The SF-1442 ("Solicitation, Offer, and Award – Construction, Alteration, or Repair") is the cover form on most federal construction bids. The government fills in the top. You fill in the middle and sign it, and that page becomes your legal offer. If the agency accepts it, the bottom section turns it into the contract.
The three parts of the form
- Solicitation (blocks 1–13), filled in by the government. The solicitation number, the project, where and when bids are due, and whether a bid guarantee is required.
- Offer (blocks 14–20), filled in by you. Your company, your price, and your signature.
- Award (blocks 21–28), filled in by the government if you win.
What you fill in
| Block 14 | Your company's legal name and address, exactly as it appears in SAM.gov. Include your UEI. |
|---|---|
| Block 15 | Phone number. |
| Block 16 | Remittance address, if payments go somewhere other than block 14. |
| Block 17 | Your offer: the price, or "see attached bid schedule" with the schedule attached, plus how many days your offer stays open. Use at least the minimum the solicitation asks for. |
| Block 18 | You agree to provide the required bonds within the stated time if you win. |
| Block 19 | Acknowledgment of amendments: list every amendment number and its date. This is the block that trips people up most. |
| Block 20 | Name and title of the person authorized to sign, their signature, and the date. |
What usually goes with it
- The bid schedule (section B), with a price for every line item and option.
- A bid guarantee, when block 13 says one is required. Usually this is a bid bond for 20% of your bid price, up to $3 million.
- Any representations or forms the solicitation lists that aren't already covered by your SAM.gov registration.
Errors that get an SF-1442 thrown out
- An amendment missing from block 19, unless you returned a signed SF-30 for it.
- No signature in block 20, or a signature from someone not authorized to commit the company.
- A price that doesn't match the bid schedule.
- Changing the government's terms, or adding conditions like "price valid only if…". On a sealed bid, that makes the bid non-responsive.
- A missing bid bond when one was required.
Sealed bid vs. proposal
The SF-1442 is used both for sealed bids (lowest responsive, responsible bid wins, and bids are opened publicly) and for negotiated proposals (price plus other factors like experience). The solicitation tells you which. With sealed bids, small mistakes are fatal because the government can't let you fix them after opening. That's why checking the form twice is worth more than shaving another 1% off the price.