Glossary
What is a solicitation?
A solicitation is the package that asks you to submit an offer or a quote. Sources sought notices and requests for information are usually market research. They are not the same as an RFP or an RFQ.
People use “solicitation” loosely. The document type is on the notice.
- A sources sought or RFI asks what the market can do. Responding can matter. It is not, by itself, a contract award.
- An RFP asks for a proposal. Read the instructions and the evaluation factors.
- An RFQ asks for a quote. It is often shorter. It is still a requirement you can miss.
Sections L and M, on many federal RFPs, tell you how to write and how you will be scored. A compliance matrix is how a team tracks those sentences.
The draft article on sources sought, RFI, RFP, and RFQ walks through the differences. It is still in review.
Govacha can store the notice in a pipeline. It cannot change the due date.