Sources Sought
United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Public Awareness campaign strategy on the dangers of counterfeit substances or devices
Department of Commerce · U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
AI summaryThis is a sources sought notice (a market research request, not a solicitation): the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) wants to find small businesses able to run a nationwide public awareness campaign on counterfeit medicines and medical devices. The USPTO will send the later solicitation only to the small businesses it judges most likely to succeed. The response due date is November 6, 2026, 10:00 AM Eastern, and questions are due October 26, 2026 (passed), 1:00 PM ET. More in the summary
Market research, not a bid. Replying is free and tells U.S. Patent and Trademark Office who could do this work. Send a short reply to the contracting contact; no price is needed. See the contact
AI summary Beta
This is a sources sought notice (a market research request, not a solicitation): the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) wants to find small businesses able to run a nationwide public awareness campaign on counterfeit medicines and medical devices. The USPTO will send the later solicitation only to the small businesses it judges most likely to succeed. The response due date is November 6, 2026, 10:00 AM Eastern, and questions are due October 26, 2026 (passed), 1:00 PM ET.
Who can bid
- Be a qualified small business that the USPTO judges most likely to meet its needs, to receive the later solicitation.
- Show experience creating and running successful campaigns in the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors.
- Active SAM.gov registration if the USPTO goes on to a procurement. It is not needed to send this RFI response.
How to submit: Email a searchable PDF to Emalee.Gawrelski@uspto.gov and Joy.Pitts@uspto.gov, using the reference 'OPIA RFI on dangers of counterfeit substances or devices'.. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (5)
From the version posted Oct 14, 2026.
- Serious: Later solicitation goes only to selected small businesses. This RFI is the step that decides which firms are eligible for the alternative competition, so a business that does not respond may not be invited to bid.
- Worth checking: Set-aside: SAM.gov says not stated, RFI says small businesses. SAM.gov lists no set-aside, but the RFI says the later solicitation will go only to qualified small businesses. Ask the contacts how this will be set.
- Worth checking: Counterfeit pharmaceutical or medical device campaign experience expected. Respondents are asked to show specific past campaigns in these sectors, including size, complexity, media strategy and dollar value, which may be hard for a firm without that background.
Show all 5Show fewer
- Minor: Questions were due Oct 26, 2026. Check the amendments for the agency's answers.
- Minor: 5-page limit on the response. A full answer to 9 questions plus company details has to fit in 5 pages, not counting cover pages and relevant attachments.
Read from the notice and 1 attachment. Show which files.
- RFI USPTO Public Campaign Strategy.pdf (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Develop a campaign strategy for a nationwide public awareness campaign on the dangers of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and medical devices that falsely claim to come from real companies.
- Help write and edit educational materials, blogs, press releases and other public-facing written pieces for the campaign.
- Develop and distribute public service announcements, videos and other campaign materials, plus a social media campaign.
- Create and run digital marketing and media to amplify the campaign message.
- Identify and pitch influencers, celebrities and journalists to cover and promote the campaign (media relations).
- Work with the USPTO to put facts, visuals and campaign materials on a microsite chosen by the USPTO's OPIA.
- Work with OPIA staff to set the metrics and distribution plan for the campaign roll-out.
- Place of performance
- USA (as listed on SAM.gov)
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- How they'll choose
- No evaluation factors are given. The USPTO will use responses as market research to decide which firms are eligible for a later alternative competition.
- Offers due
- November 6, 2026, 10:00 AM Eastern
- How to submit
- Email a searchable PDF to Emalee.Gawrelski@uspto.gov and Joy.Pitts@uspto.gov, using the reference 'OPIA RFI on dangers of counterfeit substances or devices'.
- Page limits
- Whole response: 5 pages, not counting cover pages and relevant attachments
What to include when you submit
- Answer all 9 questions: company overview and experience; size and locations; functions you could not perform; counterfeit-related campaign experience in pharmaceutical or medical device fields; campaign size, complexity and scope; outreach methods; personnel and expertise; performance metrics; risks and how you would handle them.
- Include a capability statement with a detailed answer to those questions; case studies, client references or public materials may be added.
- Give company information: legal name, CAGE code and SAM.gov Unique Entity ID if available, primary place of business, size and socioeconomic status, whether you are a small business, and any GSA Schedule contract numbers.
- Give a primary contact: name and title, complete mailing address, email and telephone number.
- List relevant contract or project examples, each with client, title, period of performance, brief description, approximate value, and your role.
- Mark anything you consider proprietary or confidential, and do not send personally identifiable, sensitive, export-controlled or classified information.
Not in the notice text
- The contract type, contract length, dollar value, number of awards and evaluation factors for the later procurement are not given.
- How the USPTO will choose which firms receive the solicitation is not described beyond the market research.
- The USPTO's OPIA is named as the office involved, but the notice does not say what the letters stand for.
Eligibility and how to respond
- No set-aside. Any business can reply: this is market research, and no bid is being taken yet.
- To respond, send a short reply to the contracting contact near the top of this page. No price is needed.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 14, 2026
- Notice type
- Sources Sought
- Office
- Dept of Commerce PTO, Alexandria, VA
- Business type
- Consulting & professional services (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 541820)
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
Terms on this notice: Sources sought notice
Full notice text from SAM.gov
THIS IS A PTAG SOURCES SOUGHT REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. In accordance with the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act (PTOEA), 35 U.S.C. § 2(b)(4)(A), this Sources Sought Notice Request for Information) (RFI) is strictly for market research ONLY. It is for informational and planning purposes and shall NOT be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation or commitment by the Government at this time. This RFI is being made available under NAICS 541820 - Public Relations Agencies. This effort is for campaign services to support a nationwide public awareness campaign to highlight the dangers of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and medical devices. The USPTO is seeking information from qualified vendors regarding capabilities and relevant experience to support potential public relations services to create and execute a nationwide public awareness campaign consisting of media relations, videos, and other creative communications deliverables including a microsite and social media campaign to highlight the dangers of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and medical devices that are falsely represented as products made or distributed by real pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Submission Instructions: Questions due: no later than October 26, 2026 at 1pm ET RFI Response Due Date: November 6, 2026 10am ET All details are located within the PDF attachment.
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