SOO vs. SOW: What Changes When the Government States Objectives
Who defines the approach, what the offeror writes, and how evaluation shifts
A Statement of Work (SOW) describes the work the contractor must perform, often including tasks, deliverables, and schedule. A Statement of Objectives (SOO) states the government's high-level goals and leaves the approach to offerors, who typically respond with their own Performance Work Statement (PWS) or SOW that becomes part of the contract.
At a Glance
SOW
- Written by: The government
- Level of detail: Task level
- Offeror's job: Show understanding and ability to perform the defined work
- Evaluation emphasis: Understanding, compliance, capability
- Common use: Well-defined requirements, including many R&D and product efforts
SOO
- Written by: The government; the offeror writes the PWS or SOW
- Level of detail: Objective level
- Offeror's job: Design the approach and propose how performance will be measured
- Evaluation emphasis: Quality and feasibility of the proposed approach and standards
- Common use: Performance-based acquisitions where the agency wants industry to propose solutions
What Is a Statement of Work?
A SOW is a government-written description of the work required under a contract. It typically sets out tasks, deliverables, and often schedule, leaving the offeror to show that it understands the work and can perform it.
What Is a Statement of Objectives?
A SOO states the acquisition's objectives at a high level and is provided in place of a government-written work statement. It is closely associated with performance-based acquisition under FAR Subpart 37.6.
Offerors respond by proposing their approach, usually along with a PWS, performance standards, and measures. The winning offeror's work statement then becomes part of the contract.
Responding to a SOO
A SOO response is a design exercise. The technical volume has to present a coherent solution, and the proposed PWS has to describe work in measurable terms the government can monitor. Evaluators judge the approach itself along with the offeror's ability to deliver it.
That changes planning. A SOO response usually needs more solution development time, earlier involvement from technical leadership, and careful consistency between the technical approach, the proposed PWS, and the price.
How This Page Relates to SOW vs. PWS
This comparison is about where the approach comes from: the government or the offeror. The SOW vs. PWS comparison covers a different question, the difference between a task-based work statement and a results-based one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the SOO become part of the contract?
Usually the contractor's proposed PWS or SOW becomes the contract's work statement. How the SOO itself is treated after award depends on the solicitation and the resulting contract.
What is a QASP?
A Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan describes how the government will monitor contractor performance against the standards in the PWS. Some solicitations ask offerors to propose a draft QASP along with the PWS.
Is a SOO the same as a PWS?
No. A SOO states objectives and is written by the government. A PWS describes required results in measurable terms, and in a SOO-based acquisition it is often written by the offeror.