Vendor Information

• The USPTO FY17 Acquisition Forecast
• The USPTO Acquisition Process
• Small Business Information
• Vendor Invoices

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.   In 1999, as part of the USPTO Efficiency Act, the USPTO was exempted from the Federal Property & Administrative Services Act (FPAS); the Competition in Contracting Act; and Part 6 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). 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:

• PTAG [.pdf]
• PTAG - Notice of PTAG Update, Federal Register /Vol. 78, No. 192 /Thursday, October 3, 2013 /Rules and Regulations [.pdf]
• PTAG - Federal Register Notice

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.

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.

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 Representative.

Small Business Goals

Each year socio-economic goals are established at both the Department of Commerce and agency levels. These goals take into consideration procurement plans and other input throughout the year regarding new procurements. The USPTO has established the following socio-economic goals for FY 2016:

Capability Statement

To have your company included on USPTO's Small Business Core Capabilities List, please e-mail the USPTO's Small Business Office and attach a PDF copy of your capability statement using the Small Business Core Capabilities Input Form. To contact USPTO's Small Business Office, please e-mail SmallBusiness@USPTO.GOV.

Vendor Invoices

Please refer to the Vendor Invoices FAQ for questions regarding submitting vendor invoices and receiving payments for submitted invoices.