter of the fiscal year — especially September — is one of the busiest buying seasons in federal procurement. Agencies are motivated to spend, and P-cards are one of the fastest ways they do it. If you’re not positioning your business to capture that spend, someone else will.
