The SF-30, "Amendment of Solicitation/Modification of Contract," is the form the government uses to change a solicitation after it's posted, and later to change a contract after award. Before award it's called an amendment. If you're bidding, every SF-30 matters: failing to acknowledge one is one of the most common reasons a good offer is rejected.
What an amendment can change
- The due date or time (often extended, sometimes shortened).
- The scope, drawings, specifications or quantities.
- The wage determination: a new Davis-Bacon or Service Contract Act rate that changes your labor price.
- Answers to bidders' questions and site-visit notes.
- Line items (CLINs) or option years in the price schedule.
Amendments are posted on SAM.gov as attachments to the same notice. Check the notice right up to the deadline, because a late amendment can land days before bids are due.
The three ways to acknowledge an amendment
Block 11 of the SF-30 tells you how offers must acknowledge it. The usual options are:
- Sign and return the SF-30: fill in blocks 15A–15C (your name, signature, date) and return the number of copies requested, before the deadline.
- Acknowledge it on your offer form: list the amendment number and date in the acknowledgment block of the form you're submitting, for example the amendments block on the SF-1442 or the SF-33, or as instructed on an SF-1449.
- Send a separate letter or electronic message that names the solicitation and amendment numbers, received before the deadline.
The acknowledgment has to be received by the office and time set for receipt of offers. If an amendment changes your price, you can change your offer in the same way, before the deadline.
The blocks you fill in
| Block 9A / 9B | The solicitation number and date the amendment applies to. Check it matches the bid you're working on. |
|---|---|
| Block 11 | How offerors must acknowledge, and whether the due date changed. Read it first. |
| Block 14 | The description of what changed. Often "see continuation pages": read every page. |
| Block 15A–15C | Your name and title, signature and date, if you return the SF-30 itself. |
| Block 16 | The contracting officer's signature. Leave it alone. |
Checklist before you submit
- Open the notice on SAM.gov and list every amendment number (0001, 0002, ...).
- Read each one and update your price, schedule and documents.
- Acknowledge every amendment in the way block 11 allows, including ones that only extend the date.
- Use the latest wage determination from the amendments.
- Check the notice once more on the due date.
Frequently asked questions
What is an SF-30?
The government's standard form to amend a solicitation before award or modify a contract after award.
Do I have to acknowledge every amendment?
Yes. An offer that doesn't acknowledge a material amendment can be rejected. Acknowledge all of them, even ones that look minor.
Can I acknowledge an amendment by email?
Often yes, if block 11 or the solicitation allows a letter or electronic communication. It must name the solicitation and amendment numbers and arrive before the deadline.
Want it done for you?
Seal the Bid tracks every amendment on your bid, updates the price sheet and acknowledges each one correctly, from $495. You set the price, sign and submit. See the contracts that fit you.