Understanding Contract Sprints

What Is a Contracting Sprint?

A contracting sprint is a fast-paced process developed by AFWERX to handle the high volume of proposals submitted under the SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) open topic program. It’s designed to speed up evaluation and award timelines, especially for Phase I and Direct to Phase II submissions.

Two Key Phases

  1. Evaluation Sprint (1–2 weeks)
    • Focuses on compliance checks.
    • Common pitfalls include:
      • Incorrect registration on SAM.gov (e.g., registering for grants instead of contracts).
      • Exceeding page limits or violating formatting rules.
    • Non-compliant proposals are quickly discarded to streamline the review of thousands of submissions.
  2. Contracting Sprint (1–2 weeks)
    • Begins after evaluation and selection.
    • Involves rapid back-and-forth communication with contracting officers.
    • Requires quick turnaround (sometimes <24 hours) on requests for documents and signatures.
    • Even previously submitted documents may be requested again—be prepared to resend.

Key Takeaways

  • SBIR awards are contracts, not grants—this distinction matters for eligibility and registration.
  • Compliance is critical—minor errors can disqualify your proposal.
  • Be responsive during the sprint—delays can jeopardize your award.
  • Expect sudden activity after months of silence, especially around mid to late August for recent rounds.

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