Welcome to the Sole Source Spotter. This site provides a regularly updated view of Federal contracting notices posted on SAM.gov, and highlights notices of intent to sole source.
In federal contracting, "sole source" procurement allows agencies to award contracts directly to a specific vendor without competitive bidding when they determine only one source can meet their requirements. The process begins when an agency identifies such a need and publishes a "Notice of Intent to Sole Source" on SAM.gov, explaining their justification and naming the intended vendor. Other companies then have a brief window (typically 10-15 days) to submit "capability statements" proving they could also fulfill the requirements. If no credible alternatives emerge, the agency proceeds with the sole source award; if viable alternatives are identified, they may convert to a competitive process.
Notices on pending sole source awards are tucked away behind the SAM.gov login page, and require you to navigate through a free-text search and manually download attachments. The Sole Source Spotter makes these public documents truly transparent, so that potential vendors and all Americans have a heads-up before a sole source award is made. To learn more, check out this brief video.
This page is maintained by Neil Miller. Feel free to message him here with any suggestions or corrections.
The Sole Source Spotter costs about $80/month to maintain. If you want to support this project and help me bring transparency to Federal contracting, check out Buy Me a Coffee.
Notices currently shown are from April 9 to May 12, 2025.
| Title | Posted Date | Office | Description | Sole Source | Awardee | Attachments | Notice ID |
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