FAR 13.102—Source list.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 13.102 explains how contracting officers should build and use vendor source lists for simplified acquisition procedures. It covers the requirement to use the System for Award Management (SAM) as the primary source of vendor information, the option for offices to maintain additional vendor source files or listings, and the need to identify the socioeconomic status of vendors when that status is known to the contracting office. The section specifically lists the status categories that may be tracked: small business, small disadvantaged business, women-owned small business, economically disadvantaged women-owned small business, women-owned small business eligible under the WOSB Program, HUBZone small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, and veteran-owned small business. It also explains that this status information may be used to help ensure small business concerns receive the maximum practicable opportunity to respond to solicitations issued under simplified acquisition procedures. In practice, this section supports market research, vendor outreach, and small business participation goals by giving contracting offices a lawful and practical way to identify and consider qualified sources.
Key Rules
Use SAM first
Contracting officers should use the System for Award Management at SAM.gov as the primary source of vendor information. This makes SAM the default source for identifying and verifying vendors for acquisition planning and solicitation purposes.
Additional source lists allowed
Offices may maintain additional vendor source files or listings, but these are supplemental to SAM rather than replacements for it. If such lists are kept, they should be organized and maintained in a way that supports acquisition needs.
Track known socioeconomic status
When the contracting office knows a vendor’s status, the office should identify it in the source list. The regulation specifies the status categories that may be recorded, including several small business subcategories and veteran-related categories.
Status categories are specific
The section identifies the categories that may be tracked: small business, small disadvantaged business, women-owned small business, economically disadvantaged women-owned small business, WOSB Program-eligible women-owned small business, HUBZone small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, and veteran-owned small business. These categories help offices target outreach and evaluate sources for set-aside or socioeconomic objectives.
Support maximum practicable opportunity
Status information may be used to help ensure small business concerns receive the maximum practicable opportunity to respond to solicitations issued using simplified acquisition procedures. This ties source-list management directly to small business participation goals.
Responsibilities
Contracting Officer
Use SAM.gov as the primary source of vendor information, and use known vendor status information to support market research, source selection, and simplified acquisition solicitations. The contracting officer should ensure that small business concerns are given maximum practicable opportunity to compete when simplified acquisition procedures are used.
Contracting Office
If the office maintains additional vendor source files or listings, it must identify the status of each source when that status is known to the office. The office should keep the list aligned with the categories recognized in this section and use it to support outreach and vendor identification.
Agency/Activity Maintaining Vendor Lists
Maintain any supplemental vendor source files in a way that supports acquisition planning and small business participation. The agency should ensure the lists are current enough to be useful and that status information is captured only when known.
Small Business Program Personnel
Use source-list status information to help identify capable small business concerns and support maximum practicable opportunities under simplified acquisition procedures. They may also assist contracting personnel in outreach and vendor development.
Practical Implications
SAM.gov should be the starting point for vendor research, not an afterthought. If an office relies heavily on local lists, it still needs to treat SAM as the primary source.
Supplemental source lists can be useful, but only if they are maintained and status information is accurate. Outdated or unverified status data can lead to poor outreach decisions and missed small business opportunities.
The status categories in this section are not generic labels; they map to specific socioeconomic programs and should be used carefully. Misclassifying a vendor can affect competition strategy and small business compliance efforts.
For simplified acquisitions, this section reinforces the need to think about small business participation early. Contracting officers should use source lists to broaden competition and avoid unnecessarily limiting the pool of capable vendors.
A common pitfall is treating source-list status as a substitute for current SAM registration or other required representations and certifications. Source lists are a planning and outreach tool, not a replacement for required vendor registration and eligibility checks.
Official Regulatory Text
(a) Contracting officers should use the System for Award Management (see subpart 4.11 ) via https://www.sam.gov as their primary sources of vendor information. Offices maintaining additional vendor source files or listings should identify the status of each source (when the status is made known to the contracting office) in the following categories: (1) Small business. (2) Small disadvantaged business. (3) Women-owned small business concern, including economically disadvantaged women-owned small business concerns and women-owned small business concerns eligible under the Women-owned Small Business (WOSB) Program. (4) HUBZone small business. (5) Service-disabled veteran-owned small business. (6) Veteran-owned small business. (b) The status information may be used as the basis to ensure that small business concerns are provided the maximum practicable opportunities to respond to solicitations issued using simplified acquisition procedures.