Sources Sought Notices: What They Are and How to Respond (Free Template)

A sources sought notice is market research: a federal agency posts it on SAM.gov to learn which businesses can do a job before it decides how to buy, including whether to set the work aside for small businesses. It isn't a solicitation, no contract is awarded from it, and responding is voluntary. But a short, specific response can help the contracting officer decide to reserve the contract for businesses like yours.

What is a sources sought notice?

Part 10 of the current Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) requires market research before an agency writes a new requirement or asks for offers above the $350,000 simplified acquisition threshold, and in smaller buys when adequate information isn't available. It says the results decide whether to use a small business program. The FAR overhaul text agencies have adopted keeps the requirement for new requirements, and for buys and orders above that threshold. It drops the smaller-buy rule, the small business wording and the list of methods. The Small Business Administration's (SBA's) own rules still require market research on small business participation.

A sources sought notice is one way to do that research in public. The agency describes the work, asks capable businesses to identify themselves, and lists its questions. A 2026 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) notice put it plainly: "This is a Sources Sought notice only. This is not a request for quotes and no contract will be awarded from this announcement."

Neither FAR text requires a sources sought notice. It's one research method among several.

They're common, though. On September 26, 2026, FedReady's search of SAM.gov data showed 780 open sources sought notices. The Department of Defense posted 519 of them, about two in three, and the VA posted 86.

Why agencies post sources sought notices: the rule of two

Many sources sought notices exist to answer one question: are there enough capable small businesses to set this contract aside?

That's the rule of two. Under the FAR overhaul text, a contracting officer must set aside a contract above the micro-purchase threshold (generally $15,000) for small businesses when they reasonably expect offers from two or more responsible small businesses that are competitive on price, quality and delivery. The current FAR adds that market research isn't the only factor, but your response is part of the evidence.

Above the simplified acquisition threshold, SBA's rules tell the contracting officer to consider the 8(a), HUBZone, service-disabled veteran-owned (SDVOSB) and women-owned (WOSB) programs first, with "no order of precedence" among them. SDVOSB and WOSB set-asides also need a reasonable expectation, based on market research, of two eligible offers. When a notice asks about your socioeconomic status, it's collecting that evidence.

That's why most notices don't name a set-aside yet. Of the 780 open on September 26, 2026, 680 listed none, which is normal: deciding is the point. A typical VA notice says the work may be set aside for SDVOSBs, veteran-owned small businesses (VOSBs) or small businesses, or opened to full and open competition, based on the responses.

The flip side matters too. If too few capable small businesses respond, the work may not be set aside. A September 2026 Army notice warned that without enough information, it might award a sole-source contract instead.

How is a sources sought notice different from an RFI or a solicitation?

Sources sought vs. RFI

In practice, they're nearly the same thing. SAM.gov has no separate RFI notice type, so agencies post an RFI as a sources sought notice (or sometimes a special notice). The General Services Administration (GSA) describes the two together as "a market research tool used to obtain price, delivery, capabilities, interest, etc. for planning purposes."

The FAR says the same thing in both its current and overhaul texts: responses to RFIs aren't offers, and the government can't accept one to form a contract. The label matters less than the questions, so answer what the notice asks.

Sources sought vs. solicitation

A solicitation asks for an offer, with a price and a deadline, and the agency evaluates offers and awards a contract. A sources sought notice asks only whether and how you could do the work. There's no price proposal, no evaluation and no award.

Do you have to respond to bid later?

Generally, no. No FAR rule makes a response a condition of bidding, and many notices say so. A September 2026 Army notice said, "Not responding to this Sources Sought Notice does not preclude participation in any future Request for Quote (RFQ)." An Army Corps of Engineers notice called responses "strictly voluntary."

Skipping one still has a cost. If you don't respond, the agency can't count you when it decides whether to set the work aside. The contract you wanted to bid on as a small business could come out as full and open competition instead.

SBA also tells contracting officers they're required to search its Small Business Search (SBS) as part of market research. SBS is filled from your SAM.gov registration, so a complete registration helps even for notices you miss.

How to respond to a sources sought notice

What agencies usually ask for

Read the whole notice first. Notices posted in 2026 commonly asked for:

• Your Unique Entity ID (UEI), CAGE code, legal name and address
• Your business size and socioeconomic status under the NAICS code in the notice
• A capability statement
• Relevant experience, often two or three similar projects
• Answers to specific questions about how you'd do the work
• A page limit, such as 5, 8 or 10 pages

Some notices tell large businesses not to respond at all. SBA advises contracting officers to "ask only for key pieces of information" and to set a page limit, so short is what they expect.

Writing your response, step by step

1. Check fit first. Note the NAICS code, place of performance and deadline. Confirm you're small under that code, and that you could do the work or a meaningful part of it.
2. Put your company data at the top. Your legal name and address as in SAM.gov, UEI, CAGE code, a named contact, and your size under the notice's code, such as "Small under NAICS 561730." List only SBA certifications you actually hold.
3. Say you're interested, if it's true. One sentence: you plan to submit an offer if a solicitation is issued. The rule of two turns on whether the agency expects offers, so saying you'll bid matters as well as showing you can do the work.
4. Answer every question in order. Use the notice's numbering and words. Be specific about staff, equipment, locations and how you'd do the work.
5. Show similar work. Give two or three projects closest in scope and size: federal first, then state, local or commercial. Include the customer, dates, value and what made it similar.
6. Attach a tailored capability statement if the notice allows one, and check whether attachments count toward the page limit.
7. Send it the way the notice says: to the named contact, before the deadline, in the format it asks for. If it doesn't say, a PDF named with the notice ID and your company name is a safe choice.

Free sources sought response template

After a header for the notice title, ID and contact, it has six parts: company information, your interest, answers to the questions, relevant experience, suggestions (only if the notice asks), and attachments. When a notice sets its own format, follow the notice.

Sources sought response example (fictional)

Here's a short example from an invented company answering an invented notice for grounds maintenance at a federal site.

Bramblewick Grounds LLC. Response to Sources Sought [notice ID], Grounds Maintenance Services

1. Company information. Legal name and physical address as in SAM.gov · UEI and CAGE code · Owner's name, direct phone and email · Small under NAICS 561730 ($9.5 million size standard) · No SBA certifications.

2. Interest. Bramblewick Grounds plans to submit an offer if a solicitation is issued.

3. Answers. Q1, weekly maintenance of 18 acres: two crews maintain a 14-acre office park weekly today and maintained 9 county ball fields through 2025. Q2, snow response within 2 hours: two company-owned plow trucks based 12 miles from the site.

4. Experience. Office park, 14 acres, commercial, 2021 to present, about $60,000 a year: weekly mowing, renewed three times. County parks department, 9 ball fields, 2023 to 2025, about $40,000 a year: no missed visits.

5. Attachment. A one-page capability statement tailored to grounds maintenance.

Notice what's missing: marketing adjectives, pricing and unrelated services.

Common mistakes to avoid

Training from the Alaska APEX Accelerator warns against "a 'one size fits all' response." Other mistakes to avoid:

What happens after you respond

Usually, nothing you can see. A VA notice said it plainly: "Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation." The contracting officer weighs the responses with other research and decides how to buy. Next, you might see:

• A solicitation set aside for small businesses or for one program.
• A solicitation open to full and open competition.
• A presolicitation notice, or another round of market research.
• Nothing, because plans changed.

So keep watching. Follow the notice on SAM.gov, check the agency's other notices under the same NAICS code, and send your capability statement to its small business office.

How to find sources sought notices

On SAM.gov Contract Opportunities, filter by the notice type "Sources Sought," add your NAICS codes and state, and save the search. You can also use the same filter in FedReady's free search, updated daily from SAM.gov data, where a free account lets you save searches and keep a watch list.

For more ways to spot work early, see how to find government contracts.

Next steps

Sharpen your capability statement so it's ready to tailor, and learn how each set-aside program works so you can state your status correctly. When a solicitation follows, use how to read a government solicitation to decide whether to bid.

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Rules and thresholds change, so confirm details on SAM.gov and the official agency sites linked above before you act. FedReady is an independent company and is not affiliated with any government agency.