WHY USE FOIA?
For government procurement competitions, you need all of the information that you can find. This is true whether you are seeking competitive grants or contracts, competing for tasks under indefinite quantity contracts, or selling from a GSA schedule. Bid and grant announcements provide the front door to information about competitions, but government documents gained through FOIA requests provide a big back door for gaining marketing intelligence. The Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) makes a broad range of government documents and data publicly available. Federal agencies have FOIA offices that coordinate the responses to requests for information. By law, the agency must provide a prompt response to your request. In some cases, you will be charged for photocopying and/or preparation of the information. FOIA documents are useful throughout the procurement lifecycle. Early intelligence will help you assess whether to invest in a competition. You may also gain technical information that e
