Overview
FAR 13.102 establishes the System for Award Management (SAM) as the mandatory primary resource for vendor information and requires contracting offices to categorize any supplemental source lists by socio-economic status. This section ensures that contracting officers have the necessary data to facilitate small business participation in simplified acquisitions.
Key Rules
- Primary Source: Contracting officers are directed to use SAM (www.sam.gov) as the primary tool for identifying potential vendors.
- Categorization Requirements: If an office maintains additional local source files, they must identify vendors within specific categories, including:
- Small business and Small disadvantaged business.
- Women-owned small business (WOSB) and Economically disadvantaged women-owned small business (EDWOSB).
- HUBZone small business.
- Service-disabled veteran-owned and Veteran-owned small business.
- Small Business Support: The data gathered in these source lists must be utilized to provide small business concerns the maximum practicable opportunity to compete for contracts under Simplified Acquisition Procedures.
Practical Implications
- For vendors, maintaining an accurate and up-to-date profile in SAM.gov is critical, as it is the first place contracting officers look when conducting market research for simplified acquisitions.
- Contracting officers rely on these organized lists to quickly identify qualified small businesses to satisfy set-aside requirements and meet agency socio-economic goals.