Glossary / Solicitations, Business Development
Unsolicited proposal
An unsolicited proposal is an offer submitted without a solicitation, for a unique or innovative method or idea the submitter originated, that the agency could not reasonably obtain through competition. FAR 15.6 sets the content, the agency's evaluation process and the protections on the proposal's data. If the agency wants the idea, it may negotiate a sole-source award on the basis that the proposal is unique; a proposal that merely offers a commercial product or a service the agency could compete is returned.
Why it matters to your pipeline
Unsolicited proposals are rare and rarely funded, but for a firm with a genuinely new capability they are a legitimate door, and the research agencies keep it open on purpose. The better-trodden paths for new ideas are broad agency announcements, SBIR topics and commercial solutions openings, which exist so companies do not have to use FAR 15.6. A vCM steers an innovative client to those first.
When this term shows up in an opening GovSmith finds for you, your vCM explains what it means for that pursuit and does whatever it calls for. You decide; we do the work.
Example
A startup submits an unsolicited proposal to a Navy laboratory for a sensor-fusion method it patented. The lab finds the method unique, obtains a justification and awards a $600K study contract without competition.
Find out what applies to you
Some terms will matter to your business right away and some won’t for years. A vCM can tell you which are which.