Are there any socioeconomic goals for JWOD?Contracting officers have expressed concern about contracting with JWOD because there are no formal socioeconomic goals for JWOD and they have other socioeconomic goals to meet. Although there are no formal goals, JWOD spending is removed from the total agency budget against which the small business percentage goal is applied. In other words, the dollars spent on JWOD contracts are subtracted from the acquisition base which agency small business goals are applied. This is because the agency has no discretion in where to place JWOD awards as they are a directed source. JWOD contract actions should be reported to FPDS but are excluded from the base goal. For more information visit the SBA site here.
How are problems resolved under the JWOD Act? FAR 8.7 states, “Supplies and services provided by JWOD participating nonprofit agencies shall comply with the applicable Government specifications and standards cited in the order.” Further, FAR provides guidance when quality issues arise: “When quality problems cannot be resolved by the JWOD participating non-profit agency and the ordering office, the ordering office shall first contact the central nonprofit agency (NISH or NIB) and then, if necessary, the Committee for resolution.” Back to top
How long does it take to add a New Service or Product to the Procurement List?A good “rule of thumb” is that it takes 180 days to negotiate and add a new service to the Procurement List. Contracting officers may not award orders directly to the nonprofit agency (except in highly extraordinary circumstances) until the Procurement List addition process is completed. Back to top
Procurement List Mandatory – when a product or service is on the Procurement List, it is mandatory that the contracting officer buy from the designated nonprofit agency. The goal, if stated, would be that 100 percent of the orders are placed with the mandatory source.