Sources sought vs. RFI vs. RFP vs. RFQ
What a sources sought, an RFI, an RFP, and an RFQ each ask you to do. Market research is not an award. Draft for review.
The notice type is printed on the opportunity. People still treat every posting as “a bid.” That wastes the week. Four labels cover most of what a small business will see.
Sources sought and RFI
A sources sought notice and a request for information are market research. The agency is asking what the market can do, often before it writes a solicitation. Responding can put your firm on the radar and can shape the later requirement. It is not a contract award, and it does not make you the incumbent.
Answer the questions they asked. Attach a short capability statement if they allow it. Do not send a full proposal they did not request.
RFP
A request for proposals asks for an offer. Read the instructions and the evaluation factors before the statement of work if you are short on time. The instructions say the format, the page limit, and how you will be scored. A response that ignores them can be set aside as noncompliant. Compliant is not the same as selected.
RFQ
A request for quotations asks for a price, often on a shorter form. It can still have a wage determination, a delivery date, and a stack of attachments. “It’s just a quote” is how firms miss a bond or a certificate.
What to do in the pipeline
Label the row with the notice type. A sources sought and an RFP do not belong in the same stage without that label. Govacha’s pipeline is a list, not a forecast. The glossary entry on a solicitation is the short version of this page.
Nothing in the label guarantees an award. The contracting officer still decides.