PTAG Intent to Sole Source – Tango “On-the-Spot” Award Cards
Department of Commerce · U.S. Patent and Trademark Office · DEPT OF COMMERCE PTO
Account requiredWhy it scored this way
Every reason behind the verdict rather than the headline one — which of your certifications match, how much runway is left, whether the work is your size, and what we would need to know to sharpen it.
Written against this notice and what you have told us about your company. Anything we do not know is marked [NEEDS INPUT] in the draft rather than guessed at — read it before you send it.
Start a free trial to draft these. Nothing is sent to an agency on your behalf, ever — you get a document to review, edit and submit yourself.
Sources Sought response
A complete draft response — capability statement, relevant past performance, business size and socioeconomic status, and answers to the agency's specific questions.
Questions to submit
Genuine ambiguities and requirements that disadvantage a smaller bidder, drafted as questions you can submit before the Q&A deadline.
Past performance write-ups
Which of your prior awards best match this requirement, and draft write-ups in the format the agency asked for.
Solicitation details
Solicitation number
ACQ-27-0160
Notice type
Special Notice
NAICS
455219
Set-aside
Unrestricted
Posted
2026-08-18
Response deadline
Aug 27, 2026, 1:00 PM UTC
Place of performance
Alexandria, VA
Contracting contact
kendall.jones1@uspto.gov
Market intelligence
Account requiredWho wins this work, and what it pays
Comparable awards under NAICS 455219 at this agency — the incumbent, what they were paid, when their period of performance ends, and the real pricing distribution rather than the headline number. From public federal award records.
PTAG Intent to Sole Source – Tango “On-the-Spot” Award Cards (ACQ-27-0160) PTAG Part 6.1.1 Synopsis – Intent to Sole Source The USPTO is conducting this procurement using its unique procurement authority under the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act 35 U.S.C. § 2(b)(4)(A) and the implementing guidelines of the Patent and Trademark Office Acquisition Guidelines (PTAG). https://federalregister.gov/a/2013-24316. Specifically, the USPTO is using the Alternative Competition Method. When using its unique procurement authority, the USPTO is exempted from a large number of procurement statutes and various FAR parts. As an integral part of “The Employee On-The-Spot Award” program (EOTSAP), The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), /Office of Human Resources (OCAO/OHR), intends to award on a sole source basis a FAR 12 Purchase Order to TANGO CARD, INC. of 4700 42ND AVE SW STE 430A Seattle, WA 981164589. UEI: D872VAJFUCN5. to provide electronic/virtual gift cards and allow the individual employee to select the gift card of their choice from a wide variety of options (merchants), allow for distribution of the gift cards virtually/electronically and allow Human Capital program administrators the ability to administer the overall purchase and distribution of the gift cards on-line. EOTSAP is an employee recognition program where the employee is awarded a gift card from the available selection on hand, for the specified award dollar amount to recognize the specified employee for day-to-day efforts that exceed their normal performance and is not connected to their annual performance appraisal. Tango Card, Inc. is the only vendor identified with the capability to permit employee selection of the specific gift card from a variety of businesses and electronically transmit that selected gift card to the employee via email Tango Card Inc. previously provided gift cards in support of EOTSAP. Through that effort, a centralized administrative portal was established to track all gift card activity, including issuance dates, access dates, and balance changes. Procuring additional cards through Tango Card will allow the new purchases to be incorporated into the existing portal without the need incur associated setup costs. Using the current active portal also preserves continuity of data across which is critical for consistent tracking, reporting, and oversight. The portal’s existing administrative capabilities, including real-time activation, immediate digital delivery, and automated audit trail generation, are necessary to support strict federal accounting requirements for participant incentives. Market research indicates that alternative vendors do not offer the same integrated tracking functionality needed to mitigate fraud, waste, and abuse without significant manual workarounds. Transitioning to another vendor would require duplicative administrative setup, creation of redundant tracking systems, and additional transition-related costs. In addition, the contractor’s proprietary portal has already been reviewed and authorized for use. As a result, Tango Card is uniquely positioned to fulfill this requirement efficiently and without disruption to ongoing operations. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals, nor will a solicitation be issued to the public. Any questions regarding this notice must be submitted in writing via email to the following point of contact (POC) and alternate point of contact no later than 9:00 AM ET on Thursday, August 27, 2026. POC: Kendall Jones at Kendall.jones1@uspto.gov Alternate POC: Christopher Ward at Christopher.ward@uspto.gov NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE PTAG SYNOPSIS STATEMENT The subject requirement is being procured using the Alternative Competition Method in accordance with the Patent and Trademark Office Acquisition Guidelines (PTAG) and the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act 35 U.S.C. 2(b)(4)(A) DISCLAIMER All information received in response to this Special Notice that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this special notice. ###
Contact
Point of contact
Kendall Jones
Role
not stated on this notice — SAM publishes a role for only about 5% of them, so this may be a contract specialist rather than the contracting officer
Email
kendall.jones1@uspto.gov
Secondary
Christopher.Ward@uspto.gov
Submit questions
Ambiguities and requirements worth clarifying, written as questions you can send before the deadline.
Opens in your own mail client, addressed and with a subject line — you write the message. GovSprint never sends anything on your behalf.
Emails open in your mail client and are sent from your address, so the reply comes back to you and the exchange stays yours. Confirm the correct channel and any question deadline on the notice before sending — many solicitations require questions in a specific way.
