SubSignal / Sources sought
This is the earliest moment a small business can get involved in a federal purchase, and it is the one stage where a single email can still change what the contract asks for. 1356 notices are open right now.
A sources sought notice (sometimes a Request for Information) is market research. A contracting office has a requirement, does not yet know who can meet it, and publishes a description asking companies to identify themselves. It is explicitly not a solicitation — you cannot win anything by answering one, and no award will be made from it.
A presolicitation notice is one step later: the office has decided to buy and is announcing it before the formal solicitation drops.
Two things get decided off the back of the responses, and both of them decide whether you can compete at all.
The set-aside. If enough capable small businesses respond, the contracting officer can set the whole contract aside for small business under the rule of two — which removes every large competitor from the field. If nobody answers, the office reasonably concludes there are no small sources and competes it openly. Silence is read as absence.
The requirement itself. The specification is still a draft. Capability statements sent at this stage routinely change the wording, the certifications demanded, the size of the lots, and the delivery schedule. Once the solicitation publishes, all of that is fixed and your only remaining move is to price it.
Usually one to five pages: who you are, your UEI and CAGE code, your size status under the listed NAICS code, and two or three past jobs that resemble the work with dollar values and a reference. It is not a proposal, it is not priced, and it does not need a bid team. Most notices name the contracting officer and give a plain email address.
The honest caveat: plenty of sources sought notices are issued when the office already knows who it intends to use, and answering will not change that. You cannot tell which from the outside. What you can do is answer the ones in your actual codes, cheaply, every time — the cost is an hour and the payoff is occasionally being the reason a contract becomes a small business set-aside.
| Notice | Buying office | Set-aside | Responses due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long-Range Lineup System (LRLS)The Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Lakehurst, NJ is issuing the subject Request for Information (RFI) for the purpose conducting market research to identify industry partners capable of designing, manufacturing, and… | Navair Warfare CTR Aircraft DIV | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
| DA01--Supply Chain Management DevSecOps and Integration (SCMDSO) - New TO (VA-26-00021946)This posting serves as notice to industry as to the acquisition strategy for the associated SCMDSO Integration effort. The solicitation is intended to be released in accordance with General Services Acquisition Regulation Subpart… | Technology Acquisition Center NJ (36c10b) | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
| Gas Chromatograph (Preventive Maintenance and Repair)This is a Sources Sought Notice for information only. This is not a request for quotes/proposals or an invitation for bids. This Sources Sought Notice is issued for market research purposes in accordance with RFO 10.001. This notice is not… | Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard IMF | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
| Test Stand Repair (Chant Model 30511)This is a Sources Sought Notice for information only. This is not a request for quotes/proposals or an invitation for bids. This Sources Sought Notice is issued for market research purposes in accordance with RFO 10.001. This notice is not… | Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard IMF | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
| Dover Air Force Base DormitoryDescription of Work: This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE/INDUSTRY DAY and is for information purposes only. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS, QUOTATIONS, OR BIDS. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District, intends to award a… | W2sd Endist Philadelphia | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
| F108--VANJ Lyons VAMC - Urgent Mold Remediation ServicesThis Sources Sought is issued by VISN 2 Contracting Office in Network Contracting Office 2 for the purpose of collecting information about VA New Jersey Lyons VAMC Mold Remediation Services. The VA is seeking services for a new requirement… | 242-network Contract Office 02 (36c242) | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
| Flowserve HPU Cooling Pump for Dredge Essayons14 August 2026 - Extending the response due date to Monday, 17 August 2026 by 1400 Pacific. THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. Procurement: Flowserve Brand HPU Cooling Pumps for the Dredge Vessel Essayons . This… | W071 Endist Portland | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
| CG-RAPTOR - COASTAL SENTINEL INDUSTRY DAYNOTE: The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is conducting market research to gather industry input regarding relevant technologies that could strengthen the Coastal Sentinel capability portfolio. This RFI does not constitute a Request for… | C5i Division 3 Portsmouth | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
| Software License and Support - VSClinicalThe user needs to subscribe 3 licenses of Golden Helix's VSClinical suite: ACMG workflow for 1 year. Includes VarSeq, CADD, OMIM, VSReports, ACMG & CNV Classifiers and the VSClinical ACMG guidelines workflow - 750 tokens | National Institutes of Health NLM | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
| Advanced Mechanic Institute & Vehicle Conversion - Bradley Fighting System (BFS) and M88A2 (M88)The U.S. Army Contracting Command - Detroit Arsenal (ACC-DTA) is issuing this Sources Sought Notice to identify potential sources for Advanced Mechanic Institute (AMI) - Bradley Fighting System (BFS) and M88A2 (M88) and to determine the… | W6qk Acc- DTA | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
| General Services Administration (GSA) Seeks to lease the following space: Solicitation No. 4TX1037Presolicitation Notice/Advertisement GSA Public Buildings Service U.S. GOVERNMENT General Services Administration (GSA) seeks to lease the following space: State: TX City: Rosenberg Delineated Area: North: I-10 East: Beltway 8 (Sam Houston… | PBS R00 Office of Leasing | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
| 5340--Bathroom Shower Ligature-Resistant DoorsBathroom Shower Ligature-Resistant Doors | 247-network Contract Office 7 (36c247) | Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Set-Aside (FAR 19.14) | Aug 17, 2026today |
| DG11--FHCC Satellite TV Installation and Programming Base plus 4 Option YearsThe Great Lakes Acquisition Center (GLAC) Milwaukee, WI is soliciting businesses for services to provide DirecTV Satellite TV System and Annual Programming at Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) in North Chicago, IL… | 252-network Contract Office 12 (36c252) | Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5) | Aug 17, 2026today |
| Annual radio frequency identification (RFID) technology Subscription Services for the Portland VA Medical CenterAnnual radio frequency identification (RFID) technology Subscription Services for the Portland VA Medical Center | 260-network Contract Office 20 (36c260) | Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Set-Aside (FAR 19.14) | Aug 17, 2026today |
| Advanced Antenna SoftwareDESCIPTION : THIS NOTICE IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. The RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes – it does not constitute as a Request for Quote (RFQ) or a promise to issue an RFQ in the future. This RFI does not… | Fa9302 Aftc PZZ | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
| DUCT ASSEMBLY, BLEED AIR / NSN 1560-00-136-7981 / C-5 AIRCRAFTSOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS The DLA AVIATION is issuing this sources sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support this requirement for SOURCE CONTROLLED NSN… | DLA Aviation | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
| Dockside USCGC BEAR FY26 UPDSUSCGC BEAR FY26 UPDS POC: KS Chelsea Clark at | Sflc Procurement Branch 1(00080) | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
| Presolicitation - Supply N9935C FieldFox Signal Analyzer with Options and AccessoriesThe Government is seeking potential vendors capable of providing the following commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) test equipment. Procurement of Spectrum Analyzers, Keysight N9935C Field Fox 10 GHz Signal Analyzers (Qty 8), for Spectrum… | 697dck Regional Acquisitions Svcs | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
| US Navy Virginia Class Submarine Scrubbers RepairPearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF) is issuing this sources sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to seek eligible contractors to provide technical assistance, removal… | Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard IMF | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
| M-System Software License and SupportA. Introductory This is a Sources Sought set aside for Indian Economic Enterprise (IEE) and Indian Small Business Economic (ISBEE). This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The objective of this Sources… | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today | |
| Retail Scanner DataSources Sought Notice Retail Scanner Data Sources Sought #1171685-SS This is a Sources Sought notice Only. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. This Sources Sought is issued for information and… | Usda ARS AFM APD | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
| 193rd Giant Voice UpgradeThe Pennsylvania Air National Guard, 193 Special Operations Wing, Middletown, PA is seeking capabilities packages of potential sources, including small business (SB), 8(a), HUBZone, and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned (SDVO) small… | W7nx Uspfo Activity Paang 193 | Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5) | Aug 17, 2026today |
| MQ-4C Aircraft Platform Weighing/Overrun SetPursuant to FAR 15.101(c)- This is a Request for Information only. There is no solicitation package available. This Sources Sought is being posted to satisfy the requirements of Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS)… | Navair Warfare CTR Aircraft DIV | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
| R420--ANCC Magent Recognition Program for Portland VAMCNotice of Sources Sought The purpose of this Sources Sought Announcement is for market research to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of potential qualified Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses… | 260-network Contract Office 20 (36c260) | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
| Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment Data Acquisition (ALRE DAQ)THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes - it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This is a sources sought market… | Navair Warfare CTR Aircraft DIV | Not set aside | Aug 17, 2026today |
All notices are published by federal contracting offices on sam.gov and are public record. SubSignal refreshes them daily and shows only notices whose response date has not passed. Deadlines can be amended at the source — always confirm on the notice itself before relying on a date here.