Guide
How to respond to a sources sought notice
How do I respond to a sources sought notice?
Answer every question the notice asks, in its order, by the deadline. Give your UEI, size and set-aside status for the NAICS code, then show you can do this work with similar past jobs, and say you intend to bid. Keep it short. Enough capable small firms answering can lead the agency to set the contract aside.
Updated
Key facts
- A sources sought notice is market research; it is not a solicitation and leads to no award.
- When the contracting officer expects offers from two or more capable small businesses at fair prices, the work is set aside for small business (FAR 19.502-2).
- Responses usually go to the email address in the notice, by the date given.
- Answering gets you known to the contracting officer before the solicitation comes out.
Why answer at all?
Because it is how the agency decides who can do the work and whether to set it aside. If no small firms answer, the contract may be opened to large businesses.
Agencies run market research before each acquisition to learn what the market can supply (FAR 10.002). For facility services, a sources sought notice is the usual tool. Answering takes an hour or two and can shape the competition you face.
What to send
Exactly what the notice asks for, and the basics a contracting officer needs to count you as a capable small business.
- Company name, UEI, CAGE code, address and a contact.
- Size status for the notice's NAICS code, and any set-aside status (8(a), SDVOSB, WOSB, HUBZone).
- Two or three similar past jobs: building or site type, size, dates, scope and value.
- Answers to each question in the notice, numbered the same way.
- A short statement that you intend to bid, and your capability statement if attachments are allowed.
What makes a response count
Specifics. Show the contracting officer you understand this requirement and have done the same kind of work, at the same scale.
- Match your past jobs to the notice's square footage, acres or building type.
- If the notice includes a draft performance work statement, point out unclear requirements politely.
- If you think the NAICS code is wrong, say why; the code sets the size standard.
- Keep to the page limit and send it before the deadline.
Questions
Do I have to answer a sources sought notice to bid later?
No. Anyone eligible can bid on the solicitation. But answering helps decide whether it is set aside, and gets your firm known to the buyer.
Will my answer be shared with competitors?
Agencies use responses for market research and don't usually publish them. Mark proprietary information if you include any.
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