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Where opportunities appear, and how early you can engage

Foundation12 min

By the end you can

  • Know where notices over $25,000 are published.
  • Know how much notice the FAR requires before a solicitation.
  • Use exchanges with the government before the RFP.

Start at the single point of entry: the FAR defines it as the place where government business opportunities greater than $25,000, including synopses, solicitations and associated information, can be accessed electronically by the public, and says it is located at https://www.sam.gov 1.

Many solicitations are announced ahead of time. For the actions they cover, the publicizing rules set a notice period of at least 15 days before issuance of a solicitation 2. Watching notices, not only solicitations, buys you that time.

Check 1
Where does the FAR say government business opportunities over $25,000 can be accessed by the public?

The best time to influence a requirement is before the solicitation exists. The FAR encourages exchanges of information among all interested parties from the earliest identification of a requirement through receipt of proposals 3.

Treat sources-sought notices and requests for information as invitations to that exchange.

Bids2Bank's Find Opportunities workspace keeps SAM.gov, DIBBS and the market-research tools (contracts ending soon, past winners, price check and spending) in one set of tabs 4.

Check 2
According to the FAR, when are exchanges of information with the government encouraged?

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