Reviewing Opportunities and Asking Questions

Purpose: This guide walks offerors through monitoring open solicitations on the Industry Dashboard, tracking critical RFP deadlines, drafting formal solicitation Q&A inquiries for government contracting officers, and understanding when to contact Symphony Support for technical platform help.


Table of Contents

1. Monitor Solicitations and Key Deadlines

2. Draft and Submit Formal Government Questions

3. Review Released Questions and Answers


Before You Start

Make sure you know the following essential facts before reviewing opportunities or submitting questions:


  • Government Q&A vs. Technical Support: The Ask Questions feature inside a solicitation is only for official solicitation/RFP questions directed to the government Contracting Officer. Apex Logic Support cannot view or answer questions submitted via the solicitation Ask Questions button. For technical platform assistance (e.g., upload errors, missing agency IDs, login issues), submit a ticket directly to the Symphony Support Desk.
      
  • Urgent Program Office Inquiries: If you have an urgent question or need immediate clarification close to a deadline, offerors may also email the government program office directly using the official solicitation email specified in the RFP (e.g., oasisplus@gsa.gov, astro@gsa.gov, alliant3@gsa.gov, polaris@gsa.gov).
      
  • Irreversibility of Submitted Government Questions: Questions submitted to the government program office cannot be recalled, edited, or deleted. Review all drafted inquiries carefully before final submission.
      
  • Independent Draft Storage: Unsubmitted draft questions are saved locally within your company's submission workspace, allowing multiple team members to collaborate before finalizing.
      
  • Strict Q&A Deadlines: The government program office enforces a firm cutoff for Q&A submissions. Once the Q&A Deadline passes, the Ask Questions button is automatically disabled.


Knowing Where to Send Your Question

Before submitting an inquiry, determine whether your question is about the RFP Rules (Government) or the Symphony Platform (Technical Support):


Question Type
Who Answers?
Where to Submit
Examples
Government RFP / Solicitation Inquiries
Contracting Officer / Government Evaluation Team
Solicitations → Ask Questions button in Symphony OR direct RFP email (e.g., oasisplus@gsa.gov)
"Does Attachment J-1 require a signed CPARS?"

​"Will the government accept commercial past performance?"


Clarification on RFP Section L/M rules.
​
Symphony Technical Platform Support
Apex Logic / Symphony Help Desk Team
Symphony Support Desk 
(Click Support or Help and Information at top right or email 
​client.support@apexlogic.com)
"I get an error uploading my 15MB PDF."

"Our Federal Agency ID is missing from the picklist."

"How do I force a SAM.gov refresh for a Team Member?"


Steps

1. Monitor Solicitations and Key Deadlines

  1. Log in to Symphony and navigate to the Solicitations tab on your main Industry Dashboard.
      
  2. Review active opportunity cards to locate your target contract vehicle, pool, or domain.
      
  3. Identify the two primary operational deadlines listed on the solicitation card:
    • Q&A Deadline: The exact date and time (Eastern Time) after which no further questions can be submitted to the government.
        
    • Solicitation Deadline: The final cutoff for submitting or modifying your complete proposal package.
        

Solicitations tab showing RFP cards with highlighted Ask Questions buttons.

Solicitations tab showing RFP cards with highlighted Ask Questions buttons.

 

2. Draft and Submit Formal Government Questions

When the Q&A period is active, use the integrated question builder to submit formal RFP inquiries to the Contracting Officer.


WARNING: Do not use this form to ask for technical help with Symphony! The government evaluation board may ignore technical software tickets, and our support desk will not be notified.


  1. Click the Ask Questions button on the opportunity card. (This opens your Q&A workspace displaying both unsubmitted drafts and previously submitted questions).
      
  1. Fill in the required inquiry fields:
    • RFP Section / Reference: Cite the specific RFP section, paragraph, or attachment (e.g., Section L.5.1.2 or Attachment J-1).
       
    • Question / Clarification Request: Draft a clear, concise question regarding the solicitation requirements.

  2. Click Save and Add to List to store the question in your company's unsubmitted queue.
      
  3. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for all additional questions your team wishes to ask.
      
  4. Review the list of drafted questions in your queue.
      
  5. Click Submit Questions to officially transmit the batch to the contracting agency.


Ask Questions workspace displaying the question entry form, RFP reference field, and the 'Save and Add to List' and 'Clear' action buttons.

Ask Questions workspace displaying the question entry form, RFP reference field, and the 'Save and Add to List' and 'Clear' action buttons.


3. Review Released Questions and Answers

When the government program office responds and posts answers via Symphony, official Q&A responses are published directly inside the portal.

  1. Navigate to the Solicitations tab on your Industry Dashboard.
      
  2. Click the View / Released Answers button on the solicitation card.
      
  3. Review published responses and government answers to verify whether solicitation amendments require updates to your project data, business factors, or proposal files.


Troubleshooting

IssueRoot Cause​Fix
I submitted a technical support question in the Ask Questions workspace, but no one responded.
Technical platform questions were sent to the government Contracting Officer instead of Apex Logic Support.
Contracting Officers cannot address software issues or reset user accounts. Contact the Symphony Support Desk directly for platform assistance.
​
The Ask Questions button is missing or disabled.
The official government Q&A window has closed, or Q&A was not enabled for this solicitation.
Check the Q&A Deadline on the solicitation card. If the deadline has passed, Symphony automatically disables question submissions per Contracting Officer instructions. If urgent, email the program office directly (e.g., oasisplus@gsa.gov).
​
I made a mistake in a submitted question and need to change it.
Submitted questions are transmitted directly to government evaluation boards.
Questions cannot be recalled, edited, or deleted once submitted. If critical information was incorrect, draft a new follow-up question before the Q&A deadline passes.
​
Can other offerors see my draft questions before I submit?
Unsubmitted questions are visible to registered users within your own company account.
Other offerors cannot see your draft or submitted questions. Government program offices publish answers publicly, but vendor identity remains anonymous.
​
The Submit Proposal button is disabled while I am reviewing Q&A.
System configuration during active Q&A periods.
In certain portal configurations, proposal submission is paused during active Q&A windows to ensure vendors review final RFP amendments before submitting. The submit button reactivates once the Q&A period closes.
​


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