§ Government Contracting Lexicon
Sources Sought Notice.
A Sources Sought Notice is a federal market-research request where an agency asks whether capable businesses exist to perform a requirement, before it decides how to compete the contract.
§ 01 · Definition
What it means.
In practice, for a bidder.
It is not a solicitation, and you cannot win an award from it. Responding well can shape the eventual solicitation and influence whether the work is set aside for small business. Response windows are short, often five to ten business days.
§ 02 · In the wild
Find it live.
Active IT sources-sought notices.
SAM.gov29 active sources-sought / RFI notices in NAICS 541512, last 30 days, as of 2026-08-23. Each links to the government's own record.
PINNACLES
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency · Sources Sought · responses due 2026-08-28 ↗
Image Management Systems (IMS) and Dental IT Services
Defense Health Agency · Sources Sought · Small business · responses due 2026-08-27 ↗
Assessment: UNICOR Ecommerce Backend Environment
Federal Prison Industries (DOJ) · Sources Sought · responses due 2026-09-02 ↗
§ 03 · Related
Related terms.
Words that travel together.
§ Have a live solicitation?
Send the solicitation.
We'll confirm the right NAICS, PSC, and set-aside for your scope.
§ Office of the Director
SAM.govUEI PR9KWJPM4JU9 · CAGE 91CE1