Exchanges with industry before receipt of proposals
Early, open, and fair exchanges with industry before proposals are received are encouraged to improve acquisition outcomes, but must comply with procurement integrity and fairness requirements.
Overview
FAR 15.201 encourages open and early exchanges of information between the Government and industry before the receipt of proposals. The goal is to improve mutual understanding of requirements and capabilities, enhance proposal quality, and ensure fair competition. These exchanges must comply with procurement integrity rules and avoid giving any party an unfair advantage. Agencies are urged to use various techniques—such as industry days, market research, draft RFPs, and RFIs—to facilitate communication. After a solicitation is released, the contracting officer becomes the main point of contact, and any information disclosed to one offeror that could affect proposal preparation must be shared with all potential offerors to maintain fairness. Confidential business information must be protected at all times.