Solicitation
The umbrella word for any official government request for bids or proposals.
A solicitation is any official request a government agency publishes when it wants to buy something. It is the umbrella term that covers every notice type below — an RFP, RFQ, IFB, or combined synopsis/solicitation.
Government buyers are legally required to announce most purchases publicly so qualified businesses can compete. The solicitation is that announcement: it defines the requirement, the rules for responding, and the hard deadline.
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Federal solicitations are posted in one place — SAM.gov — under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).
State and local solicitations are scattered across thousands of separate eProcurement portals, city pages, and services like BidNet, each with its own rules.
What is a government solicitation?
A solicitation is the official notice a government agency publishes when it wants to buy goods or services. It states what the agency needs, how to respond, and the deadline. RFPs, RFQs, and IFBs are all types of solicitation.
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