Federal Sources Sought Notices: Your Opportunity to Influence the Buyer
Dana Delano, Procurement Counselor
A
sources sought
notice is an excellent opportunity to position and influence the Contracting Officer about your company, products and services BEFORE the Request For Proposal (RFP) or Request For Quote (RFQ) is released. Have you ever thought, ‘wow, I wish I could provide them with information that could actually HELP them and give my company some leverage’? Well, this IS your opportunity. You should never respond to a sources-sought without giving the government more than what they are asking for in your sources-sought response. What requirements would you like to see in the RFP? What recommendations would allow you to have a stronger competitive advantage over others that may be responding? Again, this is your time to do just that because once the RFQ or RFP comes out, it is too late.
One additional thought. Unlike responding to a RFP or RFQ,
sources-sought
are pre-acquisition. As a result, the timelines and due-dates provided by the government are not legally locked in stone like an issued RFP/RFQ. Contracting Officers want to hear from small businesses. They want your feedback. Since the regulations do not prohibit them from accepting a response after the due-date, don’t be shy to send it. Also, if enough small businesses don’t respond to a Sources Sought notice, the Contracting Officer might open it up to big business.
And don’t be shy to contact your Maine PTAC counselor for assistance. It is what we do!
