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Sources Sought Notices

The earliest signal in federal contracting. A Sources Sought notice means an agency is researching the market before writing its solicitation — and the small businesses that respond shape whether the contract gets set aside at all.

294 active notices. Updated daily from SAM.gov.

How to respond — with a free templatearrow_forward
Active (294)Closed (445)
U.S. Department of Defense
Small Business

Directional Signal Arm

U.S. Department of Defense
$5K – $50K📍 Columbus, OHUpdated Jun 15
Offers due Aug 04 · in 20 days
U.S. Department of Energy
Small Business

Jefferson Lab Air Conditioning Replacement

U.S. Department of Energy
$1M – $3M📍 Newport News, VAUpdated Jun 12
Offers due Jul 23 · in 9 days
U.S. Department of Commerce
Small Business

Seal gaps in NIST Boulder building

U.S. Department of Commerce
$100K – $500K📍 Boulder, COUpdated Jun 12
Offers due Jul 15 · in 1 day
U.S. Department of Defense
8(a) Disadvantaged

Multimedia Services for the Air Force Chaplain Corps

U.S. Department of Defense
$100K – $500K📍 District of ColumbiaUpdated Jun 12
Offers due Jul 14 · due today
U.S. Department of Commerce
Small Business

Fort Collins Road Repairs

U.S. Department of Commerce
$100K – $500K📍 Boulder, COUpdated Jun 11
Offers due Jul 28 · in 14 days
U.S. Department of Defense
Small Business

Shipping and Storage Cases

U.S. Department of Defense
$5K – $50K📍 Tracy, CAUpdated Jun 11
Offers due Jul 22 · in 8 days
U.S. Department of Defense
Small Business

Night Vision Housing Components

U.S. Department of Defense
$500K – $2MUpdated Jun 08
Offers due Jul 22 · in 8 days
U.S. Department of the Interior
Small Business

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge Trail Repairs

U.S. Department of the Interior
$100K – $500KUpdated Jul 07
Offers due Jul 21 · in 7 days
U.S. Department of the Interior
Small Business

Boundary Fence Replacement for Wind Cave National Park

U.S. Department of the Interior
$5K – $50KUpdated Jun 27
Offers due Jul 30 · in 16 days
U.S. Department of the Interior
Small Business

Eielson Roof Replacement

U.S. Department of the Interior
$100K – $500KUpdated Jul 10
Rolling deadline
U.S. Department of Defense
Small Business

Artillery Chemical Training (ACT) Contract

U.S. Department of Defense
$15M📍 Orlando, FLUpdated Jul 09
Offers due Jul 17 · in 3 days
U.S. Department of the Interior
Small Business

Leavenworth Fish Hatchery Rehabilitation

U.S. Department of the Interior
$100K – $500K📍 Leavenworth, WAUpdated Jul 08
Offers due Aug 12 · in 29 days
U.S. Department of Defense
Small Business

Speed Sensor for Turbine

U.S. Department of Defense
$100K – $500K📍 Richmond, VAUpdated Jun 09
Offers due Jul 22 · in 8 days
U.S. Department of Defense
Small Business

Transducer for Marine Aircraft

U.S. Department of Defense
$5M – $10M📍 Richmond, VAUpdated Jun 09
Offers due Jul 22 · in 8 days
U.S. Department of the Interior
Small Business

Kirwin NWR Boat Ramp Replacement

U.S. Department of the Interior
$100K – $500K📍 Kirwin, KSUpdated Jul 02
Offers due Jul 31 · in 17 days
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Sources Sought — common questions

What is a Sources Sought notice?expand_more

It's market research, not a solicitation. Before an agency writes an RFP, it posts a Sources Sought notice asking 'who can do this work?' Businesses respond with a short capabilities statement — there is no bid, no pricing, and no award at this stage.

Why respond if there's nothing to win yet?expand_more

Because responses drive the set-aside decision. If enough capable small businesses respond, the Rule of Two pushes the contracting officer to reserve the eventual contract for small business — possibly for your certification specifically. Responding also puts your firm on the agency's radar before the RFP is written.

How long do I have to respond?expand_more

Response windows are typically two to four weeks from posting, and they're firm. Each notice lists its own response deadline and submission instructions — read the notice itself, since formats vary by agency.

What should a response include?expand_more

A concise capabilities statement: your company profile (UEI, CAGE, size status, certifications, NAICS codes), a point-by-point answer to what the notice asks, and two or three directly relevant past performances. It's market research, not a proposal — a few strong pages beat a long one.

Set-Aside Pro is an independent publication, not affiliated with the SBA or SAM.gov. Each notice's own text controls what a response must include — read it before submitting.