Federal data gives sales teams a consistent, national view of organizations that local records miss. Form 5500 filings show benefit plan size and providers. WARN notices flag planned layoffs and closings. USAspending.gov shows federal contracts, grants and loans by recipient. SAM.gov lists federal contractor registrations, and SBA publishes its 7(a) and 504 loan approvals. Most of these sources are slower than local records, and the federal ones are uniform in format; WARN notices are the exception, since each state publishes its own.
This guide covers what each source contains, who files it, when it appears, and what it cannot tell you. Filing rules have exceptions and change over time, so check the agency's own instructions before relying on a detail.
Form 5500 via EFAST2: who has a benefit plan, and who serves it
Form 5500 is the annual return that most employee benefit plans covered by ERISA file with the Department of Labor, the IRS and the PBGC. It is filed electronically through the Department of Labor's EFAST2 system, and filings are publicly searchable. The Department of Labor also publishes downloadable Form 5500 datasets.
What it contains. The plan sponsor's name, address and EIN; the plan type, such as a 401(k) or a health and welfare plan; participant counts; and a set of schedules depending on plan size and type. Two schedules matter most for sales:
- Schedule A reports insurance contracts held by the plan, including the carrier, premiums and commissions or fees paid to brokers or agents.
- Schedule C, filed by large plans, reports certain service providers and the compensation they received.
When it appears. A Form 5500 is generally due by the last day of the seventh month after the plan year ends, which is July 31 for a calendar-year plan. Filing Form 5558 extends that by up to two and a half months. An extended filing arrives about nine and a half months after the plan year ends, so the data is often close to a year old, or older, when you read it.
What it misses. Many small welfare plans that are fully insured or unfunded are exempt from filing, so plenty of small employers with health coverage never appear. Small plans may file the shorter Form 5500-SF, which carries less detail. Participant counts describe the plan, not total headcount. Benefits brokers, PEOs, retirement plan advisors and HR services firms use it most; see PEO and HR services prospecting with public filings.
WARN notices: planned layoffs and closings
The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act generally requires employers with 100 or more employees to give 60 days' written notice before a plant closing or mass layoff, subject to thresholds and exceptions in the law. Notice goes to affected workers or their union, the state dislocated worker unit and the local chief elected official.
Where to find them. There is no single national database. Many state workforce agencies post the WARN notices they receive, as web tables, PDFs or spreadsheets. The Department of Labor links to state contacts. Several states, including California, New York and New Jersey, have their own mini-WARN laws with lower thresholds or longer notice periods.
What it contains. Usually the employer, the affected site, the number of workers, the type of event and the effective date. Detail varies by state.
How sales teams use it. A WARN notice changes what a site needs. Commercial real estate brokers and lenders see space coming available. Equipment dealers and liquidators see assets moving. Staffing firms and employers in the same area see trained workers entering the market. Use care: a WARN notice describes a hard moment for real people, and outreach should reflect that.
USAspending.gov: where federal money goes
USAspending.gov is the official public source for federal spending data, operated by the Treasury Department's Bureau of the Fiscal Service under the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, as expanded by the DATA Act. It covers prime awards, including contracts, grants, loans and other financial assistance, and some subaward data reported by prime recipients.
What it contains. Recipient name and location, awarding agency, award amount and obligations, dates, industry codes for contracts, and the place of performance, which is often more useful than the recipient address. It offers award search, bulk downloads and an API.
When it appears. Most award data posts within weeks. Department of Defense contract data is published with a delay, generally 90 days.
What it misses. Subaward reporting is less complete than prime award data, and recipient names may not match how a company presents itself locally. For local governments and school districts, USAspending shows federal grants received, which can point to funded projects; how MSPs find municipal and school IT work before the RFP covers how to pair that with budgets and agendas.
SAM.gov and SBA data
SAM.gov, the System for Award Management run by the General Services Administration, is where organizations register to do business with the federal government or receive federal assistance. Each registered entity gets a Unique Entity ID (UEI), which replaced the DUNS number in April 2022. Registrations must be renewed annually. Public entity search shows registered organizations, their NAICS codes and registration status, though some registration details are restricted. SAM.gov also hosts federal Contract Opportunities, formerly FedBizOpps, and the exclusions list. Registration shows that an organization is eligible and interested in federal work, not that it is winning any.
SBA loan data. The Small Business Administration publishes 7(a) and 504 loan data on data.sba.gov under its FOIA datasets, updated quarterly. Records typically include the borrower's name and address, the lender or certified development company, loan amount, approval date, NAICS code and jobs supported. For commercial bankers it shows which lenders are active in SBA lending in a market; for equipment and facility vendors it can point to businesses that just financed an expansion. Only SBA-guaranteed loans appear. See commercial banker business development.
SBA also runs a small business search of firms in its certification programs, such as 8(a), HUBZone, women-owned and veteran-owned, which primes and agencies use to find subcontractors.
Federal sources at a glance
| Source | Operated by | Best for | Timing | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form 5500 (EFAST2) | Department of Labor, with IRS and PBGC | Plan size, carriers, brokers, some providers | Due seven months after plan year end, plus extensions | Lag; many small insured plans exempt |
| WARN notices | State workforce agencies | Planned layoffs and closings by site | Generally 60 days before the event | No national database; state formats vary |
| USAspending.gov | Department of the Treasury | Federal contracts, grants and loans by recipient and location | Weeks; defense contracts delayed | Subawards incomplete |
| SAM.gov | General Services Administration | Contractor registrations, opportunities, exclusions | Registrations renewed annually | Eligibility, not activity |
| SBA 7(a) and 504 data | Small Business Administration | Borrowers, lenders, amounts, approval dates | Quarterly | SBA-guaranteed loans only |
Related guides: WARN notices by state and commercial insurance prospecting with public records.
Primary sources: DOL: Form 5500 Series · DOL: WARN Act compliance · 20 CFR Part 639 (WARN rules) · USAspending.gov: about the data · SAM.gov · SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data. Rules and thresholds change and vary by state, so check the current version before you rely on a detail.
Where TIP fits
TIP (Territory Intelligence Platform) turns filings like these into something your team can act on. Each morning, your team gets a short list of the accounts worth a call or a visit, with the reason in plain English and the source behind it. It's one application of territory intelligence. Get early access to see what it would surface in your territory.
Frequently asked questions
How do I search Form 5500 filings for a company?
Use the Department of Labor's EFAST2 Form 5500 search, which lets you look up filings by plan sponsor name, EIN or plan details and view the filed return and schedules. For analysis across many companies, the Department of Labor publishes downloadable Form 5500 datasets. Remember that a filing may describe a plan year that ended more than a year earlier.
Where can I find WARN notices for my state?
Most state workforce or labor agencies post the WARN notices they receive, often on a page titled WARN notices or layoff notices. Search for your state's name plus "WARN notices." Formats range from searchable tables to monthly PDFs, and some states publish very little. The Department of Labor lists state dislocated worker contacts if you cannot find a posting. See WARN notices by state for where each state posts them.
Is USAspending.gov data useful for sales prospecting?
Yes, when your buyers receive federal money. It shows which organizations in a territory won federal contracts or grants, how much, and where the work is performed. Local governments, school districts, hospitals and contractors all appear. It is less useful for businesses with no federal funding, and subaward data is less complete than prime awards.
Does Form 5500 show how many employees a company has?
Not exactly. Form 5500 reports participant counts for a specific benefit plan, which can include former employees and beneficiaries, or exclude workers who are not eligible. It is a useful indicator of scale, and changes year over year can show growth or decline, but it should not be quoted as a company's headcount.