Department of Energy (DOE) Annual Small Business Conference

RSM Federal exhibiting and presenting training session.

How To Competitively Respond to a Sources Sought (SS) and Influence the Acquisition

An educational, fast-paced, high-energy and thought-provoking session on how to competitively respond to a sources sought or request for information. Ten years ago, the government did not utilize Sources Sought as a primary acquisition tool. In fact, only about 1% of opportunities were sources sought. Jump forward to 2018 and between 8% – 10% of opportunities in FBO are sources sought. This indicates the government is more focused on achieving the right balance in terms of acquisition strategy AND this is positive for government contractors as well.

Most companies respond to a sources sought by only answering the given questions and providing the information requested by the government.

There are several key strategies for responding to a sources sought. The first is creating a standardized response format with cover page, corporate overview, and capability statement. The second is recognizing that you should utilize a sources sought to “influence the acquisition.” You influence the acquisition by making recommendations and “ghosting” your strengths and the weaknesses of the competition. This session will be heavy on examples to maximize understanding of the various techniques and strategies for responding to a sources sought in order to influence the acquisition.

Unlike most sessions, this is more than a general or abstract discussion. This session is designed to provide real-world examples of how companies have successfully influenced during pre-acquisition in order to be more competitive.