Term
Procurement forecast
An agency's published list of contracting opportunities it expects to compete in the coming year, an estimate, not a promise.
Most agencies publish a forecast, usually updated periodically, listing the work they expect to compete over the coming year, often with a rough estimated value, timing, and anticipated set-aside decision. It is meant partly as a small business outreach tool, giving you enough lead time to research the agency, find teaming partners, or reach out before a solicitation exists. Treat every detail as tentative: timing slips, scope changes, and plenty of forecasted items never get competed at all, so a forecast is a research starting point, not a calendar you can rely on.
In a sentence
"The agency's forecast lists this requirement as an anticipated small business set-aside with an estimated release in the next fiscal year." That gives you months of lead time to position yourself, but treat the timing and the set-aside decision both as estimates that can still change before anything is actually posted.
Also called
- agency forecast
- acquisition forecast
- forecast of contracting opportunities
Terms like this show up in every federal notice. We translate them in place, on every notice in your trade.