Section A. Solicitation/Contract Form (SF33)
Section A consists of a Standard Form (SF) cover sheet, usually one page, however, there may be additional pages as noted in the upper right corner of the form. The FAR does not mandate the use of a Standard Form; however, it is the norm for the majority of solicitations. Depending on the type of RFP, the cover page will use one of the following forms:
This guide focuses on the SF33 which appears as the RFP cover page. The top part of the form (Blocks 1 - 8) identifies the number of pages, contract number, solicitation number, type of solicitation, date issued, and contracting officer. The remainder of the form consists of three sections:
SOLICITATION (Blocks 9 - 11) specifies number of copies, delivery location, deadline, name and phone number of the Government's point of contact, RFP table of contents [filled in by Contracting Officer]
OFFEROR (Blocks 12 - 18) specifies minimum acceptance period, prompt payment discounts, acknowledgement of amendments, offeror contact information and signature, offer date [filled in by Offeror]
AWARD (Blocks 19 - 28) specifies amount awarded, accounting, invoicing and payment information, name and signature of contracting officer, award date [filled in by Contracting Officer]
- SF33 Solicitation, Offer and Award – used to procure services/commodities
- SF1449 Solicitation/Contract/Order for Commercial Items – used to procure commercial items
- SF1442 Solicitation, Offer and Award (Construction, Alteration or Repair) – used for construction procurements
This guide focuses on the SF33 which appears as the RFP cover page. The top part of the form (Blocks 1 - 8) identifies the number of pages, contract number, solicitation number, type of solicitation, date issued, and contracting officer. The remainder of the form consists of three sections:
SOLICITATION (Blocks 9 - 11) specifies number of copies, delivery location, deadline, name and phone number of the Government's point of contact, RFP table of contents [filled in by Contracting Officer]
OFFEROR (Blocks 12 - 18) specifies minimum acceptance period, prompt payment discounts, acknowledgement of amendments, offeror contact information and signature, offer date [filled in by Offeror]
AWARD (Blocks 19 - 28) specifies amount awarded, accounting, invoicing and payment information, name and signature of contracting officer, award date [filled in by Contracting Officer]
If your solicitation is at the draft (DRFP) stage, the SF33 form should have a DRAFT watermark and will only be partially filled in.
REVIEW ACTION
SUCCESS TIP
SUBMISSION ACTION
WARNING
REVIEW ACTION
- Double-check the number of pages listed in Block 1 and the RFP contents listed in Block 11 against the set of documents you download from the solicitation web page
- Note the date, time and place of submission (Box #9) and compare against Section L
- Review the validity dates for required for the offer. The default is 60 days, however, the time frame depends on the procurement (Box #12)
SUCCESS TIP
- Get into the habit of downloading and printing the complete RFP
- Assemble the hard copy into a binder and tab each section for quick access
- If any information is in conflict with Section L, always refer to the official SF33. If it is unclear, contact the issuing organization (Box #10)
SUBMISSION ACTION
- An authorized representative from your company must sign and date the SF33 and the SF30 for each RFP amendment (Boxes #14-18). An authorized representative is a person authorized to enter into contracts on behalf of your company
- Indicate discount for prompt payment, if applicable (Box #13)
- Include the signed SF33 and SF30 forms with proposal submission per RFP instructions
WARNING
- Be sure that the solicitation NAICS code is listed in your SAM.gov profile and that your ORCA is up to date
- Failure to submit signed/dated forms including the SF33, SF1449 and any SF30s will result in a non-compliant RFP response. (Box #14)
- Boxes #12 - #18 must be COMPLETELY filled out, signed and submitted with your proposal
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