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Responding to government RFIs, RFQs, and RFPs for body armor

What an RFI, an RFQ, an invitation for bids and an RFP each ask for, the registrations a federal offer depends on, and how to tie every body armor claim to a record.

ArmorList Editorial·December 15, 2025·4 min read

A government solicitation for body armor asks two things at once: whether the offeror is eligible to be considered, and whether the product meets the requirement. A response can fail on the first before anyone reads the second. This article sets out what each kind of solicitation asks for under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the registrations a federal offer depends on, and how to tie each product claim to a record. It is orientation, not legal advice.

Where a response can fail

  • Eligibility: the FAR requires offerors and quoters to be registered in SAM.gov when they submit an offer or quotation, with listed exceptions.
  • Responsiveness: in sealed bidding, a bid must comply in all material respects with the invitation to be considered for award.
  • Product claims: a claim that a model meets an NIJ standard should resolve to that exact model on the NIJ Compliant Products List (CPL), with its status and the date it was read.
  • Evaluation: in a negotiated buy, the solicitation states the factors that decide the award and how much each one weighs.

Reading the instrument

Each kind of solicitation asks for something different.

  • Request for information (RFI). The FAR describes it as a way for the government to get price, delivery, market or capability information for planning, when it does not yet intend to award. Responses are not offers and cannot be accepted to form a contract.
  • Request for quotations (RFQ). Under simplified acquisition, a quotation is not an offer. The government's order is the offer, and a contract forms when the supplier accepts it.
  • Invitation for bids (IFB), sometimes called a request for bids. Sealed bidding turns on responsiveness: a bid that departs from the invitation in a material way is not considered.
  • Request for proposals (RFP). In a negotiated buy, the agency may use a tradeoff, where it can accept other than the lowest price when the benefit merits the cost, or lowest price technically acceptable. The solicitation says which, and states the evaluation factors.

The FAR is being rewritten through the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul, and agencies adopt the rewritten parts by class deviation. Read the clauses and instructions in the solicitation itself, not only the FAR text you remember.

Registration and identifiers

SAM.gov registration has to be renewed every 365 days to stay active. SAM.gov issues the Unique Entity ID (UEI), a 12-character code that does not expire once issued. The CAGE code is managed by the Defense Logistics Agency, and SAM.gov assigns one to a U.S. entity that has none after it submits its registration. A non-U.S. entity requests an NCAGE code before it registers. SAM.gov's status tracker shows an entity's status to a signed-in user; non-federal users can check only entities linked to their own SAM.gov account.

State, local and cooperative buys

State and local buyers use their own procurement rules, registrations and forms. Cooperative contracts are another route. For body armor, NASPO ValuePoint lists master agreements established by Colorado as lead state, for products that meet NIJ and ASTM requirements. A state signs a participating addendum before its agencies can buy from a NASPO ValuePoint master agreement. Confirm the rules for the buyer and the vehicle before writing the response.

Tying each claim to a record

  • For NIJ body armor, name the exact model as it appears on the CPL, the standard (0101.07 or 0101.06), and its status on the date you read it. The CPL is per model: a company's other listed models do not cover this one.
  • For a plate tested in conjunction with a specific soft armor model, say so, and name that model.
  • For shields, cite ASTM E3347 by edition and attach the test report for the exact model.
  • Keep spec sheets, test reports and the CPL reading consistent with each other in the same package.

What to check before you submit

  • SAM.gov registration active, with its expiration date noted, and the UEI and CAGE code as registered.
  • The type of solicitation, its instructions and its evaluation factors, read from the solicitation.
  • Every required form and format, answered as the solicitation asks.
  • Each product claim resolved to a model, a standard, a status and a date.
Read the solicitation for what it asks, confirm your registration before it opens, and tie every product claim to the record for the exact model, with the date you read it.

Sources

  1. FAR 15.201, Exchanges with industry before receipt of proposalsRead September 29, 2026
  2. FAR 13.004, Legal effect of quotationsRead September 29, 2026
  3. FAR 14.301, Responsiveness of bidsRead September 29, 2026
  4. FAR 15.101, Best value continuum (15.101-1 Tradeoff process; 15.101-2 Lowest price technically acceptable)Read September 29, 2026
  5. FAR 4.1102, System for Award Management, PolicyRead September 29, 2026
  6. Acquisition.gov, FAR Overhaul, FAR Part Deviation GuidanceRead September 29, 2026
  7. SAM.gov, Get Started with Registration and the Unique Entity IDRead September 29, 2026
  8. SAM.gov, Check Entity StatusRead September 29, 2026
  9. GSA, Unique Entity ID (SAM) Frequently Asked QuestionsRead September 29, 2026
  10. NASPO ValuePoint, Body Armor and Ballistic Resistant ProductsRead September 29, 2026
  11. NASPO ValuePoint, FAQs for BuyersRead September 29, 2026
  12. NIJ, Compliant Products List: Ballistic Resistant Body ArmorRead September 25, 2026
  13. CJTTEC, Compliant Product ListsRead September 25, 2026
  14. CJTTEC, Body Armor FAQsRead September 25, 2026
  15. ASTM E3347/E3347M-26, Standard Specification for Ballistic-Resistant Shields Used by Law Enforcement OfficersRead October 1, 2026
  16. SAM.gov, Entity Registration ChecklistRead October 1, 2026
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TopicsGovernment contractingProcurementCompliance