A sole-source contract is awarded to one contractor without competing the requirement. FAR Part 6 establishes the limited circumstances under which sole-source is allowed: only one responsible source available, unusual and compelling urgency, industrial mobilization, international agreement, statutory authorization (including small business set-asides), public interest determinations, or national security. Each authority requires a Justification and Approval document signed at a contracting officer level appropriate to the contract value.
For small business contractors, the most common path to sole-source is statutory authorization through set-aside programs. Contracting officers can issue sole-source contracts to 8(a), SDVOSB, HUBZone, and WOSB firms up to specific dollar thresholds set by the SBA. Above those thresholds, the requirement must be competed, typically among other certified firms in the same set-aside. The sole-source authority within a set-aside program is the sharpest tool in the federal small business toolkit — the difference between competing for an opportunity and being handed it.
Sole-source pursuits look different from competed pursuits. There is no formal RFP, no proposal volume, no Section L or Section M. The work happens upstream: building a relationship with the program office, demonstrating unique fit, and giving the contracting officer the language for a defensible Justification and Approval. Capture intelligence for sole-source pursuits centers on identifying which agencies have a documented history of sole-source actions in the firm's NAICS codes, which contracting officers have signed past justifications, and where upcoming requirements align with sole-source authority thresholds.