§ 1815.405-1 - General.

(a) Solicitations for information or planning purposes are particularly useful when a procurement can be properly negotiated only after potential offerors have had an opportunity to become familiar with a large quantity of data, or when it would be desirable to have industry participation in formulating and reviewing complex specifications or requirements.

(b) Solicitations for information or planning purposes may not be used as a means for prequalifying offerors.

(c) Requirements for automatic data processing equipment or support services to perform specified operations or achieve certain results may be suitable for advance review and comment by the private sector when diverse approaches to accomplishing mission objectives may be feasible. The material made available in advance may vary from a comprehensive draft of a proposed requirement to a partial draft; e.g., statement of work and/or specifications or reports.