Vendor Information

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Office of Procurement awards and administers a wide variety of contracts and simplified purchases for the acquisition of goods and services in support of the USPTO's mission. On this page you'll find information about the USPTO's acquisition process, information for small businesses, links to current acquisition opportunities at the USPTO, and additional information for the vendor community.

The USPTO Office of Procurement continually strives to remain on the leading edge of procurement innovation and current technology. The Office of Procurement uses the USPTO's unique Patent and Trademark Acquisition Guidelines (PTAG) to conduct acquisitions efficiently and in an innovative manner by using a variety of different contract vehicles. It is our goal to identify and utilize new techniques to develop partnerships with industry.

View all procurement opportunities at the USPTO.

Acquisition Process at the USPTO

In striving to remain innovative, to the USPTO employs new procurement techniques and partners with industry whenever possible. Pursuant to the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act (PTOEA), 35 U.S.C. 2(b)(4)(A), the USPTO is exempted from portions of the Competition in Contracting Act, Federal Property and Administrative Services Act, Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act, and the implementing regulations in the Federal Acquisition Regulations, when acting under the PTOEA authority. To leverage this flexibility, a team was formed to research best practices and to draft new procurement guidelines and processes for use at the USPTO. The team's efforts lead to the adoption of the Patent and Trademark Office Acquisition Guidelines, commonly referred to as PTAG.

The PTAG, which became effective on March 10, 2003 (revised October 03, 2013), was adopted for use at the USPTO as an alternative, streamlined contracting approach. The implementation of the PTAG notwithstanding, the USPTO continues to follow the FAR as guidance in our acquisition decisions whenever it is appropriate to do so. Conducting procurements with PTAG-established flexibilities along with the FAR continues to ensure procurements are made fairly and in the best interests of the government. The PTAG guidance includes informing vendors of the rules, as well as compliance with applicable statutes, regulations, and executive orders. However, the PTAG has replaced FAR regulations for the conduct of competitions and competition thresholds.

Learn more about the PTAG:

SAM Registration

The General Services Administration (GSA) has implemented a system for vendors doing business with the Federal Government to manage their entity information in one central location. This new database is the System for Award Management (SAM). The first phase of SAM became effective July 30, 2012, and incorporates capabilities of Central Contractor Registration (CCR), Federal Agency Registration (FedReg), Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), and the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS). All contractors/vendors doing business with or that would like to do business with the USPTO must have an active registration in SAM.

Unsolicited Proposals

Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 15.604 Unsolicited Proposal Submissions Preliminary Information 

“Pursuant to “FAR 15.6 Unsolicited Proposals”, these proposals allow new and specifically, unique, innovative ideas and approaches that have been developed outside the Government to be offered to Government agencies for use in the accomplishment of an agency mission. Specifically, unsolicited proposals “must relate to the agency’s mission”.

Offerors of unsolicited proposals are encouraged to read the “FAR 15.604 Unsolicited Proposal Preliminary Information”. This information is designed to communicate USPTO precursory considerations to interested parties prior to the submission of detailed unsolicited proposals.”

Small Business Information

The USPTO is committed to working with small businesses. Requirements are identified early in the acquisition process to allow for consideration of small, small disadvantaged, woman-owned, Hub-Zone, Veteran (including Service Disabled Veteran), and 8(a) businesses. You can learn more about contracting with the USPTO by visiting our Small business vendors information page.

For questions on opportunities for small, small disadvantaged, woman-owned, Hub-Zone, Veteran (including Service Disabled Veteran), and 8A businesses at the USPTO, please email our Small Business Specialist and Industry Liaison.

Vendor Invoices

USPTO Vendor Portal is a secure web-based service to provide more efficient information flow between the USPTO and our vendor community. The Vendor Portal provides vendors with the ability to manage invoice and deliverable submission electronically as well as obtain status of payments and other pertinent information on your awards. To find more information and how to get started, please refer to the Vendor Portal information page for registration instructions, FAQs and other reference materials.