Do you ever wonder how a federal contract gets set-aside for a particular type of company such as Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business (SDVOSB) or Women Owned Small Business (WOSB)?
Quite often the decision to set-aside a contract is determined through the contracting office’s marketing research. One tool utilized by the contracting office is a Sources Sought notice, which can usually be found on the FedBizOpps website (www.fbo.gov).
Through the Sources Sought process, a contracting office can determine if there is enough interest by a particular business type to actually set-aside a contract. For example, if two or more SDVOSBs were to submit a response to the sources sought, the contracting office may very well be able to set that contract aside for SDVOSB competition only.
Although the contracting office may find enough interest in its contract by a particular group, simply having enough vendors of one particular business type does not allow the contracting office to set-aside a contract. The information received from the interested parties must also demonstrate that each company is not only responsive but also capable.
What You’ll Find Inside
Within the Sources Sought will be some general guidelines of what the government is looking to procure. In addition to this information, the contracting office will also provide instructions on what evidence a company can provide to demonstrate that it has the ability to supply the requested product or service.
In the instructions will be details on what the contractor should submit, how it should submitted and when it should be submitted. Even restrictions such as page count and font size can be incorporated in the directions. Responders must follow these guidelines, as any deviation from them can be viewed negatively, or possibly as nonresponsive to the request. This could unfortunately eliminate a vendor from the pool of potential sources.
If response guidelines are not provided, consider using the company’s government specific capability statement to cover the required information. In addition to describing the company’s technical capabilities, the response should also include details on past projects that are similar to the work being requested, the company’s ability to manage subcontractors and an overall sense that the company is stable and has the capacity to take on the work being requested.
Why You Should Respond
It is suggested that a company should always respond to a sources sought if it fits the company’s core competency. Responding to these requests can feel like a waste of time since there is no guarantee of when the actual solicitation will come out, if at all.
That being said, however, many contracting officers complain of the lack of response received from Sources Sought notices. This suggests that responding really isn’t a waste of time but a business practice that can quickly differentiate a company from the competition. Simply responding may in fact eliminate some competition before the project even comes out—time well spent.
For more information on Source Sought notices or other government contracting questions, please contact your local Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) today.
