FAR 19.202-2—Locating small business sources.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 19.202-2 explains how contracting officers are expected to locate and encourage participation by small business sources before and during the solicitation process. It covers the duty to maximize participation by small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business concerns, and it ties that duty to two practical actions: making every reasonable effort to identify additional small business concerns before issuing solicitations, and publicizing solicitations and contract awards through the Governmentwide point of entry (GPE). The section also points contracting officers to related resources and procedures, including agency small business specialists, SBA Procurement Center Representatives (PCRs), or the alternate process in FAR 19.402(a) when no PCR is assigned, as well as the public notice requirements in FAR subparts 5.2 and 5.3. In practice, this section is about market research, outreach, and visibility: it is intended to broaden competition, improve small business access to federal opportunities, and help agencies meet socioeconomic participation goals. For contracting officers, it means small business outreach is not optional or perfunctory; it is a required part of acquisition planning and solicitation preparation to the extent practicable.
Key Rules
Maximize small business participation
The contracting officer must, to the extent practicable, encourage maximum participation by the listed small business categories in acquisitions. This is a broad policy requirement that applies across small business, veteran-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, HUBZone, small disadvantaged, and women-owned small businesses.
Search for additional sources early
Before issuing solicitations, the contracting officer must make every reasonable effort to find additional small business concerns. This means the search should happen during acquisition planning, not after the solicitation is already out.
Use small business support resources
The effort to locate sources should include contacting the agency small business specialist and the SBA PCR. If no PCR is assigned, the contracting officer should follow the alternate guidance in FAR 19.402(a).
Publicize through the GPE
Solicitations and contract awards must be publicized through the Governmentwide point of entry, consistent with FAR subparts 5.2 and 5.3. This ensures broad visibility and supports competition and transparency.
Follow related FAR procedures
This section works together with FAR 10.002(b)(2) on market research and FAR 5.2/5.3 on synopsis and award notice requirements. The contracting officer should treat these as connected steps in the acquisition process, not separate or isolated tasks.
Responsibilities
Contracting Officer
Make every reasonable effort before issuing solicitations to identify additional small business concerns, consult the agency small business specialist and SBA PCR when appropriate, and ensure solicitations and awards are publicized through the GPE.
Agency Small Business Specialist
Assist the contracting officer in identifying small business sources, improving outreach, and supporting efforts to increase small business participation in acquisitions.
SBA Procurement Center Representative (PCR)
Provide small business advocacy and source-identification support to the contracting officer; if no PCR is assigned, the contracting officer should use the alternate process referenced in FAR 19.402(a).
Agency
Maintain the acquisition support structure and public posting processes needed to help contracting officers locate small business sources and comply with GPE publicity requirements.
Small Business Community
Respond to outreach and public notices, register and maintain visibility in procurement systems, and compete for opportunities made available through solicitation and award publicization.
Practical Implications
This section makes small business outreach a required acquisition-planning step, so contracting officers should not wait until the solicitation is finalized to look for additional sources.
A common pitfall is treating the small business specialist or PCR contact as a formality; the rule expects a real effort to use those resources to broaden the market.
Publicizing only the solicitation without properly posting the award, or vice versa, can create compliance gaps because the section requires both solicitations and contract awards to be publicized through the GPE.
The phrase "to the extent practicable" gives some flexibility, but it does not eliminate the duty to document reasonable efforts and show that outreach was actually attempted.
For contractors, the practical effect is that opportunities are more likely to be visible and competitive, but only firms that keep their registrations and capability information current are likely to be found during market research.
Official Regulatory Text
The contracting officer shall, to the extent practicable, encourage maximum participation by small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business concerns in acquisitions by taking the following actions: (a) Before issuing solicitations, make every reasonable effort to find additional small business concerns (see 10.002 (b)(2)). This effort should include contacting the agency small business specialist and SBA PCR (or, if a PCR is not assigned, see 19.402 (a)). (b) Publicize solicitations and contract awards through the Governmentwide point of entry (see subparts 5.2 and 5.3 ).