Sources sought and RFIs: how to respond
The set-aside decision is made before the solicitation exists. A one page answer to a sources sought notice is the cheapest influence you will ever have on a buy.
What a sources sought notice is
A sources sought notice is market research. FAR Part 10 requires contracting officers to find out who can supply a requirement before they decide how to compete it. The notice describes the need, asks interested firms to say whether they can meet it, and asks for a few facts about each firm. It is not a solicitation. There is no price, no award, and no contract at the end of it.
A request for information, or RFI, is close to the same thing. RFIs tend to ask more about approach, capacity, and industry practice, and they may come earlier in planning. For a small shop the response looks the same.
Both appear on SAM.gov as notice types. Both have a response date, usually short, and a named contracting specialist who receives responses by email.
Why your answer shapes the set-aside
The contracting officer reads the responses and counts. If at least two responsible small businesses appear capable and likely to offer fair prices, the rule of two in FAR Part 19 points to a small business set-aside. If responses come mostly from large firms, or from small firms that do not look capable, the buy may go full and open. If certified firms in a socioeconomic program respond, the officer may set it aside for that program.
So your response is a vote. A clear, credible answer from you, plus one from another small shop, can close a buy to large competitors before it is ever posted. Silence does the opposite. Buyers often say that a sources sought got no small business responses, so they had no basis to set it aside.
Responses also shape the NAICS code, the quantity, the delivery schedule, and whether a data package is complete. If the draft requirement has a problem you can see, this is the time to say so.
What the buyer wants to see
Read the notice twice. Most sources sought notices list the exact information they want, often as numbered questions. The buyer is going to put your answers into a table. Make that easy.
The usual items are your company name, CAGE, UEI, address, and point of contact. Your size and any socioeconomic status under the NAICS code on the notice. A plain statement that you can meet the requirement as described. Evidence: similar parts you have made, for whom, and roughly when. Your quality system and any certifications the requirement calls for. Whether you would perform the work yourself or team. And your answers to any specific questions in the notice, in the order asked.
What the buyer does not need is a sales pitch, a long company history, or a generic capability statement with no link to the requirement.
Respond in one page
A working template. Keep each block to a few lines.
- 1
Header
Notice number and title, date, your company name, CAGE, UEI, address, and one point of contact with phone and email.
- 2
Size and status
State that you are small under the NAICS on the notice. Name any SBA certifications you hold. If the NAICS looks wrong for the work, say which code fits and why.
- 3
Capability statement
Two or three sentences tying your equipment, processes, and quality system to the specific item or service in the notice.
- 4
Relevant past work
Two to four examples of similar parts or contracts. Give the buyer, the item, and the period in words. Contract numbers help if you have them.
- 5
Answers to their questions
Repeat each question from the notice and answer it directly beneath. Do not skip one.
- 6
Close
Confirm your interest, note any comments on the draft requirement or data package, and thank them. Send as a PDF to the address in the notice before the deadline.
Habits that make this cheap
Build the template once. Keep a current one page capability statement and a short list of past work with dates. A response should then take an hour, not a day.
Save searches on SAM.gov for the sources sought notice type in your NAICS and PSC codes, and check them on a schedule. Response windows are short, and a late response is not counted.
Keep a log of every response: notice number, buyer, date, and what you said. When the solicitation appears months later, the log tells you it is coming and what you already promised. The same log is where you notice the same buyer posting the same item on a cycle, which is a recompete signal.
Notices of intent to sole source
A related notice type announces that the buyer intends to award to a single source without competition, often the incumbent or the original manufacturer. The notice invites other firms to show they can meet the requirement. If you can, respond the same way and say so clearly. A credible response can turn a sole source into a competition. Silence lets it proceed.
Answer even when you are not sure you would bid
A sources sought response does not commit you to anything. It costs an hour. It keeps a buy inside the small business pool where you and shops like yours can compete later.
Related guides
- Set-asides and small business programsThe decision your response feeds into.
- Capability statementThe page you attach to every response.
- Reading a solicitationWhat arrives after the sources sought stage.
- Recompete strategySources sought notices are often the first public sign of a recompete.
See who was last awarded in your NAICS
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