Guide

How to Respond to a DoD Sources Sought Notice

A sources sought notice is not a solicitation. There is no award at the end of it. That is exactly why most small companies ignore them, and exactly why the ones who answer end up on the short list before the competition starts.

What it actually is

A sources sought or Request for Information is market research under FAR Part 10. The contracting officer is asking one question: are there enough capable small businesses to do this work? Your answer helps decide three things that shape the whole acquisition.

Set-aside or full and open. Under the Rule of Two, if two or more capable small businesses respond, the agency can set the work aside for small business. Your response is a vote for that outcome. If SDVOSBs answer, it can be set aside for SDVOSBs.
The requirement itself. Agencies rewrite draft requirements based on what industry says is feasible. This is your one chance to influence the ask before it is locked.
Who they already know. When the real solicitation drops, the contracting officer has read your name and knows you exist.

What to send

Answer the notice, not a generic pitch. A response has four parts.

A tailored capability statement. One or two pages. Map your capabilities directly to the requirement described in the notice. Use their words.
Direct answers to their questions. Sources sought notices usually list specific questions. Answer each one, in order, numbered the way they numbered them. Do not make the officer hunt.
Your business details. Legal name, UEI, CAGE, size status against the listed NAICS code, and every socioeconomic status you hold: small business, SDVOSB, veteran-owned, 8(a), HUBZone, whatever applies. State them plainly.
Relevant past performance. Two or three examples that look like the work in the notice. Contract or customer, scope, dollar value, and what you delivered. Relevance beats size.

The rules that keep you in the pile

Cite the notice number and respond through the method the notice specifies, before the deadline.
Respect the page limit. If it says two pages, send two.
Do not send pricing. This is not a bid, and pricing here helps no one.
Do not treat it as a proposal. It is a capability answer, not a sales letter.

Why you answer even when you cannot win alone

If the work is too big for you today, respond anyway and say you would team. Name that you are seeking a prime or a teaming arrangement. Contracting officers pass capable small businesses to primes, and primes read these notices looking for teammates who already raised a hand.

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