This part prescribes acquisition policies and procedures for use in acquiring information technology consistent with other parts of this regulation and OMB Circular No. A-130, Management of Federal Information Resources.

This part applies to the acquisition of information technology by or for the use of agencies except for acquisitions of information technology for national security systems. However, acquisitions of information technology for national security systems shall be conducted in accordance with 40 U.S.C. 1412 with regard to requirements for performance and results-based management; the role of the agency Chief Information Officer in acquisitions; and accountability. These requirements are addressed in OMB Circular No. A-130.

"Modular contracting," as used in this part, means use of one or more contracts to acquire information technology systems in successive, interoperable increments.

"National security system," as used in this part, means any telecommunications or information system operated by the United States Government, the function, operation, or use of which--

(a) Involves intelligence activities;

(b) Involves cryptologic activities related to national security;

(c) Involves command and control of military forces;

(d) Involves equipment that is an integral part of a weapon or weapons system; or

(e) Is critical to the direct fulfillment of military or intelligence missions. This does not include a system that is to be used for routine administrative and business applications, such as payroll, finance, logistics, and personnel management applications.

"Year 2000 compliant," as used in this part, means, with respect to information technology, that the information technology accurately processes date/time data (including, but not limited to, calculating, comparing, and sequencing) from, into, and between the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and the years 1999 and 2000 and leap year calculations, to the extent that other information technology, used in combination with the information technology being acquired, properly exchanges date/time data with it.

Subpart 39.1--General

In acquiring information technology, agencies shall identify their requirements pursuant to OMB Circular A-130, including consideration of security of resources, protection of privacy, national security and emergency preparedness, accommodations for individuals with disabilities, and energy efficiency. When developing an acquisition strategy, contracting officers should consider the rapidly changing nature of information technology through market research (see Part 10) and the application of technology refreshment techniques.

(a) Prior to entering into a contract for information technology, an agency should analyze risks, benefits, and costs. (See Part 7 for additional information regarding requirements definition.) Reasonable risk taking is appropriate as long as risks are controlled and mitigated. Contracting and program office officials are jointly responsible for assessing, monitoring and controlling risk when selecting projects for investment and during program implementation.

(b) Types of risk may include schedule risk, risk of technical obsolescence, cost risk, risk implicit in a particular contract type, technical feasibility, dependencies between a new project and other projects or systems, the number of simultaneous high risk projects to be monitored, funding availability, and program management risk.

(c) Appropriate techniques should be applied to manage and mitigate risk during the acquisition of information technology. Techniques include, but are not limited to: prudent project management; use of modular contracting; thorough acquisition planning tied to budget planning by the program, finance and contracting offices; continuous collection and evaluation of risk-based assessment data; prototyping prior to implementation; post implementation reviews to determine actual project cost, benefits and returns; and focusing on risks and returns using quantifiable measures.

(a) This section implements Section 5202, Incremental Acquisition of Information Technology, of the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-106). Modular contracting is intended to reduce program risk and to incentivize contractor performance while meeting the Government's need for timely access to rapidly changing technology. Consistent with the agency's information technology architecture, agencies should, to the maximum extent practicable, use modular contracting to acquire major systems (see 2.101) of information technology. Agencies may also use modular contracting to acquire non-major systems of information technology.

(b) When using modular contracting, an acquisition of a system of information technology may be divided into several smaller acquisition increments that--

(1) Are easier to manage individually than would be possible in one comprehensive acquisition;

(2) Address complex information technology objectives incrementally in order to enhance the likelihood of achieving workable systems or solutions for attainment of those objectives;

(3) Provide for delivery, implementation, and testing of workable systems or solutions in discrete increments, each of which comprises a system or solution that is not dependent on any subsequent increment in order to perform its principal functions;

(4) Provide an opportunity for subsequent increments to take advantage of any evolution in technology or needs that occur during implementation and use of the earlier increments; and

(5) Reduce risk of potential adverse consequences on the overall project by isolating and avoiding custom-designed components of the system.

(c) The characteristics of an increment may vary depending upon the type of information technology being acquired and the nature of the system being developed. The following factors may be considered:

(1) To promote compatibility, the information technology acquired through modular contracting for each increment should comply with common or commercially acceptable information technology standards when available and appropriate, and shall conform to the agency's master information technology architecture.

(2) The performance requirements of each increment should be consistent with the performance requirements of the completed, overall system within which the information technology will function and should address interface requirements with succeeding increments.

(d) For each increment, contracting officers shall choose an appropriate contracting technique that facilitates the acquisition of subsequent increments. Pursuant to Parts 16 and 17 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, contracting officers shall select the contract type and method appropriate to the circumstances (e.g., indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contracts, single contract with options, successive contracts, multiple awards, task order contracts). Contract(s) shall be structured to ensure that the Government is not required to procure additional increments.

(e) To avoid obsolescence, a modular contract for information technology should, to the maximum extent practicable, be awarded within 180 days after the date on which the solicitation is issued. If award cannot be made within 180 days, agencies should consider cancellation of the solicitation in accordance with 14.209 or 15.206(e). To the maximum extent practicable, deliveries under the contract should be scheduled to occur within 18 months after issuance of the solicitation.

Agencies shall ensure that contracts for information technology address protection of privacy in accordance with the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) and Part 24. In addition, each agency shall ensure that contracts for the design, development, or operation of a system of records using commercial information technology services or information technology support services include the following:

(a) Agency rules of conduct that the contractor and the contractor's employees shall be required to follow.

(b) A list of the anticipated threats and hazards that the contractor must guard against.

(c) A description of the safeguards that the contractor must specifically provide.

(d) Requirements for a program of Government inspection during performance of the contract that will ensure the continued efficacy and efficiency of safeguards and the discovery and countering of new threats and hazards.

When acquiring information technology that will be required to perform date/time processing involving dates subsequent to December 31, 1999, agencies shall ensure that solicitations and contracts--

(a)(1) Require the information technology to be Year 2000 compliant; or

(2) Require that non-compliant information technology be upgraded to be Year 2000 compliant prior to the earlier of--

(i) The earliest date on which the information technology may be required to perform date/time processing involving dates later than December 31, 1999, or

(ii) December 31, 1999; and

(b) As appropriate, describe existing information technology that will be used with the information technology to be acquired and identify whether the existing information technology is Year 2000 compliant.

The contracting officer shall insert a clause substantially the same as the clause at 52.239-1, Privacy or Security Safeguards, in solicitations and contracts for information technology which require security of information technology, and/or are for the design, development, or operation of a system of records using commercial information technology services or support services.