Acquisition begins long before an acquisition request is generated by an individual or office requiring the purchase of a good or service. It begins with the strategic planning process and carries through final assessment of whether what was acquired achieved or helped to achieve the mission which the acquisition supported.

Even though the procurement process starts with the Customer, Acquisition professionals must reach out and partner with these customers (Line and Corporate Offices and Department of Commerce colleagues) to help manage a complex acquisition process in an environment of constrained budgets and growing demands and expectations.

The Customer identifies their need, develops specific requirements, and provides funding. The Customer and Contracting Officer work together to conduct market research which includes reviewing mandatory sources to determine the availability of the supply/service. The Customer documents the requirement and research results in a Procurement Request.

The Federal Acquisition Regulation FAR 2.101 defines acquisition planning as…the process by which the efforts of all personnel responsible for an acquisition (The Acquisition Team is defined in FAR 1.102-3) are coordinated and integrated through a comprehensive plan for fulfilling the agency need in a timely manner and at a reasonable cost. It includes developing the overall strategy for managing the acquisition. FAR 1.102-2(a)(7) requires all member of the (Acquisition) Team to employ planning as an integral part of the overall process of acquisition products or services.

According to FAR 7.104 Acquisition planning should begin as soon as the agency need is identified, preferably well in advance of the fiscal year in which contract award or order placement is necessary. Acquisition planning is an ongoing and continuous effort in support of NOAA business operations and NOAA program execution. It is important that NOAA Acquisition and Grants Office (AGO) be engaged early in all program planning phases from strategic planning to annual guidance. Acquisition planning is crucial for the NOAA Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution System (PPBES). The details of the NOAA PPBES are provided in the NOAA Business Operations Manual. Early and frequent coordination between program activities and The Acquisition office (AGO) enhances NOAA's ability to meet mission requirements through well-planned, resourced, and efficient acquisitions that align to the NOAA mission and NOAA strategic plan. For more information see the AGO website section discussing Forecasting and Advanced Acquisition Planning System (FAAPS) .

In developing the plan, the customer FAR 7.101 is responsible for forming a team consisting of all those who will be responsible for significant aspects of the acquisition, such as contracting, fiscal, legal, and technical personnel.

Once contacted by the customer, the Contracting Officer (CO) establishes a unique file to house both required and supporting documentation from the commencement of the procurement through the life of the contract. This file serves as a background for informed decisions at each step of the acquisition process, provide information for reviews and investigations, and furnish essential facts in the event of litigation or Congressional inquiries.

1.1 Defining Requirements

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One of the most crucial, steps in the procurement process is defining and describing the requirement in a writing. The better a requirement description, the more likely the Government will obtain the desired supply or service at an acceptable price with adequate delivery terms. A good-quality description enables the Contracting Officer to choose the most suitable procurement method.

CAM 1307.1 designates the Program Official serving as the “planner” who must begin the acquisition process by developing a full understanding of the needs of their program and considerations for accomplishing the planned acquisition. The Customer/Program Official shall discuss with the servicing contracting office, topics ranging from defining the need, market research results, potential sources, small business considerations, expected delivery or period of performance, and an appropriate acquisition strategy to meet the procurement goal. These discussions will culminate in an acquisition plan that consists of a milestone schedule to accompany the complete acquisition package (see CAM 1307.1 Appendix B for acquisition package requirements).

FAR 11 specifies that when describing agency needs, acquisition of supplies or services should be stated in terms of a) functions to be performed, b) performance required, or c) essential physical characteristics. Requirements should be developed in a manner that promotes competition, allows for use of commercial items, eliminates restrictive features, and includes only what is essential to satisfy the Government’s minimum needs and is authorized by law. If the requirement is a product (supplies), the Contracting Officer should be given all possible information relating to that product, an explanation of its desired functionality, and data regarding the end user’s need. These will all facilitate working towards a viable implementation or installation schedule.

1.1.1 Supplies Top of Page

A Requirements Document/ Description should adequately state the Government’s needs. When acquiring supplies, the Contracting Officer should include the following:

· Common nomenclature (commercial description)

· Kind of material

· Electrical data (if applicable)

· Dimensions, size, capacity

· Principles of operation

· Restrictive environmental conditions

· Intended use

· Equipment with which the item is to be used

· End item application

· Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) part number (if applicable)

· Other pertinent info, as needed

Special Note: Military/Federal Specifications (MIL/FED)

Describing requirements in terms that commercial offerors can recognize and obtaining commercial items is the preferred method within NOAA. MIL/FED Specifications should only be used in cases where it is the only way to describe the requested item. However, if the Customer describes the requirement through use of a MIL/FED Specification, ordering data must be included in each Specification. In addition, when a MIL/FED specification is used, the buyer must verify that the item is not on a Qualified Products List (QPL). If a QPL does apply, award can only be made to a Contractor who is listed on the QPL. For more information on QPL’s, see FAR 9.203.

1.1.2 Service Top of Page

FAR 37.102(f) specifies that agencies shall establish effective management practices in accordance with Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Policy Letter 93-1, Management Oversight of Service Contracting, to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse in service contracting. In addition, the Department of Commerce Departmental Administrative Order (DAO) DAO 208-10 Management of Contracted Services, as amended) provides policy and guidance to ensure that service contracts:

Support DOC objectives.
Utilize performance-based methods to the maximum extent practicable.
Contain clear requirements.
Identify measurable outcomes.
Are properly planned and administered.
Achieve the intended results.

Use the NOAA Acquisition Strategy Requirements template to assist in development of acquisition strategy for contracted services.

For service acquisitions, the Procurement Request description should be detailed and specific so as to adequately identify potential Offerors, support needed, intended duration of services to be provided, and the Government’s expectations and should include the following:

Performance Work Statement (PWS) that provides required outcomes and quality standards. (Performance-Based Acquisition is the preferred method to procure services.)
Place of performance
Period of performance or delivery schedule for supplies
Key experience or skills required of Contractor personnel
Current DOC policy (PM 2008-01 Using Performance-Based Acquisition to Meet Program Needs specifies that Performance-Based Acquisition (PBA) is the preferred method for obtaining services. The following links provide additional information regarding PBA:

PBA procurements state what needs to be accomplished, not how, and consist of a Performance-based Work Statement (PWS), Measurable Performance Standards, Remedies and/or Incentives, and a Performance Assessment Plan or Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP).

All service contracts, whether performance-based or not, requires the use of a QASP in accordance with FAR 46.103(a) to measure performance. Contracting Officers are responsible for ensuring a QASP is prepared by the Project Officer for service contracts (see Sample QASP for CPFF Contract). The appointed Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) utilizes the QASP in conducting surveillance and oversight of Contractor performance.

See CON 110 Requirements Overview and Acquisition Lessons Learned from GAO Protests in the January 2005 edition of The Advisor for more information.

For other considerations in planning see APG 1.7

1.1.3 Major System Acquisitions Top of Page

Program Manager Qualifications. Program Managers for Major Systems Acquisitions must meet the training and experience standards provided in the Federal Acquisition Certification for Program and Project Managers (FAC P/PM) provided in OFPP Memorandum “The Federal Acquisition Certification for Program and Project Managers” dated April 25, 2007.

Also see: CAM Notice 10-11 PPM Certification Program and CAM 1301.671 Department of Commerce Program and Project Manager Certification Program.

Department of Commerce Approvals for Major Systems Acquisitions. In addition to NOAA Council approvals, an acquisition valued at $10 Million or more will require review and approval by either the Department of Commerce Investment Review Board or the Department of Commerce Acquisition Review Board.

1.2 Funding of Requirements

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Funding lies at the core of all Government functions. The proper use of funds from a variety of sources is essential for accountability of the taxpayer's money. To ensure that expenditures are charged to the proper accounts, the Customer and Contracting Officer should check with the Comptroller and Counsel and be familiar with the constraints and controls placed on various types of funds.

1.2.1 Appropriate Use of Funds Top of Page

Many questions arise concerning how to appropriately use funds to accomplish the various missions of the DOC/NOAA. Procurement officials and those in supervisory and command positions must be aware that the consequence of using NOAA funds inappropriately could lead to a member or employee being held personally responsible for commitments and purchases made by them. For this reason, any question of whether a contemplated action is appropriate must be resolved prior to entering any agreement that commits (or appears to commit) the NOAA to payment. Procurement officials and others shall seek the advice of Chief Financial Officer and/or Counsel to ensure actions are legitimate and legal prior to any action taken.

Procurement officials should ensure that written guidance is received for questionable procurements and include that guidance in the procurement files.

The Comptroller General of the United States has reviewed many such inquiries and has issued published rulings on them. A compilation of decisions of the Comptroller General is contained in the "Principles of Federal Appropriations Law," available on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) website.

Note: FAR 31.205-32 allows for the incurrence of pre-contract costs when necessary for a required delivery schedule to be met.

1.2.1.1 Business Cards Top of Page

The Justice Department has ruled that government agencies may use appropriated funds to purchase business (calling) cards. The Chief Financial Officer/Assistant Secretary for Administration, Department of Commerce, has issued supplemental guidelines which supports this policy.

Appropriated funds may be used for the purchase of business cards (which must be used solely for conducting NOAA related business) under the following conditions:

A Senior Executive Service (SES) Director; or designee, within a NOAA Line, Staff or Program office serves as approving official for those NOAA employees within his/her organization authorized to use this program (employees, during the course of transacting business on the behalf of NOAA, should have a real and frequent need for the use of a business card);
Business cards will be procured solely through the Real Property Facilities and Logistics Office, Logistics Division, Logistics Management Branch. See Department of Commerce Publishing and Printing Management Manual, Chapter 4. 108 Business Cards at http://www.osec.doc.gov/oas/md/Publishing&PrintingManual_9-04.pdf.

1.2.1.2 Food Top of Page

Appropriated funds may not be used to purchase food for non-Federal attendees at agency-sponsored conferences.

There is a general prohibition against the use of appropriated funds for subsistence (i.e., food) at meetings. Agency-sponsored conferences are “meetings” for purposes of 31 U.S.C. § 1345; therefore, light refreshments and meals at such meetings constitute “subsistence expenses,” and are prohibited under that section.

An agency may have food available at its conference by entering into a no-cost contract with a conference planner who can collect registration fees from participants to cover the expense of food. In addition, if the event is being held with a non-profit partner, there may be alternatives which can be discussed with Counsel.

For current Guidance see: Effective Immediately – New Legal Guidance Regarding the Use of Appropriated Funds to Purchase Food for Non-Federal Attendees at Agency-Sponsored Conferences dated April 2, 2008.

1.2.1.3 Give-Away Items Top of Page

Appropriated funds shall not be used to purchase give-away items. All such items are viewed by GAO as personal gifts, for which appropriated fund use is not appropriate. The only exception is when there is a direct connection between a particular give-away item and the purpose for which the appropriation was made. Further, it must be determined that the item was essential to the carrying out of such purpose.

1.2.1.4 Organizational Mementos Top of Page

If a requiring activity has funds, they may be used to purchase mementos (not exceeding $200 in cost) used in connection with ceremonies, dedications, or official functions. These mementos may not be personal items, but rather official mementos, such as plaques.

1.2.1.5 Printing and Duplication Top of Page

Offices serviced by Acquisition Divisions within the NOAA HQ Area (D.C. metropolitan area) must coordinate with the NOAA Office of Printing and Visual Arts see NAO 201-32C).
Offices serviced by field Acquisition Divisions shall coordinate with the GPO Regional Printing Office for their specific region (see NAO 201-32C).

1.2.1.6 Tax Exemption Top of Page

Generally, the U.S. Government is exempt from payment of taxes on purchases. This exemption applies to purchases of both property and material acquired with appropriated funds for Government use. The exemption does not apply to items purchased by Contractors or the Federal Excise Tax imposed on specific items (e.g., tires). Contractors are required to include all Federal, state and local taxes in their bid/quote in accordance with FAR 52.229-3; it is improper for a Government official to provide a tax exemption certificate or number to a Contractor who is purchasing items necessary to perform a contract (e.g., construction).

1.2.2 Basic Fiscal Controls Top of Page

Appropriated funds are subject to three basic fiscal controls:

Purpose. Appropriations shall be applied only to the objects for which the appropriations were made except as otherwise provided by law. For example, salary and benefits funding should not be used to purchase new aircraft. In addition, Contracting Officer use of non-DOC contracts needs to conform to the intended use of those contracts. For example, an Information Technology (IT) IDC should not be used to procure logistics support.

Time. An appropriation is available only for payment of expenses properly incurred during the period of availability, or to complete contracts properly made during the period of availability. This is also referred to as the "Bona Fide Needs" rule.

Amount. An officer or employee of the United States Government may not make or authorize an expenditure or obligation exceeding an amount available in an appropriation or fund for the expenditure or obligation, or involve the Government in a contract or obligation for the payment of money before an appropriation is made unless authorized by law. This is also known as the Anti-Deficiency Act (ADA). The extended duration of continuing resolutions in recent years requires acquisition professionals to devote additional attention to ensure compliance with this Act and to avoid major disruptions to essential government services. Absent specific authority, funding under a continuing resolution is generally available only to fund ongoing projects and activities, not new initiatives or projects and provides only partial funding until appropriations have been received. Procurement Memorandum 2008-05 provides guidance on conducting acquisitions under a Continuing Resolution.

Of the three basic fiscal controls, the purpose statute most often arises as a point of concern. Probably the most fundamental statute dealing with the use of appropriated funds is 31 USC 1301(a), which clearly states that “appropriations shall be applied only to the objects for which the appropriations were made except as otherwise provided by law.” It prohibits charging authorized items to the wrong appropriation and prohibits charging unauthorized items to any appropriation. Anything less would render Congressional control meaningless.

1.2.2.1 Budgeting Top of Page

The Customer is responsible for proper budgeting, which is an important precursor to not violating the Antideficiency Act. The Contracting Officer has ultimate responsibility for ensuring the appropriate funding is available for obligation at contract award.

1.2.2.2 Antideficiency Act Top of Page

This Act prohibits obligation or expenditure of Government funds in excess of amounts appropriated by Congress or in excess of amounts permitted by regulations; forbids the obligation of any funds in advance of the official appropriation of funds; requires the head of each Government agency to establish an administrative control system for the purposes of keeping obligations within the amount of apportionment and enabling the agency to detect and report violations of the Antideficiency Act through the Executive Branch to Congress. For more information about this topic see http://www.gao.gov/ada/antideficiency.htm

1.2.2.3 Funding Indefinite Quantity Contracts Top of Page

A high-risk area for Contracting Officers when it comes to the Antideficiency Act is in funding the minimum in the case of indefinite quantity contracts. In the case of indefinite quantity contracts for supplies or services that specify delivery of minimum quantities during a given period, an obligation shall be recorded upon execution of the contract for the cost of the minimum quantity specified.

1.2.2.4 Appropriations Top of Page

Proper use of appropriations is imperative. Contracting Officers must ensure that the specified appropriation/funds in the Procurement Request (PR) are appropriate for the supplies/services required. Funding law violations not only risk the public’s view of the integrity of NOAA – they also may and have resulted in the loss of limited and much-needed funds. For more information on Appropriated Funds, read The General Accountability Office’s Principles of Federal Appropriations Law.

The table “NOAA Appropriations Lifecycle” summarizes NOAA appropriations along with obligation periods. For further guidance on avoiding misappropriation, see the DOC Financial Management Handbooks and the NOAA Finance Handbook.

NOAA Appropriations – Lifecycle

Years For
Appropriation	New Obligation Unexpired	Obligations, Adjust. & Disburse. Expired	Closed End of Year Canceled
NOAA 1 Year	1	2-6	6
NOAA 2 Year	2	3-7	7

Closed (Canceled) Appropriations. An appropriation that is no longer available for the adjustment or payment of obligations. Appropriations are closed (canceled) after being in the expired status for five years. A Comptroller General opinion has provided agencies with authority to make disbursement adjustments to closed appropriations to correct errors only.

Expired Appropriation. An appropriation whose period of availability for incurring new obligations has expired but the appropriation is not closed (canceled). During this period, the appropriation is available for adjustment to, or payment of, existing obligations. Appropriations remain in an expired status for 5 years as shown in the table above. At the end of the five-year expiration period, the appropriation is closed (canceled) and is no longer available for the payment of unliquidated obligations.

Funding of severable services across fiscal years is feasible if the period of the contract awarded, option exercised, or order placed does not exceed one year. See FAR 37.106.

For more information on financial matters, visit the NOAA Budget Office website at http://www.corporateservices.noaa.gov/~nbo/ and the NOAA Finance Office website at http://www.corporateservices.noaa.gov/~finance/.

Continuing Resolution. Procurement Memorandum 2008-05 provides guidance on conducting acquisitions under a Continuing Resolution.

A high-risk area for Contracting Officers when it comes to the Antideficiency Act is in funding the minimum in the case of indefinite quantity contracts. In the case of indefinite quantity contracts for supplies or services that specify delivery of minimum quantities during a given period, an obligation shall be recorded upon execution of the contract for the cost of the minimum quantity specified.

1.2.2.5 Acquisitions Subject to the Availability of Funds Top of Page

What is the correct course of action when the Customer must have an order in place for continuing services (never new requirements or actions) on 1 October? Typically, Congress has not yet appropriated the funds necessary to commit the Government to the expenditure and The Anti-Deficiency Act prohibits a Contracting Officer from obligating funds in advance of the appropriation. Nevertheless, FAR 32.703-2 has included provisions that will enable the Contracting Officer to issue orders in advance of the appropriation for requirements of continuing supplies and/or services. The Contracting Officer may initiate a contract action properly chargeable to funds of the new fiscal year before these funds are available, provided that the contract includes the clause at FAR 52.232-18, Availability of Funds (see FAR 32.705-1(a)).

This authority may be used only for operation and maintenance and continuing services (e.g., rentals, utilities, and supply items not financed by stock funds) that are necessary for normal operations and for which Congress previously had consistently appropriated funds, unless specific statutory authority exists permitting applicability to other requirements.

Additionally, the Purchase Order/Delivery Order/Task Order must include FAR 52.232-18 Availability of Funds and FAR 52.232-19 Availability of Funds for the Next Fiscal Year if the contract is a one-year indefinite quantity funded by annual appropriations.

Once funds have been appropriated, a modification to the order must be issued, citing the authority of the Availability of Funds clause. The amount of funds made available should be indicated in the modification. For example, if a Continuing Resolution is in effect (funding for continued operations for a short period of time such as one month), the modification should indicate that funds are available for that period of time only, such as “This modification is issued to provide funds for the period of October 1 through October 31, 20XX in the amount of $5,000.”

This type of modification should be issued until the entire appropriation has been received. At that time, the Contracting Officer should issue a modification to the order that provides funds for the remainder of the fiscal year. This enables a Contractor to perform work, invoice, and receive payment.

The Government shall not accept supplies or services under a Purchase Order/Modification conditioned upon the availability of funds until the Contracting Officer has given the Contractor notice. This notice must be confirmed in writing, by issuance of a modification, that funds are available.

1.3 Market Research

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Market research is conducted first by the Customer/Project Officer and again by the Contracting Officer before soliciting offers. Prior to initiating a procurement action, the Customer and Contracting Officer must perform due diligence in assessing what products or services are currently available. The results should be an element of the Acquisition Plan (see APG 1.4). Market research also helps is to identify potential sources that satisfy the Government’s mandate to support socioeconomic program such as should the requirement be set-aside for small business concerns or solicited on an unrestricted basis.

Market research will significantly impact the selection of evaluation factors, contracting and source selection methods, and amount and type of requested proposal information. The extent of market research will vary depending on such factors as urgency, estimated dollar value, and complexity of the requirement, and past performance. The Customer/Project Officers should document the results of market research in a manner appropriate to the size and complexity of the acquisition. Market research should accomplish the following objectives:

Identify products and technologies, particularly to determine if a commercial item can meet the Government’s requirements.
Identify the size and status of potential vendors.
Assess the competitiveness of the market.
Identify commercial practices.

The extent of market research will vary depending on such factors as urgency, estimated dollar value, complexity of the requirement, and historical purchases of the item. Although not formally required for acquisitions under the SAT, market research should be conducted by the Contracting Officer to the maximum extent practicable. Market research can provide information on the availability of commercial or non-developmental items in the marketplace, which manufactures or sells the item, and number of sources available. FAR 10 describes the requirements and procedures for conducting market research. The GSA Acquisition Market Research web-site located at https://www.acquisition.gov/buyers_market_research.asp is available to assist the customer and contracting officer in their market research efforts.

.Special Note: Once the PR package has been submitted to the Contracting Officer, all communications with industry must be initiated and led by the Contracting Officer and not the Project Officer.

1.3.1 Market Research Prior to Award of Task Order/Delivery Orders under an Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (ID/IQ) Contract Top of Page

FAR 10.001 requires agencies to conduct market research appropriate to the circumstances before awarding a task order or delivery order under an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (e.g., GWACs, MACs) for a non-commercial item in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT). Market research involves obtaining information specific to the item being required. The extent of the market research will vary, depending on such factors as urgency, estimated dollar value, complexity and past experience. The Contracting Officer may use market research conducted within 18 months before the award of any task or delivery order if the information is still current, accurate and relevant.

1.3.2 Market Research Techniques Top of Page

Targeted market research – e.g., calling vendors to inquire about their ability to meet a NOAA requirement – is another effective form of market research; the Contracting Officer cannot assume that all available sources have seen a posted requirement. Targeted market research allows the Contracting Officer to ensure small and disadvantaged businesses are aware of the requirement and to make decisions as to whether the procurements should be reserved or set aside in support of various socioeconomic programs. Other market research techniques include scanning federal supply schedules, contacting known suppliers, using the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) at http://www.ccr.gov, online research, and conferring with colleagues or peers. See attached Market Research Helpful Hints and Market Research Checklist and take a look at the GSA Acquisition Market Research web-site at https://www.acquisition.gov/buyers_market_research.asp.

Central Contractor Registration (CCR): An alternative to maintaining a source list is using the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) website to obtain Vendor information. The CCR website is the primary Vendor database for the Federal Government. CCR collects, validates, stores, and disseminates data in support of agency acquisition missions.

Unless an exception exists, prospective prime Vendors must be registered in CCR prior to being awarded a contract, basic agreement, Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA), or Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) (see FAR 4.1102). The Contracting Officer must use CCR to verify that the prospective Contractor is registered in the CCR database.

This policy applies to all types of awards except the following:

Purchases using the Government-wide Commercial Purchase Card a.k.a. Bankcard as both the purchasing and payment mechanism.
Awards to foreign vendors for work performed outside the United States, if it is impractical to obtain CCR registration.
Classified contracts or purchases, when registration in the CCR database, or use of CCR data could compromise the safeguarding of classified information or national security.
Contracts awarded by deployed Contracting Officers in the course of military operations, including, but not limited to, contingency operations as defined in 10 U.S.C. 101(a)(13) or contracts awarded by Contracting Officers in the conduct of emergency operations such as responses to natural disasters or national or civil emergencies.
Purchases to support unusual or compelling needs of the type described in FAR 6.302-2. Use of this exception does not relieve the Contracting Officer from ensuring that the Contractor is registered in CCR prior to the time of payment.
Micro-purchases that do not use the electronic funds transfer (EFT) method for payment and are not required to be reported (see FAR 4.6).

Contacting Industry. The Government is encouraged to exchange information with all interested parties and those exchanges must be consistent with procurement integrity requirements (see FAR 3.104). The purpose of exchanges with industry prior to issuing a Solicitation is explained in FAR 15.201(b) as follows:

The purpose of exchanging information is to improve the understanding of Government requirements and industry capabilities, thereby allowing potential Offerors to judge whether or how they can satisfy the Government's requirements, and enhancing the Government's ability to obtain quality supplies and services . . . at reasonable prices, and increase efficiency in proposal preparation, proposal evaluation, negotiation, and contract award.

On-Site Vendor Demonstrations and/or Product Service Displays. Vendor demonstrations can be a useful way to stay abreast of the types of products, technology and/or services available in the marketplace that may be useful to support NOAA operations and programs. However, they must be properly conducted to ensure they do not pose an unacceptable risk. NOAA Acquisition Alert (AA) 11-03 provides guidance to ensure the demonstrations are properly planned for and authorized, and that the activities do not provide the vendor an unfair competitive advantage, result in a procurement ratification action, or otherwise adversely impact the Bureau. The AA prescribes roles and responsibilities of NOAA staff engaging in vendor demonstration and product/service display activities, including specific responsibilities for the NOAA Sponsor, NOAA LO/SO Division Director and Head of Contracting Office (HCO), as well as the process to be followed in planning for and conducting the demonstrations. This process includes execution of the NOAA Vendor On-Site Demonstration Request and Approvals checklist (Attachment (1) to AA 11-03) and the Vendor Demonstration Agreement (Attachment (2) to AA 11-03). Demonstrations may not be conducted until all required approvals and internal signatures have been obtained, including the signature of an authorized representative of the vendor on the Vendor Demonstration agreement.

Benchmarking with Other Government Agencies and Contacting Government Experts.

Reviewing the market research of others is a technique that can be used by contacting other contracting offices to obtain bidders lists and market research reports pertaining to similar acquisitions.

Attending trade shows, symposia, and conferences.

Reviewing catalogs and trade journals for advertisements, articles on new technology, and benchmark tests.

Conducting an Industry Day event. Typically open forums for exchanges of all types of information not necessarily related to one specific procurement. Industry days related to a specific procurement are referred to as pre-solicitation conferences or site visits. Can cover a broad range of subjects or materials, such as how to do business with NOAA or Small Business opportunities.

Issuing a Sources Sought advertisement. May be published as Requests for Information (RFIs) or Sources Sought Notices to Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps). It is designed to identify potential sources for procurements and can provide an opportunity for the marketplace to indicate its interest in submitting offers for future acquisitions. This type of synopsis has particular application when one Contractor is thought to be uniquely capable of meeting the Government’s minimum requirements and verification of this opinion is needed.

Issuing Requests for Information (RFIs). An RFI requests responses from industry (e.g., white papers, capability statements, product brochures) solely for information and planning purposes. RFIs may be used when the Government does not presently intend to award a contract, but wants to obtain price, delivery, other market information, or capabilities for planning purposes. An RFI does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future, and a RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service. (See FAR 15.201(e).) Responses to these notices are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Contracting Officer must post the RFI on www.fedbizopps.gov to notify the public. Although there is no required format for RFIs, see Sample RFI.

Conducting Pre-Solicitation Conferences. This is an opportunity to bring together potential Offerors into a single forum to a) clarify the Government’s requirements b) gather feedback from attendees c) facilitate teaming relationships amongst industry. Feedback can either be questions or suggestions on contractual or technical issues that help to prepare a more solid Solicitation, or questions or suggestions that might reveal current industry capability to satisfy requirements.

All questions and answers from pre-solicitation conferences, whether presented openly in a group discussion or anonymously in written format, must be posted, without attribution, to the www.fedbizopps.gov website. Contracting Officers should ensure that responses to questions and answers do not reveal any proprietary information or divulge potential Offerors.

The exception to this rule would be questions received from potential Offerors that contain trade secrets. If a question posed by a potential Offeror contains trade secrets, the Contracting Officer shall request that the potential Offeror resubmit its question in a form that does not contain such trade secrets so that the question and the answer may be posted to the www.fedbizopps.gov website. If the potential Offeror declines to redact such trade secrets from its question, neither the question nor the answer may be posted to the www.fedbizopps.gov website. (See FAR 15.201(f))

For assistance in creating a pre-solicitation conference brief, see the Pre-Solicitation Brief Template and Sample Industry Day Briefing. The Project Officer and the Contracting Officer are responsible for conducting pre-solicitation conferences. It is imperative that Project and Contracting Officers work closely with Counsel before, during, and after such an event.

Conducting site visits. A Government employee visits various industry partners in the market they are researching to gather information about a particular product or company capability. Or, the Government allows industry to visit a Government facility to better understand a particular requirement.

Accessing Internet databases via search engines keyed to unique terms associated with the subject matter of the source selection.

During an Emergency, the Contracting Officer may also us the following techniques:

Vendor List. Contracting Officers should ensure they add any relevant sources to an existing vendor list or create their own for posterity. Vendor lists are an excellent tool to speed up the contracting process. Ideally www.ccr.gov, the Internet, and state and local resources can provide listings of local vendors.

Disaster Response Registry. This registry contains information on contractors who are willing to perform disaster or emergency relief activities within the U.S. and its outlying areas. It is a voluntary registry, maintained by FEMA, of contractors that are willing to perform debris removal, distribution of supplies, reconstruction, and other disaster or emergency relief activities established in accordance with 6 U.S.C. 796, Registry of Disaster Contractors. The registry is located at www.ccr.gov and alternately through the FEMA website at http://www.fema.gov/business/index/shtm.

Local NOAA Leadership at the Deployed Emergency Acquisition, Contingency, Incident or COOP Site.

Chamber of Commerce and Yellow Pages. Many cities, particularly the larger ones, have a chamber of commerce and a yellow pages section. These are valuable resources.

Taxicab drivers, local government officials, and local clergy.

U.S. Embassy (OCONUS). This can be an excellent source of information. The Embassy General Services Officer (GSO) may be able to provide some contracting support – particularly if the contract is to be written with the host country. Embassies will also be a good resource to help identify the established contracting offices in the local area.

General Contractors. These are contractors who will sell the Contracting Officer everything that is needed, from food to construction at a substantial premium. In some cases, these firms will be the first contractors the Contracting Officer will encounter and they can be very responsive; however, try to limit business with these contractors as they are very expensive and in effect, the Contracting Officer is just "contracting out" the contracting function.

Referrals. If all else fails, the Contracting Officer can refer the purchase request back to the Contracting Officer’s parent organization (if mission-ready) or to other DOC and NOAA procurement offices and acquisition divisions.

1.4 Acquisition Planning

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Acquisition planning is mandated by Federal Acquisition Regulation FAR 7.102(a) for all acquisitions and shall be the first step in any acquisition, beginning as early in the program life-cycle as possible.

Commerce Acquisition Manual (CAM) chapter CAM 1307.1 provides policy and guidance to effectively conduct acquisition planning and develop acquisition plan applicable to all acquisitions within the Department of Commerce (DOC) and its Operating Units and has identified three acquisition planning levels (Advance Acquisition Planning Forecast, Milestone Acquisition Plans and Formal Acquisition Plans) each requiring a different degree of planning. The extent of acquisition planning is contingent upon a variety of factors such as the dollar value of the action, mission criticality, risk level, visibility and project complexity. These factors will determine the applicable acquisition plan to implement for the acquisition. Therefore, the Customer and Acquisition office representative should form a team consisting of those individuals responsible for any significant aspects of the acquisition in order to develop the acquisition plan. Convening an acquisition planning meeting allows key players to discuss any issues that need to be addressed early in the procurement process. Even small procurements benefit from collective discussion and enable sound procurement decisions as part of the acquisition planning process. The result of the acquisition planning meeting should be some form of acquisition plan that establishes items such as contract type, procurement schedule, funding requirements, and budget estimates.

An Acquisition Planning Checklist found at NOAA Acquisition Handbook, Part 7, Exhibit 1 is a helpful tool in the planning process. During the advanced discussion, the Checklist should be reviewed by the Customer and the Acquisition staff representative to identify the reviews/approvals needed for the proposed acquisition.

NOAA uses simplified Milestone Plans unless the acquisition threshold requires a written AP as described above. Note: All acquisitions for services over the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) must have an approved Milestone Plan before Solicitation release. The plans provided should be commensurate with, and tailored to, the dollar value and complexity of the acquisition. See the Simplified Acquisition Procedures and Federal Supply Schedule Plan of Action and Milestones Template.

Although a formal Acquisition Plan is not generally required for orders below the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT), it is recommended that the Contracting Officer utilize a Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) for complex or high dollar value SAP requirements (see SAP and FSS POA&M Template). The POA&M may be used to inform the Customer of the key procurement milestones (e.g., synopsis and technical review) and projected timeframe for award.

Note: All acquisitions for services over the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) shall have an approved Milestone Plan (See NOAA Acquisition Handbook Part 7). See Emergency Acquisition Contracting AP Template.

1.4.1 Advanced Acquisition Planning Forecast Top of Page

Commerce Acquisition Manual (CAM) chapter CAM 1307.1 requires Advance acquisition planning forecasts which only apply to acquisitions where total life-cycle cost exceeds the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT); or acquisitions with life-cycle cost of the SAT or less when simplified acquisition methods are not used. Forecasts involve the identification of planned acquisitions during the budget formulation process and must commence before the fiscal year begins in order to improve scheduling of actions, increase control of fourth quarter obligations, and further opportunities for consolidating requirements.

AGO determines acquisition workload distribution, knowledge requirements, and service levels based on annual Advanced Acquisition Plans (AAP) (see DAO 208-15 Procurement Planning System, CAM 1307.1, FY 2010 Agency Acquisition Planning Instructions, FY 2011 Acquisition Planning Instruction, Federal Advanced Acquisition Planning System (FAAPS) website, NOAA Acquisition Handbook Part 7 and the NOAA Business Operations Manual). In order for AGO to be an effective business partner with supported program offices, it is imperative that AAPs are submitted in accordance with the timelines and procedures established in the NOAA Business Operations Manual and the NOAA Acquisition Handbook.

Milestone Status
CAM Notice 10-19, CAM 1307.1 requires Contracting Officers to update the status of major acquisition milestones in FAAPS (i.e., synopsis posted, solicitation released, offer/proposal due dates, competitive range established, source selection made, award, etc.). Milestone status shall be recorded under the “Procurement Office Comments” field by the assigned Contracting Officer/Specialist and maintained to reflect the most current updates of the acquisition. The Procurement Office field has no edit constraints or size limits. However, since this field will be part of the “public view” option, the comments shall not contain procurement sensitive information.

1.4.2 Milestone Acquisition Plans Top of Page

CAM 1307.1 mandates milestone acquisition plans are required for acquisitions where total life-cycle cost exceeds The Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) but are less than $10 million; or acquisitions with life-cycle cost of the SAT or less when simplified acquisition methods are not used.”

All acquisitions for services over the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) shall have an approved Milestone Plan before Solicitation release. The plans provided should be commensurate with, and tailored to, the dollar value and complexity of the acquisition. See a Template for Simplified Acquisition Procedures and Federal Supply Schedule Planning and Acquisition Milestones.

NOAA Acquisition Handbook, page 81 defines a “Milestone Plan” (MP) as a schedule of planned target dates for key milestones to be met during the acquisition. The MP is initiated and formalized by the CS, is concurred in by the COR and approved as indicated below. A milestone template is provided herein (see NOAA Milestone Plan Template). The Milestone Plan must receive written concurrence from the Contract Specialist and the Contracting Officer’s Representative and must be approved at the following levels:

Dollar Threshold	Information Acquisition Plan - Milestone Approval Level
Below the SAT	Contracting Officer
SAT - $2.5M	Head of Contracting Office (HCO)
$2.5M - Above	Senior Bureau Procurement Official, Director NOAA AGO

1.4.3 Formal Acquisition Plans Top of Page

A formal acquisition plan (written narrative) is required for all acquisitions where total life-cycle cost exceeds $10 million or an acquisition of at any value designated by the Department of Commerce or NOAA, with the exception of unsolicited proposals (per FAR 15.6) and emergency acquisitions. A formal acquisition plan identifies all significant technical, cost and business issues of a requirement and provides specific solutions to address any critical issues in the proposed acquisition.

The formal acquisition plan also requires development of a milestone acquisition plan (see CAM 1307.1 Appendix D which identifies acquisition objectives and outlines the actions, milestones and documents required to meet the acquisition need.

Ensure milestone plans reflect standard procurement administrative lead times (PALT) in accordance with CAM 1307.1 Appendix C and NOAA Acquisition Handbook, Part 7, Exhibit 2.

Contents. The Program Official, with advice and assistance from the Contracting Officer, serves as the “planner” in the acquisition planning process and has overall responsibility for preparing and maintaining acquisition plans and associated documentation, and for obtaining all necessary concurrences and approvals. FAR 7.105 and CAM 1307.1 specifies the elements to be considered in a typical Acquisition Plan including the responsibilities of each of the acquisition planning team members. See NOAA AP Milestone Template.

Safeguarding Information. Milestone and formal acquisition plans contain advance information on proposed acquisitions, which could give prospective contractors an unfair advantage. Therefore, acquisition plans and supporting documentation are considered procurement sensitive.

CAM 1307.1 prescribes the following notice shall be prominently displayed on the front page of all formal acquisition plans:

“This document contains proprietary or source selection information related to the conduct of a Federal agency procurement. The disclosure and receipt of this information is restricted by Section 27 of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C.423). The unauthorized disclosure of this information may subject both the discloser and the recipient to the contractual, civil, and/or criminal penalties as provided by law.”

Each page of the plan shall contain a header identifying the title of the acquisition and a footer identifying the page numbers and the following notice:

“Source Selection Information—See FAR Subparts 2.101 and 3.104-4”

Individuals who participate directly or indirectly in any stage of the acquisition process shall not publicize, discuss or release any information regarding the milestone or formal acquisition plan, supporting documents or other details regarding the proposed acquisition outside DOC or to prospective contractors, except as provided in the FAR.

Reviews and Approvals. Prior to release of the solicitation Formal acquisition plans shall be prepared, reviewed and approved Approval Authority is as follows:

Dollar Threshold	Approval Authority
$5M-$9.999M	Head of Contracting Activity (HCA) (DUS for Oceans and Atmosphere)
> $10M	Department of Commerce Senior Procurement Executive (SPE) and Commerce Acquisition Review Board or Commerce Information Technology Review Board

Dollar Threshold

Approval Authority

$5M-$9.999M

Head of Contracting Activity (HCA) (DUS for Oceans and Atmosphere)

> $10M

Department of Commerce Senior Procurement Executive (SPE)

and

Commerce Acquisition Review Board

Commerce Information Technology Review Board

1.5 Methods to Acquire Goods and Services

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Once a need for supplies/services has been identified, it is essential to determine whether the need can be fulfilled by a required source of supply or service as specified in FAR 8.002. Many of the required sources offer the access to a wide range of supplies and services and provide simple ordering procedures to easily satisfy the Customer’s requirements.

In determining if a required source meets the Government's need, the customer and Acquisition staff should consider factors such as end-function, delivery date, quantity, shipping point, and cost. All procurement actions, regardless of dollar value, shall use the following sources of supplies and services in the order in which they are listed below:

Supplies by Descending Order of Priority

Agency Inventories
Excess From Other Agencies (see FAR 8.1)
Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (UNICOR) (see FAR 8.6)
Supplies which are on the Procurement List maintained by the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled (see FAR 8.7)
Wholesale supply sources such as General Services Administration (GSA) stock programs, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and Military Inventory Control Points (ICPs)
Mandatory Federal Supply Schedules (FSS) (see FAR 8.4)
Optional use FSS (see FAR 8.4)
Commercial Sources (including educational and nonprofit institutions)

Use of other Government Supply Sources

Public utility services (see FAR 41)
Printing and related supplies (see FAR 8.802(a)) and (NAO 201-32C).
Leased motor vehicles (see FAR 8.11)

Services by Descending Order of Priority

Services which are on the Procurement List maintained by the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled (see FAR 8.7)
Mandatory FSS (see FAR 8.4)
Optional use FSS (see FAR 8.4)
Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (UNICOR) (see FAR 8.6) or Commercial Sources (including educational and nonprofit institutions)

There are a number of ways to satisfy a customer’s procurement requirements that cannot be satisfied through the use of “Mandatory Sources” as outlined above. Based on market research and dollar threshold, the Contracting Officer, in consultation with the Project Officer, will determine that requirements may be met using any of the following methods:

· FAR 12 – Acquisition of Commercial Items FAR 12 Process Map;

· FAR 13 – Simplified Acquisition Procedures FAR 13 Process Map;

· FAR 14 – Sealed Bidding FAR 14 Process Map;

· FAR 15 – Contracting by Negotiation FAR 15 Process Map

· FAR 17 – Special Contracting Methods Interagency Acquisitions Under the Economy Act

· FAR 18 – Emergency Acquisition

1.5.1 Agency Inventories Top of Page

The term “agency inventory” refers to in-house stock items (e.g., excess personal property). Per FAR 8.102, when practicable, agency personnel must make positive efforts to satisfy agency requirements by obtaining and using excess personal property (including that which is suitable for adaptation or substitution) before initiating a contract action.

Information regarding the availability of excess personal property can be obtained through the following:

· Review of excess personal property catalogs and bulletins issued by the GSA;

· Personal contact with GSA or the activity holding the property;

· Submission of supply requirements to the regional offices of GSA (GSA Form 1539, Request for Excess Personal Property, is available for this purpose); and

· Examination and inspection of reports and samples of excess personal property in GSA regional offices.

1.5.2 Excess from Other Agencies Top of Page

When an agency is unable to fulfill a requirement using excess personal property, it shall next seek property from other agencies.

1.5.3 UNICOR / Federal Prison Industries (FPI) Top of Page

UNICOR is the trade name for the Federal Prison Industries (FPI) – a self-supporting, wholly owned Government corporation of the District of Columbia that provides training and employment for prisoners in Federal correctional institutions. FAR 8.6 governs the procedures for purchases from UNICOR, which provides a wide range of products and services listed in its FPI schedule that are available for purchase at prices not to exceed current market prices (http://www.unicor.gov/). Supplies manufactured by FPI are in strict conformity with Federal specifications.

Before purchasing a product listed in the FPI schedule, the Contracting Officer must conduct market research and then make a written determination (documented in a Determination and Findings (D&F)) whether or not the FPI item is comparable to supplies available from the private sector that best meet the Government's needs in terms of price, quality, and delivery schedule. The determination is a unilateral decision made solely at the discretion of the Contracting Officer and shall be retained in the contract file. Market research is not required if the purchase will be made from a source other than FPI based on an exception listed in FAR 8.605.

If an item is comparable, it should be purchased from FPI (following procedures at FAR 8.602), unless a waiver is obtained. FPI waivers are discussed at FAR 8.604; waiver requests should be sent electronically to: https://www.unicor.gov. If the item is found to not be comparable, the item should be acquired using competitive procedures (FAR 6.102, FAR 19.5, and FAR 13) or the fair opportunity procedures in FAR 16.505 if placing an order under a Multiple Award Contract (MAC) Delivery Order. If this is the case, FPI is to be solicited in the same manner as other sources.

Authorized Exceptions (FAR 8.605)

Purchase from FPI is not mandatory and a waiver is not required if:

As stated above, the Contracting Officer makes a determination that the FPI item of supply is not comparable to supplies available from the private sector that best meet the Government's needs in terms of price, quality, and time of delivery; and
The item is acquired in accordance with FAR 8.602(a)(4);
Public exigency requires immediate delivery or performance;
Suitable used or excess supplies are available;
The supplies are acquired and used outside the United States;
Items being acquired total $2,500 or less;
Acquiring items that FPI offers exclusively on a competitive (non-mandatory) basis, as identified in the FPI Schedule; or
Services are being acquired.

Items listed in the FPI Schedule of Products are normally ordered using the OF 347, Order for Supplies or Services, or the SF 1449, Solicitation/Contract/Order for Commercial Items. However, FPI also offers a Quick Ship/credit card option for expedited delivery.

1.5.4 Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled Top of Page

Federal agencies and activities are required by the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Act and the rules of the National Industries for the Blind and Severely Disabled (NIB/NISH) to purchase requirements for selected supplies and services from nonprofit agencies employing people who are blind or severely disabled (FAR 8.7) at Committee-established prices if available during the required period.

Contracting Officers should be aware of the supplies/services available under AbilityOne (renamed from JWOD Program in 2006) and utilize them to the maximum extent practicable. The two central nonprofit agencies under AbilityOne/JWOD are:

Before placing orders with any source, buyers must ensure that they have first screened the requirement(s) for mandatory AbilityOne/JWOD products and documented the contract file with the results of the screening. Remember: The contract file must provide an audit trail of all actions taken by the buyer. If there is “special” need for which the A-List product won't work, the file should be annotated. As an example: A buyer purchased a commercial, thick, black marker instead of a Skillcraft marker. Only after some discussion with Command personnel did the reviewing official learn that the marker was needed by divers to mark ships' hulls. AbilityOne/JWOD doesn't make a water insoluble marker and the buyer had failed to adequately annotate the file.

The JWOD Procurement List of supplies and services available from AbilityOne/JWOD agencies. The Contracting Officer must obtain supplies on the JWOD Procurement List from the central nonprofit agency or its designated participating AbilityOne/JWOD nonprofit agency. Consult the AbilityOne/JWOD website for specific ordering information. If supplies on the Procurement List are available from DLA, GSA, or VA facilities, these supplies may be ordered from these agencies in lieu of ordering directly from the AbilityOne/JWOD Program as these agencies also provide the AbilityOne/JWOD products.

1.5.5 Wholesale Supply Sources Top of Page

Wholesale supply source is an umbrella term identifying the various Government-managed supply systems (GSA, DLA, VA , ICPs). Items are obtained utilizing various requisition methods. See 41 CFR 101-26.6 for information on DLA and 41 CFR 101-26.704 for information on VA. The Code of Federal Regulations can be found at: http://www4.law.cornell.edu/cfr/.

1.5.6 Federal Supply Schedules (FSS) Top of Page

The General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) Program (see FAR 38) is authorized to issue Government-Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) – contracts that allow DOC agencies to place orders with commercial firms for services and products at stated prices. Orders are placed directly with the Schedule Contractor and deliveries are made to the Customer. This provides ordering activities with a simplified process for obtaining commonly used supplies and services at prices associated with volume buying.

Placing an order against a GSA FSS, however, is not always an easy or the best solution. Open market competitions generally provide greater flexibility in reserving items to meet socioeconomic goals and particularly for developmental or commercial items, the Government may receive a price benefit as a result of competing the item on the open market. The Contracting Officer is still required to document the reasonableness of the procurement by completing a Business Case Memorandum (BCM) for orders exceeding $100,000 or a Simplified Acquisition Documentation Record for actions below $100,000 but above the micro-purchase threshold.

While prices offered on GSA have been determined to be fair and reasonable, multiple /competing offers can provide lower rates resulting in additional savings to the Government.

Note: Contracting Officers should seek discounts off of the published schedule prices when an order exceeds the maximum order threshold, when the supply or service is available elsewhere at a lower price, or when establishing a BPA to fulfill recurring requirements. The discounts may be based on such things as comparisons with other vendor prices and quantity discounts. For services, the Contracting Officer is responsible for considering the level of effort and the mix of labor proposed to perform a specific task being ordered, and for determining that the total price is reasonable. In addition, if in the Contracting Officer’s judgment, introduction of competition from non-schedule sources would be in the best interest of the Government in terms of price, delivery or quality, non-schedule alternatives should be utilized.

There are two types of GSA FSS:

Single Award Schedule – Only one Contractor is listed to provide the specific supplies.
Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) – Several vendors are listed who offer the same or similar supplies. The Contracting Officer should review and compare among the vendors before making a best value determination. Best value considerations include special features, trade-in considerations, probable life of the item compared with that of a comparable item, warranty, maintenance availability, past performance, and environmental and energy efficiency.

Task and delivery orders to GSA FSS Contractors should be competed to the fullest extent possible. Contracting Officers may solicit quotations from GSA FSS on a sole-source basis (e.g., due to unusual and compelling urgency or exclusive licensing agreement – see APG 1.8.3).

“Best Procurement Approach” – Interagency Acquisitions under Federal Supply Schedules (FSS). FAR 17.5 requires the requesting agency make a determination of best procurement approach for all interagency acquisitions prior to requesting that another agency conduct an acquisition on its behalf. For assisted acquisitions, concurrence of the requesting agency’s responsible contracting office is also required. Also for assisted acquisitions, prior to the issuance of a solicitation, the servicing agency and the requesting agency shall both sign a written agreement establishing the general terms and conditions governing the relationship between them, including roles and responsibilities for acquisition planning, contract execution and administration and management of the contract or order. FAR 17.502-2 contains requirements for the servicing agency for preparation of a business-case analysis when the servicing agency wishes to establish a multi-agency contract in accordance with the Economy Act. FAR 17.5 states a statutory exception for orders of $500,000 or less against Federal Supply Schedules.

1.5.6.1 Ordering Procedures for Supplies or Services Top of Page

Supplies and Services Not Requiring a Statement of Work (SOW) (FAR 8.405-1). Contracting Officers may place orders for supplies or services at or below the micro-purchase threshold with any FSS Contractor that can meet the Government’s needs. Contracting Officers must always attempt to distribute orders among Contractors.

For orders above the micro-purchase threshold but not exceeding the Maximum Ordering Threshold (MOT), the Contracting Officer should consider reasonably available information about the supply or service offered under MAS contracts by surveying at least three schedule Contractors through the GSA Advantage! Online shopping service, or by reviewing the catalogs or pricelists of at least three schedule Contractors.

At a minimum, the Contracting Officer shall document the schedule contracts considered, noting the Contractor from which the supply or service was purchased; a description of the supply or service purchased; and the amount paid.

The Contracting Officer should seek price reductions from the schedule Contractor appearing to provide the "best value." After price reductions have been sought, the Contracting Officer may place the order directly with the Contractor who provides best value and results in the lowest overall cost alternative. The Contracting Officer should then document the analysis and results in the contract file.

Services Requiring a Statement of Work (SOW) (FAR 8.405-2). Contracting Officers may place orders at or below micro-purchase threshold with any FSS Contractor that can meet the Government’s needs. Always attempt to distribute orders among Contractors. For orders exceeding the micro-purchase threshold, but not exceeding the MOT, the Government shall develop a work statement. To the maximum extent practicable, Statements of Work shall be stated as Performance Work Statements (PWS).

The Contracting Officer shall provide the RFQ (including the PWS and evaluation criteria) to at least three schedule Contractors that offer services that will meet the agency’s needs. The Contracting Officer should request that Contractors submit firm-fixed prices to perform the services identified in the statement of work. GSA FSS orders may be placed on a fixed price or time and materials basis. If the requirement cannot be firm fixed price, FSS orders placed on a T&M basis, must be supported by rationale contained in a D&F, as required by FAR 16.601(c).

The Contracting Officer must ensure the PWS specifies the following (minimum) requirements:
The work to be performed;
The location of the work to be performed;
The period of performance;
The delivery schedule;
Any applicable performance standards, and]
Any special requirements (e.g., security clearances, travel, or special knowledge).

At a minimum, the Contracting Officer shall document the procurement file with the following:

The schedule contracts considered, noting the Contractor from which the service was purchased;
A description of the service purchased;
The amount paid;
The evaluation methodology used in selecting the Contractor to receive the order;
The rationale for any tradeoffs in making the selection;
The price reasonableness determination; and
The rationale for using other than a firm-fixed price order or a performance-based order.

1.5.6.2 Additional Ordering Procedures for Orders Exceeding the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) Top of Page

Each order exceeding the SAT shall be placed on a competitive basis unless the requirement is waived on the basis of a justification that is prepared and approved in accordance with FAR 8.405-6 and includes a written determination that –

· A statute expressly authorizes or requires that the purchase be made from a specified source; or

· One of the exceptions to Fair Opportunity applies.

An order exceeding the SAT is placed on a competitive basis only if the Contracting Officer provides a fair notice of the intent to make the purchase, including a description of the supplies to be delivered or the services to be performed and the basis upon which the Contracting Officer will make the selection, to –

· As many schedule Contractors as practicable, consistent with market research appropriate to the circumstances, to reasonably ensure that offers will be received from at least three Contractors that can fulfill the requirements, and the Contracting Officer:

o Receives offers from at least three Contractors that can fulfill the requirements; or

o Determines in writing that no additional contractors that can fulfill the requirements could be identified despite reasonable efforts to do so (documentation should clearly explain efforts made to obtain offers from at least three Contractors); and

o Ensures all offers received are fairly considered; or

o All Contractors offering the required supplies or services under the applicable multiple award schedule, and affords all Contractors responding to the notice a fair opportunity to submit an offer and have that offer fairly considered.

Posting of a Request for Quotations on the GSA’s electronic quote system, “e-Buy” (www.gsaAdvantage.gov), is one medium for providing fair notice to all Contractors.

1.5.6.3 Oral Orders Top of Page

Ordering activities may place oral orders to acquire non-complex supplies and services whenever practicable. Oral orders may not be used for the following: services requiring a Statement of Work; brand name specifications in excess of $25,000; when security requirements apply, the requirement contains options, or when an oral order is not the most economical or practical method to use

1.5.6.4 e-Buy Top of Page

E-Buy is an electronic system that allows Federal buyers to request information, find sources, and prepare RFQs/RFPs online for services and products offered through GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program. E-Buy facilitates the request for and submission of offers for commercial products and services offered through GSA FSS and GWACs. Using the e-Buy system, Contracting Officers may prepare and post an RFQ/RFP for a specified period of time and Contractors may review the request and post a response. E-Buy may be used to provide fair notice to all Contractors.

E-Buy enhances the procurement process for NOAA by leveraging the power of the Internet to increase FSS and GWAC Contractor participation to obtain quotations that result in best value procurement opportunities. For more information, visit https://www.ebuy.gsa.gov/advgsa/ebuy/ctrler/EbuyHome.

GSA e-Buy. A component of General Services Administration (GSA) Advantage, e-Buy is an electronic system that allows Federal buyers to request information, find sources, and prepare RFQs/RFPs online for services and products offered through GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program. E-Buy facilitates the request for and submission of offers for commercial products and services offered through GSA Federal Supply Schedules (FSS) and Government-wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs). Using the e-Buy system, Contracting Officers may prepare and post an RFQ/RFP for a specified period of time and Contractors may review the request and post a response.

1.5.7 Existing Indefinite Delivery Contracts (IDCs) and Multiple Award Contracts (MACs) Top of Page

Contracts established under FSS are generally Indefinite Delivery Contracts (IDCs). IDCs are used when a future need for supplies and services is known, but the exact times and/or quantities of future deliveries may not be known at the time of contract award, allowing the Contracting Officer to place individual DOs or TOs as needs are determined. Contracting Officers should screen local contracts and other NOAA and DOC contracts to attempt to fill Customer requirements utilizing existing IDCs. When issuing DOs/TOs against single award IDCs, the Contracting Officer does not need to seek competition or synopsize, and does not need to negotiate terms or prices.

Firm fixed-price orders are normally placed against IDCs for supplies or services, GSA Schedules, or contracts with Government agencies such as Federal Prison Industries and nonprofit agencies employing people who are blind or severely disabled Industries. Under an IDC, three contract types exist:

· Definite Quantity – in which a known quantity exists yet the delivery schedule is unknown.

· Indefinite Quantity – in which the quantity and delivery schedules are unknown and the IDC promises a minimum quantity to the Contractor.

· Requirements – guarantees that all requirements for contract line items will be ordered from the Contractor that awarded the IDC.

Whether single or multiple award IDC contracts, at a minimum, the IDC contract should include:

· Terms and conditions

· Authorized Contracting Officers and Ordering Offices

· Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) and unit prices

· Basic contract price and any Option period prices

· Minimum/maximum order quantities

· Delivery locations and time frames

Oral Orders. Oral orders may be issued against an IDC if authorized in the basic contract. If payment will be made by the Bankcard issuance of a confirming written order is not required. The cardholder must ensure that the information required by FAR 16.505(a)(6) is documented in the purchase file or on the purchase log or IDC DO/TO log. If payment will not be made by a bankcard, oral orders must be confirmed in writing. The basic contract will provide instruction on ordering and confirmation procedures. See the NOAA Bankcard web site at http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/acquisition/bankcard.cfm for more information.

Multiple Award Contracts (MACs). The Contracting Officer should, to the maximum extent practicable, give preference to making multiple awards under a single Solicitation for the same or similar supplies or services to two or more sources.

Mandatory Use of Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative (FSSI) Blanket Purchasing Agreements (BPAs) for Office Supplies. The General Services Administration (GSA), along with various other federal agencies, is focusing on optimizing federal buying power through strategic sourcing and collaborative efforts. Toward that end, GSA has awarded FSSI BPAs for office supplies. Each BPA has a one-year term with three one-year option periods and has been negotiated to reflect reduced pricing compared to conventional GSA supply schedules and to capitalize on high-volume discounts which will be realized through multi-agency use of these BPAs. The Department of Commerce (DOC) has mandated the use of these BPAs for acquisition of office supplies within DOC with limited exception (See Attachment (1) to PM 2011-03). Attachment to the PM detail the available BPA pools and ordering requirements and procedures that apply, with some distinctions in the procedures for orders under the micropurchase threshold, orders between the micropurchase threshold and the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT) and orders over the SAT (e.g., levels of competition required for each category and when buyers must solicit additional price reductions from vendors); andprescribes the requirements for justification and approval of any exception to the use of FSSI BPAs for acquisition of office supplies through any method or contractual vehicle, including purchase cards.

With the exception of transactions at PaperClips stores, prior to entering into any acquisition of office supplies not obtained through FSSI BPAs, the Contracting Officer or purchase cardholder shall complete a Justification and Approval for Non-Use of FSSI BPA for Office Supplies form, Attachment (2) to PM 2011-03, specifically documenting the basis for the non-use, including supporting documentation, and forward it to the delegated official for review and approval. The PM prescribes the Bureau Procurement Official (BPO) as the approving official; however, further prescribes that this authority may be delegated no lower than the Head of the Contracting Office (HCO) at the discretion of the BPO. NOAA Acquisition Alert (AA) 11-02 delegates the HCO approval authority for the justification document, with emphasis on the requirement that the Contracting Officer or purchase cardholder must request and obtain the approval prior to making the purchase from an alternate source. AA 11-02 describes a simplified email process that may be used to expedite processing of the justification document. The HCO shall promptly provide a copy of each approved justification to the AGO Policy and Oversight Division at Jerry.Rorstrom-Lee@noaa.gov. The Policy and Oversight Division will forward copies of all approved justifications to both the NOAA SBPO and the Office of Acquisition Management (OAM) at TOueen@doc.gov.

The Contracting Officer or purchase cardholder shall retain the approved form in the contract or purchase card file.

Mandatory Contracts for Acquisition of Telecommunications and Network Services and Equipment. GSA awards global contracts for the acquisition of telecommunications and network services and equipment, and the transition from FTS2001 and FTS2001 Crossover to Networx for long distance services is currently underway (January 2011). The transition from WITS2001 to WITS3 for local services is completed. GSA has awarded new contracts for these services, and has established a process through which either a Contracting Officer or Designated Agency Representative (DAR) may place orders directly against them for all telecommunications and network services and equipment, including the National Security System (NSS) and Trusted Internet Connections (TIC). Use of these contracts is mandatory unless a waiver is granted.

For DOC and DOC operating units, CAM Notice 11-05, CAM 1339.70 sets forth the acquisition-specific requirements for the use of Networx and WITS3; defines roles and responsibilities; and establishes the reporting requirements for orders placed under Networx and WIS3. CAM 1339.70, Subsection 1.5, details roles and responsibilities for the program, including responsibility for issuing, implementing and overseeing compliance with Departmental policy, approving waiver requests, appointment of DARs, and FPDS reporting. For DOC, the DAR is the appointed representative for placement of orders under the Networx and WITS3 contracts and is responsible for management and oversight of those obligations. Section 2 details the DAR training requirements, DAR selection and appointment, DAR Authority and DAR recordkeeping requirements. A Contracting Officer may serve as a DAR. Section 3 discusses ordering procedures, including: the requirement to apply a Fair Opportunity process to every requirement in excess of $3,000; funds management, including certification and obligation of funds and monitoring of expenditures; and the waiver process, including a requirement for a cost benefit analysis. Section 4 assigns responsibility for reporting the orders in FPDS within three days of establishment of the order to the Contracting Officer; consequently, appropriate internal reporting procedures must also be established to ensure timely, complete and accurate reporting in FPDS. Operating units are encouraged to capture pertinent workload data for these acquisitions in order to fully document the time invested and the level of expertise applied to the orders as this information is not necessarily reflected in CSTARS reporting data. The BPO shall submit semi-annual data on the use of Networx and related contracts in the format outlined in Appendix A to CAM Notice 11-05, CAM 1339.70. Reports are cumulative for each fiscal year and shall be submitted on the 10th business day of May (1st and 2nd quarter) and the 10th business day of November (fiscal year) to:

U.S. Department of Commerce
Office of Acquisition Management
Acquisition Workforce and Policy Division
1401 Constitution Avenue, NW
HCHB Room 1854
Washington, DC 20230

1.5.8 Acquisition of Printing Services and Related Supplies Top of Page

Government printing and related supplies are also Federally mandated to be performed/furnished by or through the Government Printing Office (GPO) unless an exception exists (see FAR 8.802(a)). For the Department of Commerce (DOC), all printing requirements are to be fulfilled by the GPO. Offices serviced by Acquisition Divisions within the NOAA HQ Area (D.C. metropolitan area) must coordinate with the NOAA Office of Printing and Visual Arts see NAO 201-32C. Offices serviced by field Acquisition Divisions (ERAD, CRAD, MRAD, WRAD) shall coordinate with the GPO Regional Printing Office for their specific region (see NAO 201-32C).

1.5.9 Commercial Items Top of Page

The Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA) resulted in significant changes to Government procurement, including the institution of policy that Government agencies shall buy commercial items that meet agency needs to the maximum extent practicable. Commercial item acquisitions follow the same five phases of the contracting process (Planning, Solicitation, Evaluation, Award, and Post-Award); the predominant difference is in the format and clauses. Procurements pursuant to FAR 12 Commercial Items allow for a Combined Synopsis/Solicitation whereas procurements pursuant to FAR 13.5 Test Program for Certain Commercial Items allow for additional streamlined procedures.

1.5.9.1 What Are Commercial Items? Top of Page

FAR 2.101 states, in part, that a commercial item is:

Any item, other than real property, that is of a type customarily used by the general public or by non-governmental entities for purposes other than governmental purposes, and has been sold, leased, or licensed to the general public; or has been offered for sale, lease, or license to the general public;

· Any item that evolved from an item described in paragraph (1) of this definition through advances in technology or performance and that is not yet available in the commercial marketplace, but will be available in the commercial marketplace in time to satisfy the delivery requirements under a Government solicitation;

· Any item that would satisfy a criterion expressed in numbers (1) or (2) above, but for (a) modifications of a type customarily available in the commercial marketplace; or (b) minor modifications of a type not customarily available in the commercial marketplace made to meet Federal Government requirements. Minor modifications mean modifications that do not significantly alter the nongovernmental function or essential physical characteristics of an item or component, or change the purpose of a process.

· Any combination of items meeting the requirements of paragraphs (1), (2), (3), or (5) of this definition that are of a type customarily combined and sold in combination to the general public;

· Certain installation services, maintenance services, repair services, training services, and other services;

· Services of a type offered and sold competitively in substantial quantities in the commercial marketplace based on established catalog or market prices for specific tasks performed or specific outcomes to be achieved and under standard commercial terms and conditions;

· Any item, combination of items, or service referred to in numbers (1) through (6) above, notwithstanding the fact that the item, combination of items, or service is transferred between or among separate divisions, subsidiaries, or affiliates of a Contractor; or

· A non-developmental item, if the procuring agency determines the item was developed exclusively at private expense and sold in substantial quantities, on a competitive basis, to multiple State and local governments.

A good method of determining whether a Government requirement can be met with a commercial item is for the Contracting Officer to ask: “Is this item or service unique to the Government?” and “Is the item generally available to the public?” If the item in question is indeed publicly available, and the amount of the purchase is $3,000 or more for supplies or $2,500 or more for services, then Contracting Officers are required to follow the procedures for a commercial item purchase. Most of the supplies and services the Government buys using SAP are commercial.

Contracting Officers must evaluate each requirement at or below the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) to determine if it meets the definition of a commercial supply or service in FAR 2. Generally, all requirements under the SAT can be considered commercial unless market research, buyer’s knowledge, etc., indicates that the item is not commercial. The Contracting Officer should proceed to solicit and award simplified acquisitions using commercial practices. The Contracting Officer should document the contract file with the basis for his/her decision to use the policies and procedures of FAR 12 or FAR 13 for acquisitions of supplies and services. In either case, the Solicitation and award should reflect the Contracting Officer’s written determination of commerciality or non-commerciality.

The following decision flow depicts the determination of commerciality or non-commerciality of a supply/service and the steps that ensue:

Commerciality / Non-Commerciality Process Flow

APG Image - Commerciality / Non-Commerciality Process Flow

1.5.9.2 Commercial Item Procedures Top of Page

Per FAR 12.102, Contracting Officers should use the policies for commercial items (FAR 12) in conjunction with the policies and procedures for Solicitation, Evaluation, and Award prescribed in FAR 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures; FAR 14, Sealed Bidding; or FAR 15, Contracting by Negotiation, as appropriate for the particular acquisition.

Special requirements have been established for commercial item acquisitions in order for Government practices to leverage those practices found in the commercial marketplace. These requirements include:

Market Research: After the requirement has been established, market research should be conducted to determine if the agency’s need can be fulfilled commercially and to determine any unique commercial terms and conditions. Market research also may determine if items are available that can be modified to meet a given requirement or if non-developmental items are available.
Description of Agency Need: The purchase description should contain sufficient detail to allow potential Offerors of commercial items to know which of their products and services may be suitable.
Contract Type: Commercial items can only be acquired with the use of a firm fixed price, fixed price with economic price adjustment, time-and-materials, or labor-hour award. See FAR 12.207(b) for documentation requirements when using other than firm fixed price or fixed price with economic price adjustment contract types. See D&F for T&M Template.
Solicitation Procedures: Use a Combined Synopsis/Solicitation (pursuant to FAR 12) whenever possible. The Combined Synopsis/Solicitation procedure offers several benefits, including authorization of a shorter response time and elimination of the requirement to issue a separate written Solicitation.

If, through market research, the Contracting Officer determines that a commercial item is available and can meet the Government’s requirement, the Contracting Officer should take the following steps:

Evaluate the requirement for small business and subcontracting possibilities. All requirements between $3,000 and the SAT are automatically set aside for small business concerns.
Document sole source justification, if applicable.
Synopsize the requirement on FedBizOpps using either the combined or standard synopsis procedures of FAR 5.
If issuing a written Solicitation, use an SF 1449.
After evaluation, award on an SF 1449.

Commercial Practices. The terms and conditions delineated in FAR 12 are intended to satisfy the interests of the Government and the Offeror. However, it may be determined through market research that a practice not identified in FAR 12 is customary in the commercial marketplace. The Contracting Officer may tailor FAR 52.212-4 to incorporate any such practices into the Solicitation/order when determined appropriate and not otherwise precluded by law or executive order.

Commercial Software. Commercial computer software or documentation can generally be acquired under licenses customarily provided to the public as long as the licenses are consistent with Federal law and satisfy the Government’s needs. (See FAR 12.212.)

1.5.9.3 Commercial Items Exceeding the Simplified Acquisition Threshold Top of Page

Test Program for Certain Commercial Items provides special authority to use Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP) for the acquisition of commercial items exceeding the SAT but not exceeding $6.5 million ($12 million in support of a contingency operation or to facilitate the defense against or recovery from nuclear, biological, chemical, or radiological attack), including Options. An award shall never be issued in excess of the Contracting Officer’s specific delegation of contracting authority. Contracting Officers should employ the simplified procedures authorized by this test program to the maximum extent practicable for commercial items.

The purpose of the test program is to vest Contracting Officers with additional procedural discretion and flexibility, so that commercial item acquisitions may be solicited, offered, evaluated, and awarded in a simplified manner that maximizes efficiency and economy and minimizes burden and administrative costs for both the Government and industry. When using SAP to procure commercial items exceeding the SAT, the Contracting Officer must identify in the Solicitation that the procedures of FAR 13.5 will be used.

Contracting Officers shall review each acquisition to determine if it can be set-aside for small business participation considering the recommendations of the cognizant Small Business Specialist. Acquisitions over the SAT shall be set-aside for small business participation when there is a reasonable expectation that offers will be obtained from two responsible sources and the award will be made at a fair and reasonable price. The clause at FAR 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns, must be included in the Solicitation. Additionally, for all actions that exceed $650,000 for which FAR 52.219-8 is required, the Contracting Officer must include FAR 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan.

See APG 1.7 Special Considerations for more information on small business set-asides.

Maximizing the Use of Competition

Full and Open Competition. Obtaining full and open competition when acquiring goods and services increases the Government’s buying power, as competition can drive down costs and potentially heighten performance, innovation and overall value. Therefore, in accordance with CAM 1306.7 to the maximum extent practicable, contracting officers shall promote and provide for full and open competition in awarding contracts.

1.5.9.4 Procurement Procedures under FAR Subpart 13.5 Top of Page

Describe the requirement in terms of commercial items.
Perform market research to determine if commercial items are available to meet the Government’s requirement.
Evaluate the requirement for small business and subcontracting possibilities.
Issue and document sole source requirements as detailed below.
Synopsize the requirement using the Combined Synopsis/Solicitation.
Issue a written solicitation (if desired) on an SF 1449.
After evaluation, issue a unilateral Purchase Order (PO) on an SF 1449. A bilateral PO may also be awarded.
Establish BPAs, if desired, which allow Contracting Officers to issue calls up to $5 million, or a lessor amount as expressly stated on the Contracting Officer’s Certificate of Appointment, SF 1402.

1.5.9.5 Sole Source Acquisitions under FAR Subpart 13.5 Top of Page

Contracting Officers should conduct sole source acquisitions under FAR 13.5 only if the need to do so is justified in a Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition (JOFOC) and approved at the appropriate level. The JOFOC must be prepared using the format at FAR 6.303-2, modified to reflect an acquisition under the authority of the test program for commercial items .

Approval levels for JOFOCs under the test program are as follows:

· For a proposed contract exceeding the SAT, but not exceeding $550,000, the Contracting Officer certifies that the justification is accurate and complete to the best of his/her knowledge.

· For a proposed contract exceeding $550,000, but not exceeding $10,000,000, the Competition Advocate for the procuring activity, who is the SBPO

1.5.9.6 Commerciality Determination Top of Page

Contracting Officers should document in writing their determinations that the commercial item definition has been met for all acquisitions using FAR 12 that exceed $1 million. Contract files must be fully and adequately documented to show the market research conducted and the rationale supporting the decision. Particular care must be taken to document determinations involving modifications of a type customarily available in the commercial marketplace, and items only offered for sale, lease, or license to the general public, but not yet actually sold, leased, or licensed. In these situations, the documentation must clearly detail the particulars of the modifications and sales offers. When such items lack sufficient market pricing histories, additional diligence must be given to determinations that prices are fair and reasonable as required by FAR 15.4.

See the Commercial Item Determination Checklist.

See NCMA article “Buyer’s 10 Commandments for Procuring Commercial Items” CM March 2008.

1.5.10 Simplified Acquisition Procedures – FAR 13 - Process Map Top of Page

Several simplified acquisition methods for purchase and payment may be utilized to satisfy procurement requirements. Based on market research and dollar threshold, Contracting Officers (in consultation with the Customer) should determine the method most suitable, efficient, and economical for individual procurements. Customers and Contracting Officers may wish to meet to determine the methods that best fit the circumstances of long-term and short-term requirements.

Contracting Officers may use Simplified Acquisition Procedures to acquire supplies or services under the following circumstances:

Using appropriated funds for an acquisition in which the aggregate amount of supplies or services does not exceed the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) as defined in FAR 2.101.
Procuring commercial supplies or services with a value not greater than $6.5 million ($12 million for contingency operations) including Options, in accordance with FAR 13.5.

Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP) were developed to accomplish the following:

Reduce administrative costs.
Improve opportunities for Small, Small Disadvantaged, Women-Owned, and Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses.
Promote efficiency and economy in contracting.
Avoid unnecessary burdens for agencies and Contractors.

Simplified acquisitions follow the same basic contracting process as all procurements, involving progression through the five contracting phases: Planning, Solicitation, Evaluation, Award, and Post-Award.

SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES THRESHOLDS	Threshold
Commercial or non-commercial buys (FAR 2.101)	$150K
Contingency Operation or Defense against Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, or Radiological Attack – inside the United States	$300K
Contingency Operation or Defense against Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, or Radiological Attack – outside the United States	$1M
Commercial supplies and services per FAR 13.5	$6.5K
Commercial – contingency / used for defense against or recovery from attack per FAR 13.5	$12M

Note: The Contracting Officer is prohibited, under FAR 13.003, from breaking down requirements aggregating more than the above thresholds into several purchases that are less than the applicable threshold merely to permit use of SAP or avoid requirements applicable to purchases exceeding the micro-purchase threshold or the SAT (otherwise known as “splitting” to circumvent a threshold).

1.5.11 Sealed Bidding – FAR Part 14 Top of Page

Reserved. See FAR Part 14

1.5.12 Contracting by Negotiation – FAR Part 15 Top of Page

Unless conducted using sealed bidding in accordance with FAR 14, all procurements are considered “negotiated.” A negotiated procurement is called such whether the Contracting Officer actually negotiates with Offerors or makes award on initial offer(s). In a sole-source environment, the Contracting Officer can negotiate in the traditional sense by having back-and-forth discussions with the vendor to agree upon technical approach and/or cost/price. In a competitive environment, the Contracting Officer enters into negotiations not in the conventional sense of the word but rather by having formal, structured discussions with Offerors in the competitive range. Finally, a Contracting Officer may decide to award on initial offer(s) (if so stipulated in the Solicitation) without the need for discussions; the procurement is still considered a “negotiated procurement.”

The multifaceted quality of the term “negotiations” also muddies the waters when it comes to defining the term “discussions.” FAR 15.306 identifies that exchanges with Offerors after receipt of proposals can be either “clarifications” or “negotiations.” “Negotiations,” when conducted in a competitive acquisition after establishment of the competitive range, are called “discussions” (see FAR 15.306(d)) with the intent of allowing Offerors to revise their proposals.

Clarifications are limited exchanges between the Government and Offerors that may occur when award without discussions is contemplated. Clarifications may be used to make clear the relevance of an Offeror’s past performance information and adverse past performance information to which the Offeror has not previously had an opportunity to respond.

The line between clarifications and discussions can be fine, and Contracting Officers should involve Counsel prior to clarifications to ensure that they do not go beyond clarifications and accidentally enter into discussions.

1.5.12.1 Unsolicited Proposals Top of Page

The Project Officer, Contracting Officer, or Small Business Specialist may receive an Unsolicited Proposal. FAR 15.6 sets forth the policies and procedures concerning unsolicited proposals:

Unsolicited proposals allow unique and innovative ideas or approaches that have been developed outside the Government to be made available to Government agencies for use in accomplishment of their missions. Unsolicited proposals are offered with the intent that the Government will enter into a contract with the Offeror for research and development or other efforts supporting the Government mission, and often represent a substantial investment of time and effort by the Offeror.

A valid unsolicited proposal must be innovative and unique, independently originated and developed, prepared without Government involvement, and must provide sufficient detail for Government review. Unsolicited proposals are not offered in response to published requests for information (RFIs) or requests for proposal (RFPs). They are not an advance proposal for known agency requirements, nor do they address a previously published agency requirement. Moreover, submission of an unsolicited proposal does not in any way guarantee a contract award.

The Project Officer should forward any unsolicited proposals received to the Chief of the Contracting Office which is the Acquisition Division Head of Contracting Office (HCO). The HCO will evaluate the proposal using the criteria set forth in FAR 15.606-2. If the proposal is determined to be outside the mission or invalid, it will be returned by the HCO to the Contractor with an explanation of the reason for rejection. If the proposal is desirable, the Contracting Officer will be responsible for the coordination, evaluation, and award of any resultant contract. A synopsis that specifies the Government’s intent to make a sole-source award and a Justification and Approval (J&A) will be required.

For more information, see the attached The Basics of Unsolicited Proposals.

1.5.13 Interagency Acquisitions under the Economy Act (Non-NOAA and Non-DOC Contracts Interagency Agreements) Top of Page

In developing an Acquisition Strategy, Project and Contracting Officers must determine the appropriate means to fulfill the requirement. Occasionally other contracts may provide a more efficient and cost effective means of fulfilling the requirement. This determination can be made by considering a variety of important factors:

Does use of this contract satisfy customer requirements, meet program schedule, prove cost effective, and consider contract administration?
Are the tasks to be accomplished or supplies to be procured within the scope of the contract?
Will the funding be used in accordance with appropriation limitations in terms of purpose, time and amount?
Will unique terms, conditions, and requirements be provided to the assisting agencies for incorporation into the contract to comply with all applicable NOAA-unique statutes, regulations, directives and other requirements?
Have data been collected on the use of assisted acquisitions for analysis?

Non–NOAA contracts may not be used to avoid funding limitations or as a Band-Aid for poor acquisition planning. The transfer of funds should not be the default position of NOAA. Project Officers should make every effort to satisfy the requirement using NOAA resources to maintain contractual controls and, in the process, avoid payment of unnecessary fees. This objective can only be achieved if requirements generators identify their needs and initiate the acquisition and coordination well in advance with the Contracting Officer and Legal Counsel. Contracting Officers should negotiate all fees requested by the Assisting Agency to ensure reasonableness.

The following definitions are pertinent to understanding and following Direct and Assisted Acquisition procedures:

“Assisting Activity” means the department/agency/activity outside of NOAA with contracting responsibility for a NOAA requirement.

“Assisted Acquisition” means a contract awarded or a task or delivery order placed on behalf of NOAA by an official of the United States outside of NOAA. This may also include situations in which the assisting agency provides the support themselves.

“Direct Acquisition” means a task or delivery order above the Simplified Acquisition Threshold placed by a NOAA Contracting Officer/Ordering Officer against a contract vehicle established outside of NOAA.

“DoD Agency” means Army, Navy, Air Force and DoD Agencies such as the Defense Logistics Agency.

“Economy Act Order” means orders involving funds transfers using the authority of the Economy Act, 31 USC 1535.

“Interagency Acquisition” means a procedure by which an agency needing supplies or services (the requiring agency) obtains them from another agency (the assisting agency).

“Micro-Purchase Threshold” currently means $3,000, except it means—

(1) $2,500 for acquisitions of services subject to the Service Contract Act;

(2) $2,000 for acquisitions of construction subject to the Davis-Bacon Act; and

(3) As otherwise specified in FAR 2.101.

“Non-DoD Agency” means any Federal agency outside of the DoD.

“Non-Economy Act Order” means orders involving funds transfers using authority other than the Economy Act, the most commonly used authorities being the General Services Administration (GSA) Acquisition Services Fund or Franchise Funds.

“Non-NOAA Contracts” means contracts awarded by an official outside of NOAA. These include optional use Federal Supply Schedules, Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPA) issued against Federal Supply Schedules, and other contracts/schedules awarded outside of NOAA.

“Requiring Individual” means the individual in the organization responsible for identifying and fulfilling the requirement.

“Requiring Activity Supporting Contracting Office” means the NOAA contracting activity normally providing contracting support to the requiring organization.

“Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT)” currently means $150,000 except as further defined in FAR 2.101.

“Best Procurement Approach” Determination – Interagency Acquisitions. FAR 17.502-1 requires a determination of best procurement approach for all interagency acquisitions prior to requesting that another agency conduct an acquisition on its behalf. For assisted acquisitions, concurrence of the requesting agency’s responsible contracting office is also required. Also for assisted acquisitions, prior to the issuance of a solicitation, the servicing agency and the requesting agency shall both sign a written agreement establishing the general terms and conditions governing the relationship between them, including roles and responsibilities for acquisition planning, contract execution and administration and management of the contract or order. Subsection 17.502-2 contains requirements for the servicing agency for preparation of a business-case analysis when the servicing agency wishes to establish a multi-agency contract in accordance with the Economy Act. FAR 17.5 states a statutory exception for orders of $500,000 or less against Federal Supply Schedules.

For Assisted Acquisitions, NOAA Contracting Officers in concert with the cognizant Comptroller must ensure the appropriate Determination and Findings (D&F) is completed (see APG 1.7.8 and Interagency Funds Transfer Checklist). For Direct Acquisitions over SAT, the justification should be included in the Business Clearance Memorandum (see BCM Module).

The Office of Acquisition Management outlines Department of Commerce guidance regarding the use of Interagency Agreements and Other Special Agreement at CAM 1317.570 and at http://oam.eas.commerce.gov/CAS_agreement_mou.html. The CAM chapter specifies DOC requirements for operating units when using interagency agreements for award and administration of direct acquisitions; and development, preparation, review, clearance, approval, cost and performance monitoring, and close-out of assisted acquisitions.

In the case of assisted acquisitions, requesting agency personnel must work with the servicing agency to develop the acquisition strategy as well as in assisting with contract administration, including contractor surveillance and performance evaluation, review of invoices, and closeout.

When DOC is the servicing agency, DOC personnel shall coordinate the work with the requesting agency in much the same manner. A model format for agreements under Economy Act authority (for general use) can be found at http://www.ogc.doc.gov/gen_law.html. The elements of the Agreement must be incorporated into any interagency agreement for assisted acquisition under authority of the Economy Act.

DOC Reporting Requirements. Senior Bureau Procurement Officials(SBPO) are required to submit to Department of Commerce(DOC) a high-level semi-annual report of the portfolio for all funded and unfunded active agreements; pending agreements; and those agreements which expired during the 6-month period being reported. These reports are due to Department of Commerce on November 1 (for the period April 1 through September 30) and May 1 (for the period October 1 through March 31). Consequently, Head of the Contracting Office (HCOs) shall prepare a semi-annual report using the format at CAM 1317.570 Appendix E, of all such interagency acquisitions under their or their Contracting Officers’ supervision. Files for all such interagency acquisitions shall be maintained in a central location to facilitate preparation of this report. The report shall be timely submitted to NOAA AGO Director’s Office so that the SBPO can meet the required dates for submission of the reports to DOC.

FPDS Reporting Requirements: For assisted acquisitions, in addition to any required terms and conditions, the Project Officer must include a requirement for the servicing agency to enter the DOC Funding Agency and Funding Office Identification in FPDS (see APG 1.9.8) when reporting any contract action which results from the agreement. For awards on behalf of the Department of Defense (DoD), see CAM 1317.570 regarding specific FPDS reporting requirements.

1.5.14 Emergency Acquisition Top of Page

FAR 18 - Emergency Acquisition identifies acquisition flexibilities that are available for emergency acquisitions. “Emergency Acquisition Flexibilities” as defined in the Federal Acquisition Regulation provide for regulatory and statutory exemptions that are applicable to facilitate acquisitions in an emergency environment.

The NOAA AGO preference for acquisition response to an emergency is use of existing DOC/NOAA contract vehicles. A list of existing contract vehicles and contracts is provided in the NOAA COOP Contracts List.

1.5.14.1 Contracting Thresholds at a Glance Top of Page

Simplified Acquisition Procedures Threshold	Threshold
Contingency Operation or Defense against Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, or Radiological Attack – inside the United States	$300K
Contingency Operation or Defense against Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, or Radiological Attack – outside the United States	$1M
Commercial Items per FAR 13.5 – contingency / used for defense against or recovery from attack	$11M
Micro-purchase Threshold
Contingency Operation or Defense against Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, or Radiological Attack per FAR 13.201(g)(1)	≤ $15K inside U.S. ≤ $25K outside U.S.

1.5.14.2 Getting Prepared Top of Page

Pre-load Data. The preferred method of executing contracts is through the use of C.Buy if a C.Buy connected computer is available to you. If access to C.Buy is not available, you may be required to create contracting documents manually. Before you deploy, it is important to pre-load procurement instrument templates (e.g., for a PWS, SOW, J&A, or D&F) onto your laptop to the maximum extent possible. These templates are available to you in the NOAA APG Template Matrix. You may also need to have a stock of these forms pre-printed and available and primary and secondary COOP sites in order to support possible paper-based transaction processing.

Learn About Your New Environment. It is imperative that you complete your due diligence to find out as much information as you can regarding the environment you will soon be entering and operating within. Educating yourself on geography, local news and items of interest, and safety information is paramount to your success.

Know What To Expect. Contracting Officers deployed to support an incident response, contingency environment, or COOP may be responsible for the following:

Establish minimum suitable office space.
Obtain low security profile transportation for Contracting Officer’s dedicated use.
Establish suitable communications for the office and mobile unit.
Contact the HCA designee, existing USG installations within the deployment area, or, in the event of OCONUS, the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the host nation for guidance on contracting information or Host Country Support Agreements.
Obtain maps of adjacent towns or settlements and conduct personal visits to learn availability of necessary items of supplies or services. Mark maps and prepare source lists. Secure telephone books of the local area, if available. (NOTE: Maps and source lists should be updated as new information becomes available. Source lists should be annotated to reflect which contractors will provide 24-hour emergency response.)
Work with the incident commander to establish good working relations with local officials.
Obtain an interpreter, if necessary, at the earliest opportunity (OCONUS)
Keep the incident commander (per Incident Command System) informed of contracting matters.
Establish a system for Clients to submit purchase requests for local acquisitions.
Update Client training to orient them to the purchasing system as soon as practicable.
Adapt the system to suit local conditions.
Appoint decentralized ordering officers (Delegated Procurement Authority) within functional areas, as necessary, with Contracting Officer supervised purchasing authority up to the maximum order limit of the indefinite delivery/requirements contract or BPA. Ordering officers will be trained in the use of simplified acquisition procedures and funds accountability.
Identify functional personnel with a Bankcard and home station funding. Coordinate and control Bankcard activity according to purchase request approval procedures to achieve economical purchases and avoid duplication of purchased resources. Advise cardholders on local market conditions, limitations, and statement reconciliation procedures.
Report contracting actions and dollars as required.
Advise Clients to use the NOAA APG as a reference source for understanding contracting processes in an emergency, incident response, contingency operation, or COOP.

For your personal preparation, check with your Acquisition Division HCA and the NOAA AGO COOP for a pre-deployment/emergency acquisition checklist. (See Pre-Deployment Checklist Example).

1.5.14.3 Variations Top of Page

REFERENCE	SUBJECT	GUIDELINES
FAR 4.1102(a)(3)	Central Contractor Registration	Contracts awarded to support unusual and compelling needs or emergency acquisitions are exempt from the requirements pertaining to Central Contractor Registration.
FAR 5.202(a)(2)	Synopses of Proposed Contract Actions	When there is an unusual and compelling urgency and the Government would be seriously injured if the agency complied with the notice time periods, the Contracting Officer need not submit the notice. (See FAR 18.103)
FAR 6.001(a)	Competition Requirements	For contracts awarded using the simplified acquisition procedures in FAR Part 13, FAR Part 6 competition requirements do not apply (See FAR 13.501 for requirements pertaining to sole source acquisitions of commercial items under FAR 13.5).
FAR 6.302-2	Full and Open Competition	When the agency’s need for the supplies or services is of such an unusual and compelling urgency that the Government would be seriously injured unless the agency is permitted to limit the number of sources from which it solicits bids or proposals, full and open competition need not be provided.
FAR 9.206-1	Qualification Requirements	When the agency head or designee determines that an emergency exists, whenever an agency elects, whether before or after award, not to enforce a qualification requirement which it established, the requirement may not thereafter be enforced unless the agency complies with FAR 9.202(a).
FAR 13.106-1(b)	Soliciting Competition under SAP	When purchases do not exceed the SAT, contracting officers may solicit from one source if the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand name, or industrial mobilization).
FAR 15.203(f)	Written vs. Oral RFPs	Oral RFPs are authorized when processing a written solicitation would delay the acquisition of supplies or services to the detriment of the Government and a notice is not required under FAR 5.202 (e.g., perishable items and support of contingency operations or other emergency situations). Use of an oral RFP does not relieve the contracting officer from complying with other FAR requirements.
FAR 26.2	Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act	Contracts awarded under the authority of this Act shall give preference, to the extent practicable and feasible, to local firms. Preference may be given through a local area set-aside or through an evaluation preference when authorized in agency regulations or procedures.
FAR 33.103(f) FAR 33.104(b) and (c)	Protests	When urgent and compelling circumstances exist, the head of the contracting activity may continue award or performance.
FAR 25.102	Buy American Act	Not applicable for items purchased outside the U.S. and its territories.
FAR 28.102-1(a)	Bonds	Miller Act 40 U.S.C. 270a-f, can be waived by the contracting officer for overseas construction.

1.5.14.4 Governing Policy and Training Top of Page

The following DOC and NOAA policies apply to acquisitions during emergencies, COOP, and contingency operations:

· OMB Policy: Emergency Acquisition Guide – May 2007

· DOC Policy: DOC Procurement Memorandum 2006-07 Emergency Acquisition Flexibilities

· NOAA Policy: NOAA Acquisition Alert System 10-02 – Processing acquisitions in support incidents requiring quick acquisition turnarounds (e.g. Deep Water Horizon)

· NOAA Policy: NOAA Acquisition Alert System 06-01 Standard Provision for Incident/Emergency Management Acquisitions

Training Resources:

Training of many types is available for those interested in or requiring more information on emergency acquisition contracting and emergency acquisitions.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers courses in emergency management through the Emergency Management Institute (http://training.fema.gov/EMICourses/).

FEMA provides a Field Guide for Emergency Acquisition (February 2007) available at https://acc.dau.mil/GetAttachment.aspx?id=111612&pname=file&lang=en-US&aid=24353

The Defense Acquisition University (DAU) offers web-based information in the area of emergency contracting https://acc.dau.mil/CommunityBrowser.aspx?id=21701&lang=en-US

1.5.14.5 Micro-Purchases Top of Page

While the majority of the dollars that you spend as an Emergency Acquisition Contracting Officer will likely be obligated using one of the instruments designated for use at or below the SAT, the majority of your procurement actions will likely be completed for purchases at or below the micro-purchase threshold.

Micro-purchasing regulations are designed to reduce administrative work and expedite the purchases of readily available supplies and services. After determining that supplies/services are not available from mandatory sources (as must occur in all procurements per FAR 8), the Contracting Officer may initiate a micro-purchase.

The micro-purchase threshold for Department of Commerce transactions is $2,500 for services and $3,000 for supplies; however, per FAR 13.201 for purchases to be used to support a contingency operation or to facilitate defense against or recovery from nuclear, biological, chemical, or radiological attack, the micro-purchase threshold is raised to:

$15,000 in the case of any contract to be awarded and performed,or purchase to be made, inside the United States; and

$25,000 in the case of any contract to be awarded and performed,or purchase to be made, outside the United States.

1.5.14.6 Government-wide Commercial Purchase Card a.k.a. Bankcard

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The Government-wide Commercial Purchase Card a.k.a. Purchase Card or Bankcard is authorized for use in making and/or paying for purchases of supplies, services, or construction up to the SAT in an emergency acquisition subject to the limitations and authorities for the use of the Bankcard.

The Bankcard may not be used for the following items:

Cash advances
Rental or lease of land or buildings
Telecommunications services
Travel or travel-related expenses

Rental or lease of motor vehicles
Expenses associated with official travel
Hazardous materials

Contracting Officers must determine and apply the particular policies in effect for the operation they are supporting. This should be a routine part of the Contracting Officer 's pre-deployment planning process.

The Micro-Purchase Worksheet and Electronic Purchase Log should be used to document each micro-purchase. Applicable requisition and award documents should be maintained in the purchase file.

For more information on use of the Bankcard see http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/acquisition/bankcard.cfm.

1.5.14.7 Simplified Acquisition Procedures(SAP) Top of Page

FAR 2.101 defines the SAT for contingency operations or to facilitate defense against or recovery from nuclear, biological, chemical or radiological attack (41 U.S.C. 428a) as:

$300,000 for any contract to be awarded and performed, or purchase to be made, inside the United States; and

· $1 million for any contract to be awarded and performed, or purchase to be made, outside the United States.

FAR 13.500(e) authorizes the use of SAP above the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) but not exceeding $12 million for commercial items that, as determined by the head of the agency, are to be used in support of a contingency operation or to facilitate the defense against or recovery from nuclear, biological, chemical, or radiological attack.

These thresholds enable the Contracting Officer to deliver a greater variety of supplies and services to a customer in need much more quickly than under usual circumstances.

Contracting Officers should always seek to obtain competition to the maximum extent possible. The requirement to solicit offers from at least three sources per FAR 13.104 does not apply in an emergency acquisition if the Contracting Officer makes a determination that the circumstances regarding urgency described at FAR 13.106(b) exist.

The “broad discretion in fashioning suitable evaluation procedures” allowed the Contracting Officer by FAR 13.106-2(b) is particularly helpful in the Emergency Acquisition environment; however, be aware that the requirements to document price reasonableness still apply. The EA KO Simplified Acquisition Documentation Record may be used to document the purchase file.

1.5.14.8 Contracts > the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) Top of Page

Most Client requirements in the Emergency Acquisition environment will require the use of only SAP; however, because of the unpredictable nature of requirements in an emergency, the EA KO may be required to execute contracts in accordance with the procedures in FAR 15. Such large procurements will tax the limited resources of the Emergency Acquisition Contracting Officer(EA KO), who can expect little or no help to accomplish the task. The key to successful emergency acquisition contracting is taking maximum advantage of regulatory flexibility – and documenting it.

Large contracts in excess of $11 million will be negotiated in accordance with FAR 15, CAM, CAR, and the NOAA Acquisition Handbook. While the time necessary to execute a large purchase would normally be greater than that for simplified acquisitions, there are exemptions available to expedite the process. Two provisions normally applicable to the award of large contracts are the requirement for full and open competition and the need for a written solicitation. These provisions can slow the award process considerably. Competition may be limited per FAR 6.302 and oral RFPs may be authorized when the EA KO completes the appropriate file documentation required by those citations.

Contracts awarded pursuant to the authority of FAR 6.302-2, Unusual and Compelling Urgency, may not exceed the time for the agency to enter into another contract for the required goods and services through the use of competitive procedures, and may not exceed one year unless the head of the agency entering into the contract determines that exceptional circumstances apply. The determination may be made after contract award when making the determination prior to award would unnecessarily delay the award.

1.6 Contract Types

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FAR 16 - Contract Types - Contracting Officer selects the contract type for any given procurement, basing the decision, in part, on information provided by the Customer/Project Officer. Understanding the factors considered in the various types of contracts will help Customer/Project Officers appreciate the importance of providing complete and thorough documentation.

The selection of a contract type will vary according to the specific needs of the Customer/Project Officer. Successful planning includes forecasting needs to ensure that the resulting procurement(s) will do the following:

· Support the acquisition mission of the Customer/Project Officer in a timely manner.

· Support the financial objectives and availability of budgeted funds.

· Adhere to the appropriate laws and regulations.

· Identify acceptable risks and tradeoffs.

· For a quick reference of contract types, see the Contract Types Matrix at APG 1.6.2

1.6.1 Factors in Selecting Contract Types Top of Page

A wide selection of contract types is available to the Government to allow for flexibility in accommodating the vast variety and volume of supplies and services that the Government procures. It is the policy of DOC to take appropriate actions to maximize competition, minimize the use of high-risk contracting authorities, mitigate risk when utilizing high-risk contracts, and employ sound practices to ensure the effective use, management, and oversight of all contracts (see CAM 1316.1). In addition, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memorandum entitled Increasing Competition and Structuring Contracts for the Best Results dated October 27, 2009, provides guidelines for selecting the most appropriate contract type and maximizing competition

1.6.1.1 Basic Contract Types Top of Page

Basic Contract Types. Basic contract types are grouped into two broad categories: Fixed Price (FAR 16.2) and Cost Reimbursement (FAR 16.3). Within these categories, specific contract types vary according to (a) the degree and timing of the responsibility assumed by the Contractor for the costs of performance and (b) the amount and nature of the profit incentive offered to the Contractor for achieving or exceeding specified standards or goals. (FAR 16.4). There are varying levels of cost and performance risk associated with each contract type.

As discussed in FAR 16.104, the Contracting Officer considers many factors when selecting and negotiating contract types:

Price competition. Normally, effective price competition results in realistic pricing, and a fixed-price contract is ordinarily in the Government's interest.

Price analysis. Price analysis, with or without competition, may provide a basis for selecting the contract type. The degree to which price analysis can provide a realistic pricing standard should be carefully considered.

Cost analysis. In the absence of effective price competition and if price analysis is not sufficient, the cost estimates of the Offeror and the Government provide the bases for negotiating contract pricing arrangements. It is essential that the uncertainties involved in performance and their possible impact upon costs be identified and evaluated, so that a contract type that places a reasonable degree of cost responsibility upon the Contractor can be negotiated.

Type and complexity of the requirement. Complex requirements, particularly those unique to the Government, usually result in greater risk assumption by the Government. This is especially true for complex research and development contracts, when performance uncertainties or the likelihood of changes makes it difficult to estimate performance costs in advance. As a requirement recurs or as quantity production begins, the cost risk should shift to the Contractor, and a fixed-price contract should be considered.

Urgency of the requirement. If urgency is a primary factor, the Government may choose to assume a greater proportion of risk or it may offer incentives to ensure timely contract performance.

Period of performance or length of production run. In times of economic uncertainty, contracts extending over a relatively long period may require economic price adjustment terms.

Contractor's technical capability and financial responsibility.

Adequacy of the Contractor's accounting system. Before agreeing on a contract type other than firm-fixed-price, the Contracting Officer shall ensure that the Contractor's accounting system will permit timely development of all necessary cost data in the form required by the proposed contract type. This factor may be critical when the contract type requires price revision while performance is in progress, or when a cost-reimbursement contract is being considered and all current or past experience with the Contractor has been on a fixed-price basis.

Concurrent contracts. If performance under the proposed contract involves concurrent operations under other contracts, the impact of those contracts, including their pricing arrangements, should be considered.

Extent and nature of proposed subcontracting. If the Contractor proposes extensive subcontracting, a contract type reflecting the actual risks to the prime Contractor should be selected.

Acquisition history. Contractor risk usually decreases as the requirement is repetitively acquired. Also, product descriptions or descriptions of services to be performed can be defined more clearly.

Combining contract types. If the entire contract cannot be firm-fixed price, the Contracting Officer shall consider whether or not a portion of the contract can be established on a firm-fixed price basis.

1.6.1.2 Other Considerations Top of Page

Commercial Items. FAR 12.2 describes special requirements for the acquisition of commercial items. FAR 12.207 addresses contract types when acquiring commercial items – specifically that agencies must use firm-fixed-price contracts or fixed-price contracts with economic price adjustment except when the criteria at FAR 12.207(b) are met and a Time and Materials or Labor Hour contract type may be used. Indefinite-delivery contracts may be used where the prices are established based on a firm-fixed-price or fixed-price with economic price adjustment. These contract types may be used in conjunction with an award fee and performance or delivery incentives when the award fee or incentive is based solely on factors other than cost (see FAR 16.202-1 and FAR 16.203-1). Use of any other contract type to acquire commercial items is prohibited.

Service Contracts. If the requirement is a service, the Client should be able to specify the required support, estimate the duration of need, and outline desired results, which will facilitate obtaining the best possible services and maximizing the outcome. Contracting Officers must ensure that the requirement is, indeed, a service as defined by FAR 37 for Service Contracting – that is, “a contract that directly engages the time and effort of a contractor whose primary purpose is to perform an identifiable task rather than to furnish an end item of supply.”

As prescribed in FAR 37.102 describes policy regarding contracting for services. Agencies must use performance-based acquisition methods to the maximum extent practicable when contracting for services except when acquiring architect-engineer services, construction services, utility services, or services incidental to supply services. As well, agencies must use the following order of precedence when acquiring services:

· A firm-fixed-price performance-based contract or task order.

· A performance-based contract or task order that is not firm-fixed-price.

· A contract or task order that is not performance-based.

When acquiring services, including those acquired under supply contracts or orders, agencies must use PBA methods to the maximum extent practicable, except for the following:

· Architect-engineer services acquired in accordance with 40 U.S.C. 1101 et seq. (see FAR Part 36);

· Construction (see FAR Part 36);

· Utility services (see FAR Part 41); or

· Services that are incidental to supply purchases.

All service contracts, whether performance-based or not, require the use of a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) in accordance with FAR 46.103(a) to measure performance. Contracting Officers are responsible for ensuring a QASP is prepared by the Client for service contracts. The appointed Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) utilizes the QASP in conducting surveillance and oversight of Contractor performance.

Note: The Service Contract Act does not apply to work performed outside of the United States.

Cost Plus Award Fee (CPAF) Contracts. FAR 16.405-2(b)(1)(i) states that “The cost-plus-award-fee contract is suitable for use when … the work to be performed is such that it is neither feasible nor effective to devise predetermined objective incentive targets applicable to cost, technical performance or schedule.” It is the policy of NOAA that objective criteria will be utilized, whenever possible, to measure contract performance. If it is determined that objective criteria do not exist and that it is appropriate to use a CPAF contract, then the Contracting Officer shall document the contract file to reflect that “the work to be performed is such that it is neither feasible nor effective to devise predetermined objective incentive targets applicable to cost technical performance, or schedule.” When objective criteria exist and the Contracting and Project Officer wish to also evaluate and incentivize subjective elements of performance, the most appropriate contract type would be a multiple incentive type contract, containing both incentive and award fee criteria or a fixed price/award fee contract. For more information see OFPP Memorandum “Appropriate Use of Incentive Contracts” December 2007.

Hybrid Contracts. The use of a hybrid contract may offer an appropriate balance between the requirement, how fulfilling the requirement is priced and the level of risk the Government and contractor bear. In a hybrid contract, increments for which there is a basis for firm pricing can be awarded as firm-fixed-price while factors for which there remains considerable uncertainty can be acquired on a cost-reimbursement or time-and-material or labor-hour basis.

Use of Incentives to Motivate. Incentives enable the Government to reduce exposure to risk by tying payment of fees to contractor performance. Incentives should be considered to motivate effective cost control and encourage quality, timely performance, taking into consideration factors that are within the contractor’s controls.

1.6.2 Cost Risk of Contract Type Top of Page

Cost risk varies in concert with the level of requirements definition. The decision of selecting the most appropriate contract type is the principle method of allocating cost and performance risk between the government and the contractor and requires careful consideration of the level of uncertainty regarding the requirement. The use of fixed-price contracts is preferred unless considerable uncertainty of the necessary resources to achieve the Government’s objective and risks associated with adequately fulfilling the requirement cannot be managed by the contractor within economically reasonable parameters. The use of cost-reimbursement contracts allows the Government to absorb a greater portion of the risk and avoid costly contingencies that a contractor may be forced to offer on a fixed-price basis. The following contracting authorities are considered high-risk due to the potential of misuse or overspending when used inappropriately or without proper oversight and management:

Noncompetitive Contracts. Noncompetitive contracts present a risk to the Government due to the position the Government faces when negotiating contracts without the benefit of a direct market mechanism to help establish pricing.

Single Offer Contracts. Competitions that yield only one offer in response to a solicitation deprive the Government of the ability to consider alternative solutions in a reasoned and structured manner.

Cost-reimbursement Contracts. Cost-reimbursement contracts are suitable for use only when uncertainties involved in contract performance do not permit cost to be estimated with sufficient accuracy to use any type of fixed-price contract. They provide limited direct incentive for contractors to control costs because they bind the contractor to making “best efforts”.

Time-and-Materials Contracts. Time-and-materials contracts are a form of cost-reimbursement type contracts. Since time-and-materials contracts provide no positive profit incentive to the contractor for cost control or labor efficiency, this contract type may be used only when it is not possible, at the time of placing the contract, to estimate accurately the extent or duration of the work or anticipate costs with any reasonable degree of confidence.

Labor-Hour Contracts. Labor-hour contracts are a variation of a time-and materials contract differing only in that the materials are not supplied by the contractor. Labor-hour contracts provide no positive profit incentive to the contractor for cost control or labor efficiency and may be used only when it is not possible, at the time of placing the contract, to estimate accurately the extent or duration of the work or anticipate costs with any reasonable degree of confidence.

Incentive Contracts. Incentive contracts are appropriate when a firm-fixed-price contract is not appropriate and the required supplies or services can be acquired at lower costs and, in certain instances, improved delivery or technical performance, by relating the amount of profit or fee payable under the contract to the contractor’s performance.

Indefinite-Delivery Contracts. Indefinite-delivery contracts for very broadly stated Professional and Management Support services where it is intended that individual task orders will provide more specific direction on the actual services to be provided exposes the government to greater performance risk.

An assessment of this relationship between cost risk and requirements definition helps to identify the preferred contract type for an acquisition. The following table demonstrates six acquisition situations and the appropriate contract type for each situation using the stages of a major system acquisition to demonstrate how contract type alternatives typically change as contract requirements become better defined and the work needed to complete the contract becomes more certain.

APG Image - Cost Risk and contract type

Transition to Lower Risk Contract Types. Over time, experience generally enables the Government to address uncertainties, making it possible to convert to more competitive and lower risk contract types that create a better incentive to provide the desired products or services within time and on budget. In addition, changing circumstances may make a lower risk contract type appropriate in later periods. FAR 16.103 cautions Contracting Officers to avoid protracted use of cost-reimbursement or time-and-materials and/or labor-hour contracts after experience provides a basis for firmer pricing. When re-competing a requirement, if a decision is made that it is premature to transition to a lower risk contract type, Contracting Officers shall document and support their rationale not to transition. The documentation shall include a rationale explaining why it remains difficult to define the requirements with a reasonable degree of certainty; market research results identifying barriers to competition; and results of spend analysis that does not support firm-fixed pricing and/or competitive practices.

1.6.3 Fixed-Price (FP) Contracts Top of Page

Explanation: The Government agrees to pay a fixed amount for a product or service.

Use When:

Requirements and specifications are reasonably well defined.
Contractors are experienced in meeting the requirement.
Procuring commercial items in accordance with FAR 12.207.

General Advantages:

Provides maximum incentive for the Contractor to control costs and perform effectively.
Ensures that all costs and resulting profit or loss are the full responsibility and risk of the Contractor.

Disadvantages:

Must have a reasonably definitive functional or detailed specification package.
Proposed prices may contain pricing for unknown risks.
May deter potential Offerors who do not want to assume the risk of cost overruns.
Full funding is required.

Varieties of FP Contracts:

· Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) is the most common of the FP contracts. Provides a firm-fixed price that includes profit for each line item or grouping of line items.

· Fixed-Price Incentive (FPI) contains a ceiling price, target cost, target profit, and a profit sharing formula that motivates the Contractor to control costs and meet stated objectives. Use when labor or material requirements are moderately uncertain, such as in the production of a major system based on a prototype.

· Fixed-Price Award Fee (FPAF) is a FFP with standards for evaluating performance and procedures for calculating a fee based on performance against the standards. A typical application would be for installation support services. (See FAR 16.404)

· Fixed-Price Economic Price Adjustment (FP-EPA) provides for upward and downward revision of the stated contract price upon the occurrence of specified contingencies within the areas of established prices, actual costs of labor/material, or cost indexes of labor/material. Use when the stability of the market or labor conditions during an extended period of performance is uncertain and contingencies that would otherwise be included in the contract price can be identified and covered separately in the contract.

· Fixed-Price Level of Effort (FP-LOE) means the Government agrees to pay a fixed dollar amount for a specified level of effort over a stated period of timed and may be used when the contract price is the SAT or less unless approved by the Head of the Contracting Office (HCO).

1.6.4 Cost-Reimbursement (CR) Contracts Top of Page

Cost-reimbursement contracts require the Government to reimburse the contractor for costs that are reasonable, allocable and allowable. The Government assumes the greatest performance risk with cost-reimbursement contracts since the contractor is only required to put forth its “best effort” in the performance of the contract. For this reason, cost-reimbursement contracts shall only be used when circumstances do not allow the requirement to be sufficiently defined or uncertainties involved in contract performance do not permit costs to be estimated with sufficient accuracy to benefit from the use of a fixed-price contract; the contractor’s accounting system has been determined adequate for determining costs related to the contract; adequate Government resources are available to award and manage the contract type and an appropriate Government surveillance plan is in place that provides reasonable assurance efficient methods and effective cost controls are utilized. See CAM 1316.1, Appendix B.

The Contracting Officer shall prepare a Justification and Approval determination and obtain appropriate level approvals as indicated in CAM 1316.1 and Acquisition Alert 2010-03.

Explanation: The Government pays for allowable costs incurred, to the extent prescribed in the contract, usually with some type of profit arrangement.

Use When: A fixed-price type contract is inappropriate due to the immaturity of the product or uncertainties in the nature of the work required; however, when preparing for follow-on contracts, determine if any portion can be broken out and ordered on a fixed-price basis.

Advantages:

Does not require firm Specifications.
Can be incrementally funded.

Disadvantages:

No real incentive for the Contractor to control costs.
Government assumes risk of cost overruns.
Requires significantly more post award Government oversight than fixed-price type contracts to ensure the Government receives good value. (See APG Post-Award Module)

Varieties of CR Contracts:

· Cost-Sharing – Contractor is reimbursed for an agreed-upon portion of its allowable costs and agrees to absorb the rest of its cost. The contractor receives no fee; instead it anticipates other benefits for performing the contract.

· Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) – Negotiated fee fixed at inception of contract; however, may be adjusted as a result of changes in the work performed under the contract. Provides contractor minimal incentive to control costs. Note: Fee shall not exceed the statutory limitations outlined in FAR 15.404-4(c)(4)(i).

· Cost-Plus-Incentive-Fee (CPIF) – Initial negotiated fee to be adjusted later by a formula that relates total allowable costs to total target cost. Contractor is incentivized to control costs and meet performance objectives to realize a higher fee.

· Cost-Plus-Award-Fee (CPAF) – Provides for a fee that consists of a base fee amount (which may even be $0) that is negotiated prior to award, and an award fee amount, which is based on the Government’s subjective evaluation of contract performance. The award fee is designed to motivate excellence in the areas of cost, schedule and technical performance. (See FAR 16.305). Requires the Government to prepare an Award Fee Plan that establishes the procedures for evaluating award-fee and an Award-Fee Board for conducting the award fee evaluation. FAR 16.401(e)(2) directs that award fee shall not be earned if the contractor’s overall cost, schedule, and technical performance in the aggregate is below satisfactory. It further directs that the basis for all award-fee determinations shall be documented in the contract file to include, at a minimum, a determination that overall cost, schedule and technical performance in the aggregate ir or is not at a satisfactory level. This determination and the methodology for determining the award fee are unilateral decisions made solely at the discretion of the Government. See CAM 1316.1 and FAR 16.401(e)(3) for more information.

The Office of Acquisition and Management (OAM) will maintain a database of all contracts and orders containing award fee, award term and incentive provisions. Contracting Officers shall submit to OAM the required documentation delineated in CAM 1316.1, Paragraph 7.5.

1.6.5 Time-and-Materials (T&M) Contracts Top of Page

Time-and-materials and labor-hour contracts are a form of cost-reimbursement contracts; therefore, they shall be used only when it is impossible to accurately, or with any degree of confidence define the effort, time, or cost required to provide a product or service. Since time-and-materials and labor-hour contracts provide no incentive to the contractor to control costs or improve labor efficiency, increased government surveillance of the contractor’s performance is required to ensure the contractor is employing effective, cost-efficient methods.

Explanation: Provides for acquiring supplies or services on the basis of direct labor hours at specified fixed hourly rates that include wages, overhead, general and administrative expenses, and profit; and incidental materials at cost, including, if appropriate, material handling costs. Labor-hour contracts differ only in that materials are not furnished by the contractor. Labor-hour contract types shall be used only to acquire services.

Use ONLY When: The Contracting Officer makes a determination that the contractor has an adequate accounting system, the Government has adequate resources to award and manage the contract type, and an appropriate Government surveillance plan is in place that provides reasonable assurance efficient methods and effec tive cost controls are in place. The Contracting Officer shall prepare a Determination and Findings (D & F) and obtain appropriate level approvals. For more information see CAM 1316.1, Acquisition Alert 2010-03, FAR 16.601, and D&F for T&M Contract Template).

Advantages:

· Provides for the delivery of services at fixed hourly rates and for materials at cost (although a material handling fee may be applied).

· FAR authorizes the use of T&M or Labor Hour contract types for commercial item procurements. (For an overview, see the FAC 2005-15 T&M Information Sheet; for a comparison of T&M policies and examples of applications, see the Comparison of Regulations for T&M/LH Contracts Chart.)

Disadvantages:

Least desirable of all cost vehicles, as it provides no positive profit incentive to the Contractor for cost control or labor efficiency; therefore, appropriate Government surveillance of Contractor performance is required to give reasonable assurance that efficient methods and effective cost controls are being used. In addition, there is no guarantee that appropriate staffing levels will match fixed rates.
Must be justified with a Determination and Findings (D&F).
Requires extensive oversight by the appointed Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) to perform tasks such as verifying the appropriateness of the labor categories and reasonableness of the labor hours worked and materials used.

1.6.6 Letter Contracts/ Undefinitized Contract Actions (UCAs) Top of Page

Explanation: Guidance for Letter Contracts and Undefinitized Contract Actions (UCAs) is provided for in FAR 16.603. A Letter Contract is considered to be a UCA for which the price is not agreed upon prior to commencing performance. A Letter Contract/UCA is a written preliminary contractual instrument that authorizes the Contractor to begin immediately manufacturing supplies or performing services. A Letter Contract/UCA should be as complete and definitive as possible under the circumstances.

HCOs must approve D&Fs for Letter Contracts. If the HCO is the Contracting Officer for the letter contract, the D&F must be approved at a level above the HCO.

The following documentation is required prior to executing a Letter Contract:

D&F that no other contract is suitable (D&F for UCA Template).
Draft of proposed letter contract
Statement of Need /Urgency Impact provided by the Project Officer.

Approved Funding Document - The Government shall not obligate more than 50 percent of the not-to-exceed price before definitization. However, if a Contractor submits a qualifying proposal before 50 percent of the not-to-exceed price has been obligated by the Government, then the limitation on obligations before definitization may be increased to no more than 75 percent.
Definitization schedule to include the following (addressed in the D&F):

o Dates for submission of the Contractor’s price proposal, required cost or pricing data, and, if required, make-or-buy and subcontracting plans (Note: UCAs shall include at least a preliminary basic subcontracting plan addressing the requirements of FAR 19.704 and shall require the negotiation of the final plan within 90 days after award or before definitization, whichever occurs first (FAR 19.705-5(b)), and

o A date for the start of negotiations, and

o A target date for definitization, which shall be the earliest practicable date for definitization.

Prior to the definitization of the Letter Contract/UCA, the Contracting Officer must prepare a Business Case Memorandum (BCM) and obtain approval see APG Evaluation Module. Per GSA's Policy Office, letter contracts/UCAs may not be placed against GSA's Multiple Award Schedule Contracts.

Use When:

The negotiation of a definitive contract action is not possible in sufficient time to meet the Government’s requirements (e.g., under urgent and compelling circumstances).
The Government’s interest demands that the Contractor be given a binding commitment so that contract performance can begin immediately.

Advantages:

Allows Contractor to begin work for the immediate support of mission requirements.

Disadvantages:

Can be used only upon approval of a written D & F determination that no other contract is suitable. Letter Contracts shall not commit the Government to a definitive contract over the funds available at execution; be entered into without competition when competition is required by FAR 6; or be amended to add a new requirement.
Schedule must provide for definitization of the contract within 180 days after the date of the letter contract or before completion of 40 percent of the work to be performed, whichever occurs first.

1.6.7 Indefinite-Delivery Contracts Top of Page

The use of an indefinite-delivery contract is suitable for commercial supplies or services when the need is recurring. There are three types of indefinite-delivery contracts: definite-quantity contracts, requirements contracts, and indefinite-quantity contracts.

Explanation: Allows acquisition of supplies and/or services when the exact times and/or exact quantities of future deliveries are not known at the time of contract award. Indefinite-delivery contracts are also known as delivery order contracts (supplies) or task order contracts (services).

Use When:

Delivery schedule is uncertain.
Quantity of supplies or services is uncertain.
A minimum and maximum quantity can be established.
A recurring need is anticipated.

Advantages:

Allows the Government to procure an indefinite quantity of supplies or services (within stated limits) during a fixed period.
Allows Government stocks to be maintained at minimum levels.
Allows flexibility in both quantities and delivery scheduling.
Permits ordering of supplies or services after requirements materialize.

Varieties of Indefinite-Delivery Contracts:

· Definite-Quantity – (FAR 16.502) – Provides for delivery of a definite quantity of specific supplies or services for a fixed period with deliveries or performance to be scheduled at designated locations upon order. Use when it can be determined in advance that a definite quantity of supplies or services will be required during the contract period and the supplies or services are regularly available or will be available after a short lead time.

· Requirements – (FAR 16.503) – Provides for filling all actual purchase requirements of designated Government activities for supplies or services during a specified contract period with deliveries or performance to be scheduled by placing orders with the Contractor. Use when recurring requirements are anticipated but precise quantities that designated activities will need during a definite period cannot be predetermined. There is no funding at the time of contract award; funds are obligated at the time of issuance of the task or delivery orders against the contract. Commonly used for household good moves.

· Indefinite-Quantity – (FAR 16.504) – Provides for delivery of an indefinite quantity of supplies or services during a fixed period within stated limits. Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts should be used only when a recurring need is anticipated. The Government places orders for individual requirements with quantity limits stated as a number of units or dollar values. May be used when the Government cannot predetermine the precise quantities of supplies or services that will be required during a given period. Must specify a reasonable minimum quantity that is more than a nominal amount and a realistic maximum quantity. In the case of indefinite quantity contracts for supplies or services that specify delivery of minimum quantities during a given period, an obligation shall be recorded upon execution of the contract for the cost of the minimum quantity specified.

FAR 16.504 requires the Contracting Officer give preference to multiple awards of IDIQ contracts under a single Solicitation and all multiple awardees be given a fair opportunity to compete for task orders after contract award unless an exception exists. The Contracting Officer must document the decision whether or not to use multiple awards under an IDIQ contract in the acquisition plan or contract file. A Multiple Award Contract (MAC) requires the identification of a Task and Delivery Order Ombudsman per FAR 16.504 and FAR 16.505 in the Solicitation and resulting contract. The Contracting Officer may determine that a class of acquisitions is not appropriate for multiple awards.

Additional requirements: The Contracting Officer shall prepare a D&F and obtain appropriate level approvals. Also requires a Mitigation Plan which shall be signed by the COR, Program Manager and the Contracting Officer. Task Orders for Professional and Management Support services shall identify specific performance metrics and outcomes that the oversight personnel will use to measure acceptability of contractor performance (see CAM 1316.1).

1.6.8 Agreements Top of Page

1.6.8.1 Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) (FAR 16.703) Top of Page

A basic ordering agreement is a written instrument of understanding, negotiated between an agency, contracting activity, or contracting office and a contractor, that contains (1) terms and clauses applying to future contracts (orders) between the parties during its term, (2) a description, as specific as practicable, of supplies or services to be provided, and (3) methods for pricing, issuing, and delivering future orders under the basic ordering agreement. A basic ordering agreement is not a contract.

Explanation: A written instrument of understanding between the Government and a Contractor that contains (1) terms and clauses applying to future contracts (orders) between the parties; (2) a description of supplies or services to be provided; and (3) methods for pricing, issuing, and delivering future orders under the BOA.

Use When:

Contracting for uncertain requirements must be expedited or when specific items, quantities, and prices are unknown at the time of agreement.
The purchase of a substantial number of requirements is anticipated.

Advantages:

· May reduce administrative lead-time, inventory investment, and inventory obsolescence due to design changes.

Disadvantages:

May require the issuance of a Justification and Approval (J&A) prior to issuing an order.
Period for which orders can be placed against a BOA cannot exceed five years.

1.6.8.2 Basic Purchase Agreement (BPA) Top of Page

In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 8.405-3, ordering activities may establish Basic Purchase Agreements under any GSA Schedule contract. A GSA Schedule BPA simplifies the fillin of recurring needs for supplies (products) and services, while leveraging a customer's buying power by taking advantage of quantity discounts, saving administrative time, and reducing paperwork.

1.6.8.3 Interagency Agreements (IA) Top of Page

The Office of Acquisition Management outlines Department of Commerce policy regarding the use of Interagency Agreements and Other Special Agreement at CAM 1317.570 and at http://oam.eas.commerce.gov/CAS_agreement_mou.html. The CAM chapter specifies DOC requirements for operating units when using interagency agreements for award and administration of direct acquisitions; and development, preparation, review, clearance, approval, cost and performance monitoring, and close-out of assisted acquisitions.

“Best Procurement Approach” Determination – Interagency Acquisitions. Prior to requesting that another agency conduct an acquisition on its behalf FAR 17.502-1 requires a determination of best procurement approach for all interagency acquisitions. For assisted acquisitions, concurrence of the requesting agency’s responsible contracting office is also required. Also for assisted acquisitions, prior to the issuance of a solicitation, the servicing agency and the requesting agency shall both sign a written agreement establishing the general terms and conditions governing the relationship between them, including roles and responsibilities for acquisition planning, contract execution and administration and management of the contract or order. Subsection 17.502-2 contains requirements for the servicing agency for preparation of a business-case analysis when the servicing agency wishes to establish a multi-agency contract in accordance with the Economy Act. FAR 17.5 states a statutory exception for orders of $500,000 or less against Federal Supply Schedules.

1.7 Special Considerations in Contract Planning

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Additional areas should be considered and documentation may be required depending upon the type and size of the procurement.

1.7.1 Small Business Considerations Top of Page

NOAA is required by statute to implement basic small business programs. FAR 19.201 dictates that the Government shall “provide maximum practicable opportunities in its acquisitions [to small businesses],” including the opportunity to participate as prime Contractors and subcontractors. Support of small business socioeconomic program goals begins during the Planning phase. Recommendations for each acquisition are documented on the Small Business Set-Aside Review form (CD 570).

Each acquisition of supplies or services that has an anticipated dollar value exceeding $3,000 (micro-purchase threshold) but not exceeding the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) ($300,000 for contingency operations) is reserved exclusively for small business concerns and should be set aside per FAR 19.5, however, purchases from required sources of supply under FAR 8 are exempt from small business set-aside requirements. However, if the CO is recommending that the acquisition should not be set-aside for small business, the CO must obtain the Small Business Specialist’s approval/concurrence via the CD-570 and include that approval/clearance CD-570 Review Levels in the award file.

Submit the CD-570 to the Small Business Specialist for approval, along with a copy of the CD-435 and supporting documentation, i.e., statement of work, source list, etc. The Small Business Specialist will provide a decision on the set-aside based on the information submitted. For more information on Procurement Center Representative (PCR)s, see the Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) assigned Procurement Center Representative (PCR).

The following set-asides may also be considered:

· Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) (see FAR 19.1405)

· Small Disadvantage Small Business

· Woman-Owned Small Business

· HUBZone Small Business (see FAR 19.1305),

For acquisitions greater than the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT), the requirement to set aside an acquisition for HUBZone Small Business Concerns takes priority over the requirement to set aside the acquisition for small business concerns.

Note: Socioeconomic programs do not apply overseas. A non U.S.-based Contracting Officer may contract with local businesses without the FAR restrictions for small business concerns.

1.7.1.1 SBA Size Standards Top of Page

To be eligible for small business set-asides, a firm must be small, as defined by size standards that are set by the SBA, as well as meet the definition of “small business concern” in FAR 19.001. The Small Business Act states that a small business concern is "one that is independently owned and operated and which is not dominant in its field of operation." The SBA establishes size standards on an industry-by-industry basis (see FAR 19.102). SBA’s tab le of size standards numerically defines the size of each for-profit industry and is matched to North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes. A size standard is almost always stated either as the number of employees or average annual receipts of a business concern, unless otherwise noted (http://www.sba.gov/size/indextableofsize.html).

The North American Industry Classification Standard (NAICS) was developed jointly by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to provide comparability in statistics about business activity across North America. The U.S. Census Bureau assigns one NAICS code to each establishment based on its primary activity (the activity that generates the most revenue for the establishment). Generally, the NAICS classification codes are derived from information that the business establishment provided on administrative, survey, or census reports. NAICS categories do not distinguish business size; however, the SBA, in a continuing effort to define small businesses within industries, established a table of size standards matched to NAICS standards that identifies whether a business entity is small and therefore eligible for Government programs/preferences reserved for small business concerns.

The Contracting Officer shall determine the appropriate NAICS code and related small business size standard and include them in all solicitations above the micro-purchase threshold (see FAR 19.303 and 13 C.F.R. 121.402).

SBA programs are designated by NAICS code based upon the product/service being procured. The size standards themselves are expressed in either number of employees or annual receipts in millions of dollars, unless otherwise specified. The number indicates the maximum allowed for a concern and its affiliates to be considered small. Note that receipts represent actual retrospective earnings (as opposed to projected earnings) based upon the most recent three-year average. (For businesses younger than three years, the SBA uses other methods – such as tax returns, books of account, and audited financial statements – to analyze and define receipts.)

Contracting Officers can see if a company is considered a small business under a particular NAICS code by accessing the SBA Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) and entering the name of the company and the applicable NAICS code. If the NAICS code is listed and if in the corresponding column labeled “Small” the word “yes” appears, then the company meets the SBA's definition as a small business under that NAICS Code. If the word "no" appears in the “Small” column, then the company is considered a large business for that particular NAICS and is ineligible for the competition.

A company without the specific code listed in its profile may self-certify it is small under the size standard specified in the Solicitation. The Contracting Officer may accept a concern’s self-certification as true for the particular procurement in the absence of a written protest by other Offerors or other credible information that causes the Contracting Officer or SBA to question the size of the concern. Additional information concerning this process is provided in the Code of Federal Regulations Section 121.405.

To find more information about the SBA size standards, visit the SBA website; www.sba.gov/size/indexsize.html. To learn more about the size statistics collected by the Census Bureau, visit www.census.gov/epcd/www/smallbus.html.

1.7.1.2 Small Business Size Certification Top of Page

1.7.1.2.1 SBA Size Recertification Top of Page

To ensure that small business size status is accurately represented and reported over the life of long-term Federal contracts, effective 30 June 2007, small business size status is not automatically retained from the time of initial offer. This SBA size recertification rule (Federal Register Nov 15 2006) is applicable to Solicitations as well as to all current and future long-term contracts.

Recertification must occur prior to the following events:

Option exercise
Merger or acquisition
End of the first five years of a contract

Government-Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs), General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contracts, and multi-agency contracts (MACs) are not exempted from this rule.

1.7.1.2.2 SBA Size Re-Representation – Long Term Contracts Top of Page

Long-term contract means a contract of more than five years in duration, including options. However, the term does not include contracts that exceed five years in duration because the period of performance has been extended for a cumulative period not to exceed six months under the clause at FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services, or other appropriate authority.

FAR 19.301-2 requires a contractor that represented itself as a small business concern before contract award re-represent its size status for the North American Industry Classification system (NAICS) code in the contract prior to the end of the fifth year of a contract that is more than five years in duration (long-term contract); prior to exercising any option thereafter; following a novation agreement on any contract; or following a merger or acquisition, regardless of the existence of a novation. The change clarifies that if a contractor re-represents his size status as other than small, the agency may no longer include the value of options exercised, modifications issued, orders issued, or purchases made under blanket purchasing agreements on that contract in its small business prime contracting goal achievements. Further, Agencies should issue a modification to the contract capturing the re-representation and report it to FPDS within 30 days after notification of the re-representation.

Government-Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs), General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contracts, and multi-agency contracts (MACs) are not exempted from this rule.

1.7.1.3 Small Business Program Definitions Top of Page

The NOAA Contracting community is responsible for promoting business with small or disadvantaged companies in order to meet Federal Small Business goals. It is important that the Project Officer understand these socioeconomic initiatives when planning procurement.

A firm may possibly meet the criteria for the first seven of the below programs at the same time. More information on each of these programs is available at the Small Business Administration website at http://www.sba.gov.

Small Business Concern (SB). Located in U.S, organized for profit, including affiliates is independently owned & operated, not dominant in field of operations in which it is bidding on Government contracts, AND meets SBA size standards included in the Solicitation. The size standard is based upon the North American Industrial Classification Standard (NAICS) assigned to the specific procurement dependent upon product/service purchased.

Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB). Small Business, at least 51% owned by one or more women, AND management and daily business operations controlled by one or more women. Qualified firms may self-certify as a woman-owned small business.

Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB). Small Business concern unconditionally owned and controlled by one or more socially and economically disadvantaged individuals who are of good character & citizens of the U.S., AND must be certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Small Disadvantaged Business 8(a) Certified [8(a)]. Small Business, SBA-certified as a SDB, AND certified by SBA into the 8(a) Business Development Program for a maximum of 9 years.

Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone). Small Business, at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more U.S. citizens, AND must be certified by SBA as a HUBZone concern (principal office located in an economically-distressed HUBZone area AND 35% or more employees live in any designated HUBZone).

Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB). Small Business, veteran-owned as defined in 38 USC 101(2), 51% or more owned by one or more veterans, AND management and daily operations controlled by one or more veterans. Qualified firms may self-certify as a veteran-owned small business.

Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SD-VOSB). Small Business, veteran-owned, 51% or more owned by one or more service-disabled veterans, AND management & daily business operations controlled by one or more service disabled veterans OR in the case of veteran with permanent and severe disability, the spouse or permanent caregiver of such veteran, AND with 0% - 100% service-connected disability as defined in 38 USC 101(16) & documented on DD 214 or equivalent. Qualified firms may self-certify as a service-disabled veteran owned small business. For more information.

Historically Black Colleges & Universities/Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI). HBCU is an accredited institution established before 1964 whose principal mission is education of black Americans. MIs are institutions meeting requirements of Higher Education Act of 1965 and Hispanic-serving institutions defined at 20 USC 1059. The Secretary of Education must designate HBCUs/MIs. Lists of HBCU/MIs are available at http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/list/whhbcu/edlite-list.html.

1.7.1.4 Bundling and Consolidation Top of Page

Bundling. Bundling is when two or more requirements previously provided or performed under separate smaller contracts are combined into a Solicitation for a single contract that is likely to be unsuitable for award to a small business concern (due to size or nature of the performance, anticipated dollar value, and/or location of performance – see FAR 2.101 and FAR 7.107).

The Contracting Officer must perform market research to determine whether bundling is necessary and justified and would derive measurable substantial benefits that would outweigh the impact on small business participation. Measurable benefits might result from an assessment of the following:

Cost savings.
Quality improvements that will save time or improve or enhance performance or efficiency.
Reduction in acquisition cycle times

The Contracting Officer must show benefits equivalent to 10 percent of the estimated contract value if the contract is $86 million or less (and five percent of the estimated contract value or $8.6 million, whichever is greater, if the value exceeds $86 million). If the Contracting Officer is unable to show the required savings, the Service Acquisition Executive, Deputy Secretary of Commerce must make the determination that bundling is necessary (see FAR 7.107(c)).

For more regulatory and policy guidance see PM 2003-04 Bundling Action Plan and FAR Requirements for Bundled Contracts.

Consolidation. Consolidation is when two or more requirements previously provided or performed under separate smaller contracts are combined into one and may be offered under a Small Business program. Agencies may not consolidate requirements with an estimated value exceeding $5.5 million unless the acquisition strategy includes the following:

Results of market research showing consolidation is necessary/justified because the benefits of consolidation exceed the benefits of each of the possible alternative contracting approaches. A benefits assessment will include an assessment of costs as well as an assessment of the following (regardless of whether quantifiable in dollar amounts):

Quality.
Acquisition Cycle.
Terms and conditions.

Any other benefit. (Savings in administrative/personnel costs alone are not sufficient unless the total savings is substantial in relation to the procurement.)
Identification of any alternate contracting approaches that would involve a lesser degree of consolidation.
A determination by the Senior Procurement Executive (Director, DOC Office of Acquisition Management and Financial Assistance) that the consolidation is necessary and justified. This determination should be identified in the BCM.

Additional Guidance. Offerors may challenge bundling and consolidation decisions by protesting to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Here are two examples:

Sigmatech, Inc.; B-296401; August 10, 2005 – GAO sustained a protest challenging bundling of services with other requirements under a single-award BPA issued under awardee’s FSS contract, claiming the Agency failed to perform bundling analysis or satisfy the requirements of the following:

· FAR 7.107(a) and (b), conducting sufficient market research to determine that bundling is necessary and justified;

· FAR 10.001(c)(2), notifying affected incumbent small business concerns of the Government’s intention to bundle the requirement at least 30 days prior to releasing the Solicitation; and

· FAR 19.202-1, encouraging small business participation in acquisitions.

TRS Research; B-290644; September 13, 2002 – GAO sustained a protest claiming the Agency improperly bundled its requirements in violation of the Small Business Act. GAO stated that an agency must justify bundling of requirements by analyzing the benefits and costs of such an approach.

For a detailed discussion of Bundling and Consolidation, see Benefit Analysis Guidebook: A Reference to Assist Department of Defense Acquisition Strategy Teams in Performing a Benefit Analysis before Bundling Contract Requirements. This guidebook provides a thorough discussion of what bundling is and is not and describes actions that acquisition strategy teams can take to avoid or mitigate bundling’s potential negative consequences on small businesses. It is a tool for striking the right balance between maximizing small business participation in contracts and achieving for the Government the benefits of contract consolidation. It also contains a helpful decision flow chart (Figure 5-1) and checklist (pages v-vi).

1.7.1.5 Determining NAICS Codes Top of Page

Until October 1, 2000, small business standards were classified by a four-digit code called a Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code. NAICS codes have since replaced SIC codes. On the NAICS web page (http://www.naics.com/search.htm), the Contracting Officer can search on NAICS codes. The SBA website also provides instructions on determining a NAICS code: See http://www.sba.gov. For size standard purposes, procurements are classified in the industry whose definition best describes the principal nature of the product or services being acquired. The Contracting Officer ultimately determines the NAICS code.

Upon approval, the NAICS Code and size standard listed in the CD-570 should be included in the synopsis. The Solicitation must include the provision at FAR 52.219-1, Small Business Program Representations, required for inclusion in all Solicitations exceeding the micro-purchase threshold when the contract will be performed in the U.S. or its outlying areas.

1.7.1.6 Applying the Small Business Size Standard in a Procurement

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Per FAR 19.102, small business size standards are applied by:

§ Classifying the product or service being acquired in the industry whose definition, as found in the NAICS manual (http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html), best describes the product,

§ Identifying the size standard that SBA has established for that industry, and

§ Specifying the size standard in the Solicitation so that Offerors can correctly identify themselves as small or large.

1.7.1.7 Nonmanufacturer Rule and waivers Top of Page

Per the SBA, a nonmanufacturer concern is one that supplies a product under a Federal Government contract that it did not manufacture. The Nonmanufacturer Rule is detailed in paragraph (b) of 13 CFR §121.406. To qualify for Federal Government contracting, a nonmanufacturer must have 500 or fewer employees, be primarily in the wholesale or retail trade, and supply the product of a U.S. small manufacturer, if the contract is set aside for a small business. This requirement is called the “Nonmanufacturer Rule.” FAR 19 dictates that a Contractor under a small business set-aside or 8(a) contract shall be a small business under the applicable size standard and shall provide either its own product or that of another domestic small business manufacturing or processing concern under the Nonmanufacturer Rule.

Waivers for Nonmanufacturers. SBA has waived the requirement for small businesses to furnish supplies manufactured by small businesses for simplified acquisitions not exceeding $25,000. Therefore, a small business may provide a quote on the product of any domestic manufacturer (regardless of size), as long as the procurement is less than $25,000. For acquisitions above $25,000, the small business Vendor must provide a quote on products manufactured by a small business. SBA may waive the requirement for a Vendor to furnish supplies manufactured by a small business if there are no small business manufacturers or producers in the Federal market.

The SBA Associate Administrator for Government Contracting has the authority to make decisions on waivers of the Nonmanufacturer Rule in the following cases:

· After reviewing a determination by a Contracting Officer that no small business manufacturer or processor can reasonably be expected to offer a product meeting the
Specifications (including period of performance) required of an Offeror or by the Solicitation; or

· For a product or class of products after determining that no small business is available to participate in the Federal procurement market.

The two types of waivers of the Nonmanufacturer Rule are regularly referred to as “individual waivers” or “Solicitation-specific” and “class waivers.” More information on each type and a sample format for waiver requests can be found at http://www.sba.gov/.

Contracting Officers may request that the SBA waive the Nonmanufacturer Rule for a particular class of products. When procuring an item on the SBA waiver list, the Contracting Officer may proceed with the set-aside by incorporating FAR 52.219-6, Alternate I, which allows the small business Contractor to provide the product of any domestic manufacturer. For items that are not on the SBA list of classes for which a waiver has been granted, the Contracting Officer may document the file and solicit on an unrestricted basis or may request an individual waiver from SBA to proceed with the set-aside. Once the waiver is received, the Contracting Officer may proceed with the small business set-aside. The contract shall include FAR Clause 52.219-6, Alternate I; however, the acquisition remains under the total small business set-aside.

1.7.1.8 Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) Business Development Program Top of Page

The SBA 8(a) Business Development Program was created to help small disadvantaged businesses compete in the Federal procurement market. To be considered for the program, a business must apply via the local SBA district office. Once certified by the SBA, program participants enter a developmental stage for four years and then a transitional stage for five years. The SBA reviews 8(a) firms annually for compliance with eligibility requirements.

Procedures Less than or Equal to the SAT. No separate agency offering is needed for requirements that are issued under purchase orders that do not exceed the SAT. After an 8(a) Contractor has been identified, the Contracting Officer shall establish the prices, terms, and conditions with the 8(a) Contractor and shall prepare a purchase order consistent with the procedures in FAR 13, including the applicable clauses. No later than the day that the purchase order is provided to the 8(a) Contractor, the Contracting Officer shall provide it to the cognizant SBA Business Opportunity Specialist, using facsimile, electronic mail, or any other means acceptable to the SBA district office. The SBA will review the eligibility of the 8(a) participant within two working days after receipt of a copy of the signed purchase order. Absent receipt of a negative determination within two working days, the 8(a) contractor is authorized to begin performance.

Procedures Greater than the SAT. For requirements greater than the SAT, the written notification to the SBA shall clearly indicate that the requirement is being processed under the SBA-DOC Partnership Agreement (PA). In addition to the notification requirements at FAR 19.804-2, the notice shall also specify the following:

· Under the PA, an SBA acceptance or rejection of the offering is required within 5 working days of receipt of the offering; and

· For sole source requirements, an SBA acceptance shall include a size verification and a determination of the 8(a) firm’s program eligibility, and, upon acceptance, the Contracting Officer will solicit a proposal, conduct negotiations, and make award directly to the 8(a) firm; or

· For competitive requirements, upon acceptance, the Contracting Officer will solicit offers, conduct source selection, and, upon receipt of an eligibility verification, award a contract directly to the selected 8(a) firm.

When soliciting 8(a) concerns, the Contracting Officer should search the CCR website (http://www.ccr.gov) to find local businesses falling under the SBA 8(a) Business Development Program and make an award to the responsive and responsible Contractor that is determined to provide best value to the Government at a price that is determined to be fair and reasonable.

The following requirements are all eliminated under 8(a) contracting: an offering or acceptance letter, competition, and synopsis. Solicitations may be issued on a sole-source basis without the requirement for a J&A to support the action; POs may be issued unilaterally. After awarding to an 8(a) business concern, the Contracting Officer should forward a copy of the order or contract to the local SBA office to verify the Contractor’s eligibility. Two days after SBA’s receipt of the order, performance may commence.

1.7.1.9 Total Small Business Set-Aside Top of Page

If the Contracting Officer does not consider it likely that two Small Business sources will respond to a Solicitation, he/she should dissolve the set-aside and re-submit the Solicitation on an unrestricted basis. Even when a requirement is solicited on an unrestricted basis, small business concerns may continue to compete for the award.

When an adequate number of small business concerns are solicited and one or more acceptable quotations are received, the Contracting Officer may award the requirement (via SF 1449) to the responsible small business who offers the lowest price/best value to the Government, based on the source selection criteria established in the Solicitation.

1.7.1.10 HUBZone Top of Page

The Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Program was created to provide Federal contracting assistance for qualified small business concerns located in historically underutilized business zones, in an effort to increase employment opportunities, investment, and economic development in those areas. HUBZones are historically located within one or more qualified census tracts, qualified non-metropolitan counties, or lands within the external boundaries of an Indian reservation. See FAR 19.1301.

Eligible businesses appear on the list of qualified HUBZone Small Business Concerns maintained by SBA. Per FAR 19.501, in all acquisitions exceeding the SAT, HUBZone Small Business set-asides take priority over set-asides for small business concerns.

At their sole discretion, the Contracting Officer may set-aside acquisitions that exceed the micro-purchase threshold for competition restricted to HUBZone Small Business Concerns, provided the following criteria are satisfied:

§ Offers will be received from two or more HUBZone Small Business Concerns.

§ Award will be made at a fair market price.

1.7.1.11 Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Concerns Top of Page

A Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Concern is a small business concern that is not less than 51-percent owned by one or more service-disabled veterans, or in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than 51-percent stock owned by one or more service-disabled veterans. Further, the management and daily operations of an SDVOSB must be controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans, or, in the case of a veteran with permanent and severe disability, the spouse or permanent caregiver of such veteran.

FAR 19.14 provides that Contracting Officers may set requirements aside for SDVOSB Concerns over the micro-purchase threshold if:

· There is reasonable expectation that offers will be received from two or more SDVOSB Concerns. If the Contracting Officer receives only one acceptable offer from an SDVOSB Concern in response to a set-aside, the Contracting Officer should make an award to that Offeror, given that #2 below is determined.

· Award will be made at a fair market price.

The Contracting Officer is encouraged to conduct market research in order to locate SDVOSB Concerns in order to conduct set-asides, e.g., use of the Veterans Technology Services (VETS) small business set-aside GWAC (http://www.gsa.gov/vetsgwac). Vendor information is available at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – Center for Veterans Enterprise website (http://www.vetbiz.gov/)

If an acceptable offer is received from an SDVOSB in response to a set-aside, the Contracting Officer should award to that Concern on a SF 1449. If no acceptable offers are received, the Contracting Officer should withdraw the set-aside. The requirement should then be set aside for other small business concerns.

The Contracting Officer may award contracts to SDVOSB Concerns on a sole-source basis when only one SDVOSB can satisfy the requirement; the award price, including Options, will not exceed $5.5 million for a requirement within the NAICS codes for manufacturing ($3.5 million for a requirement within any other NAICS code); the SDVOSB Concern has been determined responsible with respect to performance; and award can be made at a fair and reasonable price.

1.7.2 EIT Certification / Section 508 Compliance Top of Page

The Rehabilitation Act requires that when Federal departments or agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use Electronic and Information Technology (EIT), they must ensure that the EIT allows Federal employees with disabilities to have access to, and use of, information and data in the same manner as Federal employees without disabilities.

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (FAR 39.201), as amended by Congress in 1998, requires that when Federal departments or agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use Electronic and Information Technology (EIT), they ensure that this technology is accessible and useful to employees and members of the public with disabilities to the extent it does not pose an “undue burden” on the agency. Such access must be comparable to the access to and use of information by Federal employees who do not possess disabilities.

As a result of the law, access standards were developed that have become part of the Federal Government’s procurement regulations. The standards provide various means of disseminating information (including computers, software, and electronic office equipment) to people with disabilities.

The Contracting Officer must obtain proof of EIT certification from the Project Officer before issuing a Solicitation. See NOAA Section 508 Standards Checklist and Assessement Certification Form.

Exceptions. EIT that meets one of the following exceptions is not required to comply with Section 508 accessibility standards:

EIT for a National Security System (NSS).
EIT acquired by a Contractor incidental to a contract, or which is neither used nor accessed by federal employees or members of the public.
EIT whose acquisition would require a fundamental alteration in the nature of the product or its components in order to comply.
EIT that is a micro-purchase FAR 13.2 prior to 1 October 2004.April 1 2005 (from SAP)
Would impose an undue burden (significant difficulty or expense).

For background information on Section 508, visit the following web pages:

1.7.3 Contracting for Services Top of Page

A service contract is one that calls for a Contractor's time and effort performing services rather than providing an end item of supply. In general, service employees include guards, watchmen, and persons engaged in skilled mechanical crafts or manual labor occupations. For more examples of service contracts, see FAR 22.1003-5. The law originally covered blue-collar workers, but its provisions were amended to extend coverage to white-collar workers while exempting those employed in a bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity.

Contracting Officers must ensure that a requirement is, indeed, a service as defined by FAR 37 for Service Contracting – that is, “a contract that directly engages the time and effort of a contractor whose primary purpose is to perform an identifiable task rather than to furnish an end item of supply.” Post-award reviews, such as Contractor Performance Assessments, of service contracts have exposed numerous instances in which contracts for services were being used to obtain products, supplies, and facilities not required for, or incidental to, the performance of those service contracts.

1.7.3.1 Service Contract Act (SCA) Top of Page

The Service Contract Act (SCA) establishes standards for current compensation, safety and health protections for service employees (as defined in FAR 22.1001) performing work for Contractors or subcontractors under Government contracts. The SCA applies to every contract with the principle purpose of providing services via service employees working in the United States. FAR 22.1002 states, in part:

Service contracts over $2,500 shall contain mandatory provisions regarding minimum wages and fringe benefits, safe and sanitary working conditions, notification to employees of the minimum allowable compensation, and equivalent Federal employee classifications and wage rates. Under 41 U.S.C. 353(d), service contracts may not exceed 5 years.

Contractors performing on service contracts in excess of $2,500 to which no predecessor Contractor’s collective bargaining agreement applies shall pay their employees at least the wages and fringe benefits found by the Department of Labor to prevail in the locality or, in the absence of a wage determination, the minimum wage set forth in the Fair Labor Standards Act.

For service contracts greater than $2,500, the SCA mandates contract provisions regarding minimum wages and fringe benefits, safe and sanitary working conditions, notification to employees of the minimum allowable compensation, and equivalent Federal employee classifications and wage rates. Contracting Officers must incorporate the appropriate SCA clause or its appropriate variation into the contract (see FAR 22.1006 for all SCA-related clauses).

Examples of the types of SCA-covered services that are typically acquired by NOAA include the following:

· Packing, crating, and storage.

· Food service and lodging.

· Laundry, dry-cleaning, linen-supply, and clothing alteration and repair services.

The Contracting Officer is required to submit Standard Forms 98 and 98a “Notice of Intention to Make a Service Contract and Response to Notice” and “Attachment A” electronically. Wage Determinations OnLine provides Contracting Officers a one-stop shop for obtaining appropriate Service Contract Act (SCA) wage determinations (WDs) for official contract actions. Guidance in selecting WDs is provided in the WDOL.gov User’s Guide available on the website.

At the time of award DOL Publication WH-1313entitled "Employee Rights on Government Contracts" must be furnished to the Vendor (see FAR 22.1018). The publication explains to the Vendor that the poster be displayed at the worksite for employees to know what types of wages and compensation they are entitled to by Federal law. The publication should be furnished to the Vendor under the following criteria:

Possible services that fall under the SCA (when exceeding $2,500): custodial, janitorial, food services, laundry, trash removal, grounds maintenance, engineering or logistic support services.
Repairs that fall under Walsh Healey Public Contract Act (when exceeding $10,000): work related by manufacturer of materials, supplies, articles, or equipment.

There are situations in which the SCA does not apply. For statutory exemptions, see FAR 22.1003-3. For a review of SCA and other labor laws see Explanation and Applicability of Labor Laws.

1.7.3.2 Performance-Based Acquisition (PBA) of Services Top of Page

Current DOC policy identifies Performance-Based Acquisition (PBA) as the preferred approach to obtaining services. PBA procurements consist of a Performance Work Statement (PWS), Measurable Performance Standards, Remedies and/or Incentives, and a Performance Assessment Plan or Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). (All service contracts, whether performance-based or not, requires the use of a QASP in accordance with FAR 46.103(a) to measure performance. See FAR 46.404 for requirements for acquisitions at or below the SAT.).

PBA is contracting for results, not just best efforts – structuring all aspects of an acquisition around the purpose of the work to be performed and what needs to be accomplished rather than how to accomplish it. PBA techniques include using objective, measurable performance requirements and quality standards in developing Statements of Work; selecting Contractors using performance as a consideration; determining contract type and incentives in accordance with a fair assessment and assignment of performance risk; and performing contract surveillance and administration for insight only into essential areas of Contractor performance, being mindful of the need for conservation of Government resources. Samples and tools for PBA may be found at: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/104859

Form the Team. A successful PBA relies upon the involvement of all stakeholders throughout the acquisition lifecycle. The PBA Team will consist of representatives from the project, contracting, legal, and finance office. During the teaming process, all team members should meet to identify all stakeholders, define roles and responsibilities, and open lines of communication among team members.

Build a Plan of Action and Milestones . At this point the team should start to build a Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M). This initial POA&M will be a basic outline to include major milestones and events. As the team progresses they should continue to evaluate the current POA&M and update as needed.

When building the POA&M for a PBA, a few key items should be considered. First is whether a Performance Work Statement(PWS) or a Statement Of Objectives(SOO) will be used. When using a PWS, the team will want to build additional time into the planning phase because writing a PWS requires a detailed top-down analysis by the Government; therefore, more time is typically required upfront when writing a PWS versus a SOO. Using a SOO shifts the Government time commitment from the planning phase to the evaluation phase: A SOO may be easier to write than a PWS, but the use of a SOO will require the Government to carefully review each PWS submitted by the Offerors. Thus, while use of a SOO may seem like a way to compress the acquisition schedule, this is not necessarily true; when using a SOO, it is imperative to plan for additional time to evaluate proposed PWSs and corresponding QASPs.

Define the Need. FAR 7.105 specifically provides that, “Acquisition plans for service contracts or orders must describe the strategies for implementing performance-based methods.” Furthermore, in accordance with FAR 37.102(e), “Agency officials are responsible for accurately describing the need to be filled, or problem to be resolved…To the maximum extent practicable, the program officials shall describe the need to be filled using performance-based acquisition methods.

o Identify Desired Results. Results, or outcomes, are what the acquisition is intended to accomplish. The desired results are the ideal outcomes of contract performance. Examples of desired results include a clean building, broader dissemination of information, and increased levels of maintenance. The PBA Team must ask what it wants out of this acquisition and define what the tasking intends to achieve in terms of outcomes and deliverables. The answer will be specific to each acquisition and should be developed through work sessions with the team. This analysis will provide the basis upon which the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and SOO or PWS will be built.

o Decide what Constitutes Success. After the desired results are clearly identified, the PBA Team must identify what outcome will constitute success. For example, the Customer desires a clean building. That’s the result. Defining success means defining how the Customer knows if the building is clean – the floors are mopped, the surfaces are dusted, and the carpets are vacuumed.

o Determine the Current Level of Performance.

Conduct Market Research. Market research should be undertaken by the PBA Team long before attempting to write the PWS. Market research is not a single step but rather a continual process throughout the acquisition lifecycle. NOAA APG 1.3 contains detailed information about conducting market research; this section expounds upon market research issues specific to PBA. Traditionally, the Project Office conducted the market research and passed on results to the Contracting Officer. Under the PBA approach, market research is the responsibility of the entire team. This facilitates the full team’s understanding of the market conditions and challenges of the acquisition.

Develop Performance Objectives. Performance objectives are defined as what must be accomplished to satisfy the requirement. The PBA Team has previously identified the desired results/outcomes to answer the question, “What do we want accomplished as the end result of this acquisition?” Now the team must associate specific performance objectives with the desired outcomes. The performance objectives are simply the desired outcomes specified in terms of services to be performed and delivered by the Contractor. The PBA Team develops performance objectives by segregating desired outcomes into lower task levels and linking those tasks together into a logical flow of activities. A common tool for breaking down tasks and subtasks and linking them together is a WBS. Use of a WBS facilitates a logical arrangement of all elements of the work targeted in a performance-based contract, though is used frequently in non–performance-based contracts as well. Simultaneously it provides a convenient checklist for the PBA Team to trace all the necessary elements of the project or program, which positions the team to ensure all elements are addressed in the PWS. The PBA Team is cautioned to keep the WBS development exercise in perspective and, most importantly, to look at describing output in results-oriented terms.

See the following sample Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for a cleaning service:

APG Image - Sample work Breakdown Structure for a cleaning service

Determine Performance Standards and Acceptable Quality Levels (AQLs). Performance standards are the criteria for determining whether the work requirements are met. They can be response times, delivery times, timeliness, or schedule adherence; they can be error rates, accuracy rates, or milestone completion rates; or they can be a form of cost control. The best performance standard for any particular service depends upon the requirements, budget, and any variables that may affect how the work is to be and can be performed or measured. Example Scenario: A contract requires that the Contractor shall “empty all of the office wastebaskets each evening.” There are 100 wastebaskets in the headquarters building. It is likely that on any given day 5 of the 100 wastebaskets are not emptied. During analysis of the requirements, the PBA Team decides what level of un-emptied wastebaskets is acceptable. That level may be expressed as either a number of outcomes or a percentage of the population of wastebasket outcomes, depending on the characteristics of the task. Let’s say the team determined that on any given night performance will still be considered acceptable if five percent of the wastebaskets are not emptied. Then the AQL for this task would be 5 discrepancies which means that on any given night if the Contractor missed 5 wastebaskets performance would still be within acceptable levels. The PBA Team may request Offerors propose standards of service, along with appropriate price adjustment or other action. This approach fosters a reliance on standard commercial practices.

Define Surveillance and Measurement Techniques. Contractor performance must be monitored in some fashion to determine rate of success. Human biases should be eliminated as much as possible from the surveillance process – the objective is to assess the Contractor’s performance against the established performance standards. The following procedures are the most common methods of surveillance:

o Random Sampling – Method that assumes receipt of acceptable performance is based on a percentage of successful assessments. Random sampling is the most appropriate method for frequently recurring tasks.

o Periodic Sampling – Evaluations are scheduled for specific intervals or dates. It may be appropriate for tasks that occur infrequently.

o One-hundred percent inspection – Only appropriate for the most stringent requirements where health or safety is on the line.

o Trend Analysis – Can be used to assess the Contractor’s ongoing performance over time. Can be helpful to build a database to continually evaluate performance.

o Customer Feedback – Allows end users to evaluate and provide feedback on the service received. Useful for areas that do not lend themselves to be easily observed. Allows evaluators to focus time in other areas. With this approach, it is important that the end users providing feedback understand the contract performance standards.

· Establish Incentives. Per FAR 37.601, “performance-based service contracts shall include performance incentives where appropriate. When used the performance incentives shall correspond to the performance standards set forth in the contract.” A contract can be structured to include positive and negative incentives, but the bottom line is that incentives should motivate the Contractor toward enhanced performance that will provide measurable benefits to the Government. FAR 16.402-2 further discusses performance incentives. Several types of incentives that can be objectively measured as provided below:

o Incentive Type Contracts – Contract type is often the first incentive considered. FAR 16.4 outlines the various types of incentive contracts. Deciding on the contract type for an acquisition is tied closely to the agency's need and can go a long way to motivating superior performance – or contributing to poor performance and results. NOAA’s obligation is to assess its requirements and the uncertainties involved in contract performance and select from the contractual spectrum a contract type and structure that places an appropriate degree of risk, responsibility, and incentives on the Contractor for optimum performance. (For more information on contract types, see NOAA APG 1.6.)

o Award Fee Arrangements – Using evaluation factors established in an award fee plan, award-fee contracts are a tool for assessing Contractor performance for a given evaluation period. They allow Contractors to earn a portion (if not all) of an award-fee pool established at the beginning of the evaluation period. The Contracting Officer unilaterally determines the amount of fee earned by a written award fee determination (typically quarterly or biannually). In the context of PBA, the award-fee evaluation will be based on an assessment of how well the Contractor meets or exceeds the applicable performance standards. (See OFPP Memorandum “Appropriate Use of Incentive Contracts” dated December 4, 2007)

o Award Terms – An Award Term ties the length of a contract to the performance of the Contractor. The contract can be extended for good performance and reduced for poor performance. Performance assessments are made during the life of a contract to determine if the Contractor’s performance warrants additional periods of performance.

o Options – An Option is a unilateral right by which the Government may elect to purchase additional supplies or services called for by the contract, or may elect to extend the term of the contract. An Option requires the Contractor to guarantee prices for a definite period of time with no assurance that the Option will be exercised. When Options are included in the contract award, the Government reserves the right to exercise those Options, thereby providing the Contractor the possibility of additional work as an incentive for the Contractor to perform at a stellar level.

o Cost-based Incentives – Designed to relate profit or fee to specific results. Cost-based incentives can be either positive or negative and should be linked to a performance objective. Common methods of applying cost incentives are through the use of award fees, incentive fees, and price reductions.

o Schedule Incentives – Focus on motivating the Contractor to exceed delivery or schedule expectations. For example, increased payment may be used as an incentive for the Contractor to complete a service more quickly.

o Other Types of Incentives

Performance-based payments
Performance incentive bonus
Past performance evaluations

o Multiple Incentives. A contract may have more than one performance incentive, but caution should be used when deciding to use multiple performance incentives. There is the danger of the incentives having either a negating effect upon each other, making the incentives useless, or a duplicative effect, essentially rewarding the Contractor twice for the same aspect of performance. Properly structured multiple performance incentives attempt to motivate the Contractor toward enhanced performance in all of the areas incentives are offered.

Identify Remedies for Non-Performance. Finally, PBA contracts should have procedures in place for reductions in price (or fee) when services are not performed or do not meet contract requirements. Agencies should provide the Contractor the opportunity to correct deficiencies. While reductions in price may be appropriate for certain circumstances, it may be more feasible to require the Contractor to re-perform at no additional cost. NOAA must take precautions not to pay for services that do not meet standards or have not been properly rendered.

Create A Performance Requirements Summary. Now the performance objectives, performance standards, AQLs, surveillance methods, and incentives that have been developed during the analytical process are documented in a matrix, or table, referred to as a Performance Requirements Summary (PRS). The PRS serves as the foundation upon which the PWS and QASP are built. The PRS matrix is tailored to each procurement. The following example shows the standard columns:

Performance Objective	Performance Standard	AQL	Surveillance Method	Incentive
What we want to accomplish as the end result	The benchmark against which performance will be measured	Acceptable variation from the standard	How performance will be checked	Positive reward or negative penalty applied based on performance
Dining Facility
Feed 5000 troops 4 times per day	Wait time does not exceed 20 minutes	+ 3 minute wait time	Random Inspection	Contractor earns award fee based on meeting standard
Meet all applicable sanitation and health regulations	No more than 5 minor violations per month	+2 minor violations	Random Inspection	Contractor earns higher award fee if standard is exceeded

§ For more situation-specific examples, see:

· DoD PBSA Guide Appendix C: Sample Performance Requirements

· DoD PBSA Guide Appendix F: Performance Assessment Methods

§ From the Seven Steps to Performance Based Acquisition Website Vetted Samples:

· PRS Sample: USPTO Support Services

· PRS Sample: DoC OCIO HCHB IT Support Monitoring Plan

· PRS Sample: DoC OCIO Helpdesk Performance-Based Service Contracting Matrix

· PRS Template: General and Specific Information Technology Requirements

Prepare a Performance Work Statement(PWS) or Statement Of Objectives(SOO). After the PBA Team has addressed each of the elements associated with a PBA, it is ready to complete its preparation of the work statement. As defined by FAR 37.601, agencies may opt to use either a Statement of Objectives (SOO) or Performance Work Statement (PWS) in the Solicitation.

o SOO: An inverted process. Used when the Government has identified a baseline of its requirements but is not prepared to specify the type of work that must be done to meet those requirements. NOAA creates the SOO, which is a brief, high-level document stating the Government’s objectives then the Offeror, not the Government, write the PWS. A SOO is used in Solicitations when the intent is to provide the maximum flexibility to each Offeror to propose an innovative development approach. The SOO is incorporated into the Solicitation and the Offerors must respond with their own unique, self-created PWS and, if requested, a draft QASP. The SOO does not become part of the contract.

§ For assistance in preparing your SOO, see the following samples:

§ SOO Sample – Silent Knight Demonstration

§ SOO Sample – DHS FEMA

§ SOO Sample – GSA Applied Learning Center

§ Vetted by the Seven Steps to Performance Based Acquisition:

§ SOO Sample: NOAA NexRad

§ SOO Sample: NOAA NEPA

§ SOO Sample: DISA

§ For more vetted samples from the Seven Steps to Performance Based Acquisition Website at https://www.acquisition.gov/comp/seven_steps/index.html

o PWS: A top-down approach. Used when the Government need is well defined and the required work has been substantially determined. The Government examines its requirements, specifies the outcomes, defines the tasks to be accomplished, and develops standards. Based on these efforts, the Government writes the PWS and Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP), including both in the Solicitation to which the Contractor must respond.

For assistance in writing your PWS, see:

Also, see the following samples:

Vetted by the Seven Steps to Performance Based Acquisition:

PWS Sample – SSA LAN Services
For more vetted samples from the Seven Steps to Performance Based Acquisition Website above.

· Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). When using a performance-based contract, the surveillance procedures are formally documented in a QASP. The Government will perform surveillance as described in the plan to apply consistent management to the Contractor’s assessment process. FAR 46.4 explains that Government contract quality assurance shall be performed at such times (including any stage of manufacture or performance of services) and places (including subcontractors’ plants) as may be necessary to determine that the supplies or services conform to contract requirements. FAR 37.604 introduces the requirement for a QASP when conducting a PBA.

§ For assistance in preparing your QASP, see the following samples:

§ QASP Sample – Grounds Maintenance

§ QASP Sample – Custodial Services

§ Vetted by the Seven Steps to Performance Based Acquisition:

§ QASP Sample: NASA AXAF CCD Imaging Spectrometer QASP

§ QASP Sample: USPTO Support Services Draft QASP

§ For more vetted samples from the Seven Steps to Performance at https://www.acquisition.gov/comp/seven_steps/index.html

1.7.3.3 Management of Contracted Services Top of Page

Per FAR 37.102(f), agencies shall establish effective management practices in accordance with Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) OFPP Policy Letter 93-1, Management Oversight of Service Contracting, to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse in service contracting.

Department of Commerce Departmental Administrative Order 208-10 Management of Contracted Services (DAO 208-10, as amended) provides policy and guidance to ensure that service contracts:

· Support DOC objectives.

· Utilize performance-based methods to the maximum extent practicable.

· Contain clear requirements.

· Identify measurable outcomes.

· Are properly planned and administered.

· Achieve the intended results.

Additionally, federal contracts involving on-site contractor performance and/or contractor access to Federal facilities or systems routinely include performance hours, a list of Federal holidays, and requirements under Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12). Procurement Memorandum (PM) 2011-07 prescribes the need to include the application of Federal dismissal or closure procedures in contracts involving on-site contractors and/or contractors requiring remote access to Federal facilities in accordance with prevailing guidance by the Office of Personnel Management and operating-unit specific conditions. In consultation with Contracting Officer Representatives (CORs) and Program Officials (PMs), Contracting Officers shall:

Develop appropriate direction to on-site contractors in the event of Federal dismissal or closure and include that direction in the contract or task order. The direction should be sufficiently general to be germane to a variety of dismissal or closure scenarios. In addition to requirements for on-site contractors, contracts should address contractors’ remote access to Federal facilities in the event of dismissal or closure if such access is required for contract performance.
Monitor dismissal or closure guidance for Federal employees issued by the Office of Personnel Management and ensure that direction contained in the contract or task order is current and consistent.

Performance-Based Acquisition is the preferred contracting method for acquisition of contracted services. See DOC PM 2008-1 Using Performance-Based Acquisition to Meet Program Needs.

Use the NOAA Acquisition Strategy Requirements Template to assist in development of acquisition strategy for contracted services.

1.7.4 Contract Security Considerations Top of Page

Contract Security Classification Specification (DD 254). U.S. industry develops and produces the majority of our nation’s space and defense technology – much of which is classified – and thus plays a significant role in creating and protecting the information that is so vital to our national security. The National Industrial Security Program (NISP) was established in 1993 to ensure that cleared U.S. Contractors safeguard the classified information in their possession while performing work on contracts, programs, bids, or research and development efforts.

NOAA adheres to the tenets of NISP via the DoD Contract Security Classification Specification Form (DD 254). FAR prescribes use of the DD 254 in civilian agencies. The DD 254 ensures protection and control of classified information by providing specific contractual security classification guidance to Contractors.

An original DD 254, with attachments and supplements as applicable, must be included with each Solicitation that will require the Contractor, upon award, to handle classified material in accordance with its terms and conditions. Upon award, the prime Contractor’s name will be included in the DD 254.

The Project Officer should complete a DD 254 in concert with their Security Manager for inclusion in the Procurement Request (PR) package. The DD254 Preparation Guide provides an explanation of the DD 254 form as well as excellent step-by-step instructions to completing the form not only for Solicitations but also for awards, delivery orders, blanket purchase agreements, and retention authority.

Contractor Employee Security Clearance and Government Facility Visitation. The Project Officer must identify as part of the PR package any security clearance requirements that will be needed by the Contractor in performance of the contract to include installation access requirements, and the Contracting Officer shall ensure appropriate language is included in the Solicitation.

Contractor personnel performing on Government installations are required to obtain specific access for security reasons. Security access procedures vary greatly from installation to installation. The Project Officer must specify in the PR package if performance will occur on a U.S. installation. The Contracting Officer will ensure that installation access guidelines for Contractor employees are included in all Solicitations. For more information, see:

For Foreign Nationals. The Program Activity must obtain authorization for all foreign national “Visitors” or “Guests,” as defined in NAO 207-12 Technology Controls and Foreign National Access, from the cognizant Department of Commerce Servicing Security Office. The following must be completed to obtain authorization:

Submit required data (See, NAO 207-12, Section 5.08) to your Servicing Security Office
Visitors: at least 1 business day before arrival
Guests: 30 calendar days before arrival

For Foreign Guests: the Program Activity must also submit the following to the servicing Controlled Technology Coordinators (See, http://deemedexports.noaa.gov/contacts.html):

“NOAA Line Office/Corporate Office Endorsement Supplement for the NOAA Sponsor of Foreign National Guests” and
Appendix B of NAO 207-12, “Certification of Conditions and Responsibilities for Departmental Sponsors of Foreign National Guests” (http://deemedexports.noaa.gov/Appendix%20B.pdf).
Foreign national “guests” must also review and sign Appendix C of NAO 207-12, “Certifications of Conditions and Responsibilities for Foreign National Guests (http://deemedexports.noaa.gov/Appendix%20C.pdf). You must submit this completed and signed form directly to the Servicing Security Office.
If you will be hosting a foreign national on an Office of Marine and Aviation (OMAO) platform (e.g., ships and planes), please refer to OMAO’s instructions for providing assurance to the commanding officer that all policy requirements have been met. (See, http://www.omao.noaa.gov/foreign.html).
Foreign national guests who will have access to Departmental facilities for more than three (3) days will be subject to a security check at the discretion of the Director of Security. (CAM Notice 11-03, CAM 1337.70).
Permanent resident must provide proof of permanent residency status thirty (30) working days prior to their visit. Foreign Nationals claiming refugee status or asylum will continue to be governed by the policies outlined in Chapter 11 of DOC Manual of Security Policies and Procedures and Department Administrative Order (DAO) 207-12, Foreign National Visitor and Guest Access Program, until such times as their cases have been properly adjudicated under the Immigration and Naturalization Act (8 U.S.C. 1157 and 1158, respectively).

NOAA Policy. FAR 52.204-9 Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel shall be incorporated into all contracts and subcontracts when the contractor/subcontractor is required to have r

outine physical access to a Federally-controlled facility and/or routine access to a Federally-controlled information system.

1.7.5 Deemed Export and Export Controls Top of Page

NOAA policies and procedures are designed to ensure compliance with Export Administration Regulations to prevent the unauthorized release of certain technology to foreign nationals, while supporting NOAA’s mandate of information sharing and exchange with the international community. See NOAA Administrative Order (NAO) 207-12)

For reference see:

NOAA Deemed Export website (http://deemedexports.noaa.gov)
Line Office and Corporate Office Controlled Technology Coordinators http://deemedexports.noaa.gov/contacts.html)

Bureau of Industry and Security website (http://www.bis.doc.gov/)
Department of Commerce Office of Security (http://www.osec.doc.gov/osy/)

1.7.6 Information Technology (IT) Top of Page

Information Technology Security. Per Department of Commerce(DOC) PM 2006-06 Information Security in Acquisitions, all DOC IT requirements must have a completed DOC IT Security Checklist. See DOC IT Security Checklist Workflow for additional information concerning completing the checklist.

In acquiring information technology, FAR 39.101 specifies that agencies shall include the appropriate information technology security policies and requirements, including use of common security configurations available from the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s website at http://checklists.nist.gov. Agency Contracting Officers should consult with the requiring official to ensure the appropriate standards are incorporated. For additional information concerning Information Technology security in the U.S. Department of Commerce see IT Security Program Policy and Minimum Implementation Standards. For training in IT Security for acquisitions see: IT Security in Acquisition Training Course.

Clinger-Cohen Act (CCA) Compliance. CCA compliance is the responsibility of the Project Officer during the acquisition planning phase for Major Acquisition Programs and Major Automated Information System acquisitions.

The CCA requires the heads of Federal agencies to link IT investments to agency accomplishments and to establish a process to select, manage, and control their IT investments. The emergence of the CCA promised effective procurement and management of IT systems, in turn ensuring improved productivity and efficiency of Federal agencies and their programs.

The DOC’s responsibility under the CCA is to utilize a specific process for maximizing the value and managing the risks of IT acquisitions by the following actions:

Provide for selection, management, and evaluation of IT investments.
Integrate IT acquisitions in budget, financial, and program management decision-making processes.
Consider certain minimum criteria when deciding whether or not to undertake a particular investment.
Identify quantifiable measurements for determining the net benefits/risks of the investment.
Establish improvement goals in operations through the effective use of IT.
Prescribe performance measurements to evaluate the IT support of agency programs.
Revise mission-related processes and administrative processes, before making significant IT investments (if necessary).
Ensure the adequacy of information security policies.

Project Officers with IT (information technology) requirements must demonstrate programmatic CCA compliance prior to contract award. To ensure CCA compliance requirements do not impact program schedules, it is extremely important that program planning include adequate time to obtain CCA compliance. This can be simple if the project or contracting office has successfully completed other acquisition documentation, but this crucial step is often overlooked until it’s too late.

Internet Protocol (IP). IP is one of the primary mechanisms that define how and where information moves across networks. The widely-used IP industry standard is IP Version 4 (IPv4). The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-05-22, dated August 2, 2005, requires all new IT procurements, to the maximum extent practicable, to include IPv6 compliant products and standards and provides guidance to agencies for transitioning to IPv6.

1.7.7 Advisory and Assistance Services Top of Page

Advisory and Assistance Services (commonly referred to as Contractor Advisory and Assistance Services or “CAAS”) are contracted services that are a resource used to accomplish Department of Commerce programs and require more visibility, review, and oversight than other types of services. Contracting Officers need to be aware of the approval process involved in acquiring CAAS. The following provides applicable guidance in an abbreviated format for Project and Contracting Officers:

The Customer/Project Officer is responsible for CAAS identification, budgeting, and reporting for the following:

Management and Professional Support Services (MSS)
Studies, Analyses, and Evaluations (SAE)
Engineering and Technical Services (ETS)

Contractors may not be paid for services to evaluate or analyze any aspect of a proposal submitted for an initial contract award unless a written determination is made in accordance with FAR 37.203 and approved by the Head of the Contracting Office (HCO). See Sample D&F Using Contractors as Evaluators.

The HCA shall determine if sufficient personnel are available to perform evaluation of offers prior to issuing a Solicitation as required at FAR 37.204.

1.7.8 Determination and Findings (D&F) Top of Page

FAR 1.701 defines Determination and Findings (D&F) as a special form of written approval that must be completed by an authorized official prior to taking certain contractual actions. Aptly named, a D&F is composed of two parts: (1) a determination that sets forth a conclusion, and (2) findings that are expressed as statements of fact and supporting rationale, upon which the determination is based. All D&Fs become part of the contract file.

D&Fs are most commonly used by NOAA for the following:

Interagency Acquisitions under the Economy Act (FAR 17.503). A “best interest determination” must be completed for each Interagency Agreement in accordance with OFFP Memorandum “Improving the Management and Use of Interagency Acquisitions” dated June 6, 2008 and incorporated in a D&F identified in CAM 1317.570 Appendix C and NOAA AGO-POL-08-005.
Class D&Fs (see FAR 1.703).
Time-and-Materials (T&M) Contracts (see APG 1.6.5)
Letter Contracts (see D&F for UCA Template and APG 1.6.6)

D&Fs may be required for the following situations:

Other Than Full and Open Competition (Public Interest Exception) (FAR 6.302-7)
Full and Open Competition After Exclusion of Sources (FAR 6.202)
Government Provided Facilities/Contractor Acquired Property (FAR 45.302-1)
Contract award or continued performance in the face of protest (see Sample D&F To Continue Performance in the Face of a GAO Protest).
Non-Government Personnel to evaluate/analyze proposals
Non-Government Personnel to assist in the performance of functions closely associated with inherently governmental functions (see Sample D&F to Use Contractor Support for Certain Non-Inherently Governmental Functions, FAR 7.503(d))

Special Note: This list is not all inclusive.

D&Fs must be prepared using local letterhead and include the following (FAR 1.704):

Identification of the agency and contracting activity; and specific identification of the document as a “Determination and Findings.”
Description of the action being approved.
Citation of the appropriate statute or regulation upon which the D&F is based.
Account of all findings that detail the particular circumstances, facts, or reasoning essential to support the determination.
Explanation of the determination based on the findings, that the proposed action is justified under the applicable statute or regulation.
Expiration date of the D&F, if required.
Signature of the authorized official.
Date of signature.

For specific information related to determinations for Interagency/Economy Act see the Department of Commerce Interim Interagency and Special Agreements Handbook.

1.7.9 Contract Financing Top of Page

FAR 32 addresses Contract Financing for Government contracts in detail. Although there are various methods of providing financing including Assignment of Claims (a method of private financing) and Interim Payments under Cost Type Contracts, this discussion will concentrate on customary Fixed Priced Contract Financing.

Per FAR 32.003, Contract Financing shall not be provided to purchases made pursuant to FAR 13.

There are three customary Fixed Priced forms of Contract Financing:

Commercial Interim Payments
Progress Payments based on Cost
Performance-Based Payments

Because progress payments based on costs and performance-based payments have similar requirements on payment and are considered non-commercial financing, they will be discussed separately from commercial interim payments.

Before discussing in detail the similarities and differences as well as the requirements when making payments under any of these three methods, the term Contract Financing needs to be defined. FAR 32.001 states that a Contract Financing payment is an authorized Government disbursement of monies to a Contractor prior to acceptance of supplies or services by the Government. In both commercial and non-commercial financing the Government’s intent is not to relieve the Contractor from the responsibility to provide all the resources for performance of a contract, but rather to provide assistance where warranted and when documented during market research, and ensure the efficient performance of a contract.

See FAR 32.202-1(a) for commercial financing and FAR 32.104 and FAR 32.105(a) for non-commercial financing.

Understanding the rationale for using Contract Financing can be quite valuable in deciding whether to include the applicable clauses in a Solicitation. As stated above, the primary reasons for allowing Contract Financing is the Government needs efficient and timely delivery of goods and services. There are, however, additional corollary reasons to consider before authorizing Contract Financing. Among issues to consider are:

Because interest expense on borrowing is an unallowable cost for a Contractor per FAR 31.205-20, obtaining private financing may be difficult for some companies, particularly small businesses. When considering allowing financing, the Contracting Officer should be aware that in using the Weighted Guidelines to compute profit, the Government allows interest disguised in Cost of Money (COM) and Facilities Capital Cost of Money (FCCOM).
A contract may have long-lead time items that would require a company to carry burdensome financing costs.
By providing financing, the Government allows otherwise capable companies without sufficient resources or access to capital the ability to compete for contracts.
When procuring items not readily severable into discrete deliverables or tasks, financing can provide incentive to Contractors to assume more risk. However, the use of a unit of issue of one lot does not automatically make an item non-severable. Financing should not be used as a substitute for payment of deliverables. The following may be priced as separate line items where payment may be made on acceptance of those items and should be considered in lieu of Contract Financing:

o Preliminary Design Review (PDR)

o Critical Design Review (CDR)

o Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL)

o Training

o Other similar items that can be separated out and priced as separate line items.

Financing gives insight into where a company is in the production process – i.e., is the company behind schedule or experiencing material shortages?
The Government establishes in Solicitations the permission for obtaining Contract Financing, but the Contractor must request Contract Financing.
If the contract is issued under FAR 12, the standard practices for that particular commercial industry must be determined during market research and documented.

The Contracting Officer must understand the benefits and the pitfalls of Government Contract Financing. Although financing may not directly appear in a contract line of accounting, imprudent use of financing adds significantly to overall cost of a contract. Several areas to consider before providing for financing in a contract are:

Is the Government paying higher prices when providing financing? Per FAR 32.005, the value of the Contract Financing to the Contractor is expected to be reflected in either prices lower than what would be paid without financing provided or terms and conditions that are more beneficial to the Government than they would have been in the absence of the Contract Financing. Those benefits should be documented in the contract file.
Is the Government financing the Contractor’s profit? Under both Progress Payments based on Cost (for large businesses, small businesses are at 95 percent) and Performance-Based Payments, payments are authorized for up to 90 percent of the contract value. See FAR 32.1004(b)(2)(ii).
Anytime Contract Financing is provided, the Government incurs interest costs because it has to borrow the funds to make financing payments. See FAR 32.1004(b)(3).
The Government’s risk of loss of funding and non-delivery of product increases when Government financing is in excess of the actual value of deliverable product. Contracts in a loss position or terminated either for convenience or default (cause if commercial item) are all high risk. Careful monitoring of a Contractor’s processes is necessary particularly when financing is involved.
If the standard practice for a commercial industry is not to provide financing, by providing financing the Government may have unnecessarily increased the amount it pays for a commercial product.

1.7.9.1 Commercial Contract Financing Top of Page

In considering whether to provide Contract Financing under commercial terms, the Contracting Officer must first consider private financing. While the Contracting Officer may adapt non-commercial financing procedures for commercial Contract Financing, the Contracting Officer must understand the effects of the differing financing methods and what is needed to protect the interests of the Government.

Market research must first be performed to determine whether industry practices are to permit Contract Financing and to what degree. Additionally, the contract must be awarded on the basis of competition and there must be adequate security provided to protect the Government against any potential loss. The Contracting Officer must address the required security in the Solicitation. See FAR 32.202.

After performing market research and determining what will constitute adequate security, the Contracting Officer may either specify the financing terms in the Solicitation or permit each Offeror to propose its own customary financing terms. When the Contracting Officer has sufficient information on financing terms that are customary in the commercial marketplace for the item, those terms may be specified in the Solicitation. See FAR 32.204 and FAR 32.205 for further information.

1.7.9.2 Non-Commercial Contract Financing Top of Page

Remember when a Contractor requests non-commercial Contract Financing, the Contracting Officer must consider the following order of precedence before providing for Government financing:

Private Financing
Performance-Based Payments
Progress Payments based on costs.

Before authorizing any non-commercial finance payments, the Contracting Officer must determine that the Contractor has an accounting system determined to be adequate. See FAR 32.503-3 and FAR 32.1001(d).

Performance based payments and progress payments based on costs have the following similarities:

Payable no more than once a month.
Finance payments are not payment for delivery of items. Neither may be used as an acceptance document.
Liquidated against delivery of items.
Not subject to interest penalties of the Prompt Payment Act.
Made under a fixed-price contract.

Performance-Based Payments vs. Progress Payments, and the Government’s Preference for Performance-Based Payments. FAR 32.1001 prescribes the Government’s preference for performance–based payments as a method of contract financing for fixed price non-commercial contracts for supplies and services, when the Contracting Officer finds them practical and the contractor agrees to their use. FAR 32.1002 prescribes specific bases for performance-based payments, and FAR 32.1003 prescribes criteria for use of performance-based payments on contracts as well as individual orders against contracts that do not provide for progress payments. Because the Government has stated a preference for performance-based payments vice progress payments, understanding how these two methods diverge may help in selecting the most appropriate method to include in a Solicitation. The following discussion demonstrates some of the differences between performance-based payments and progress payments, and when use of one or the other method may be more appropriate:

Although obvious, the methods are mutually exclusive. FAR 32.113(d) only allows one form of Contract Financing per contract.
Performance-based payments are tied to achieving some objective or goal and not expenditure of some certain percentage of price. Progress payments are based on the incurrence or expenditure of costs not the achievement of some goal or standard. Even though the amount of a performance payment is not tied directly to costs, the amount payable under such payment should not result in an unreasonably low or negative level of Contractor investment in the contract.
Costs submitted under progress payments are paid at a Department of Commerce established fixed percentage rate per request. Performance-based payments are paid based on a negotiated schedule using either percentages of a price or fixed dollar amounts.
Rates for NOAA progress payments and payment amounts for performance payments are established in negotiations prior to award.

Progress payments may be more appropriate when you have:

A long lead time before delivery of the first production units;
A first article requirement;
A business with history of cost overruns;
A business new to the industry.

Performance-based payments may be more appropriate when you have:

A business with an excellent past performance in the same field;
Recent completed contracts with performance based payments;
A contract that lends itself to establishing attainable and measurable goals;
Costs that can be appropriately distributed across the milestones.

Performance-based payments shall not be used for:

· Payments under cost-reimbursement line items;

· Contracts for architect-engineer services or construction, or for shipbuilding or ship conversion, alteration, or repair, when the contracts provide for progress payments based on percentage of completion; or

· Contracts awarded through sealed bid procedures.

FAR 32.1005 prescribes the use of clause FAR 52.232-32, Performance-Based Payments, in solicitations that may result in contracts providing for performance-based payments and fixed-price contracts under which the Government will provide performance-based payments. In addition, it prescribes the use of solicitation provision FAR 52.232-28, Invitation to Propose Performance-Based Payments, in negotiated solicitations that invite offerors to propose performance-based payments.

1.7.10 “Brand Name” and “Brand Name or Equal” Top of Page

FAR 11.105 states that agency requirements shall not be written so as to require a particular brand name, product, or a feature of a product, peculiar to one manufacturer, thereby precluding consideration of a product manufactured by another company, unless—

· The particular brand name, product, or feature is essential to the Government’s requirements, and market research indicates other companies’ similar products, or products lacking the particular feature, do not meet, or cannot be modified to meet, the agency’s needs;

· The authority to contract without providing for full and open competition is supported by the required Justifications and Approvals (J&A) (see FAR 6.302-1); or the basis for not providing for maximum practicable competition is documented in the file (see FAR 13.106-1(b)) or justified (see FAR 13.501) when the acquisition is awarded using Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP); and

· The documentation or justification is posted for acquisitions over $25,000. (See FAR 5.102(a)(6))

“Brand name” and “brand name or equal” descriptions may limit competition; limit participation by small business concerns; preclude acquisition of the newest, most technologically advanced products; and/or result in less than best value acquisitions for the Government. To promote Vendor-neutrality to the maximum extent practicable, certain conditions must be met in order to use brand name/brand name or equal.

For brand name or equal requirements, the item description must be followed by the words “or equal.” In addition to the brand name, the purchase description must include a general description of salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics of the brand name item that could be satisfied by an “equal” item to be acceptable for award. (See Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Guidance for Appropriate Use of Brand Name or Equal Purchase Descriptions 11/28/2007) Written approval from a warranted Contracting Officer, whose warrant level is greater than or equal to the value (including options) of the requirement, is required to authorize use of brand name or equal specifications. For brand name/brand name or equal requirements, the Contracting Officer must include the provision at FAR 52.211-6 in the Solicitation.

Contracting Officers must take steps to mitigate brand name usages. Accordingly, the conditions for use of “brand name” alone are even stricter. For brand name Specifications exceeding $25,000, the Contracting Officer shall first prepare and obtain required approval of a brand name justification per FAR 11.105. Additionally, the Contracting Officer must document in the synopsis the rationale for use of brand name specifications (see FAR 11.105(b) and (c) and FAR 6.302-1(c)) by including the rationale for using a brand name specification in paragraph (c)(14) of the synopsis format required by FAR 5.207. When using GSA FSS, include the brand name justification in the RFQ posted in the e-Buy system (http://www.ebuy.gsa.gov). See OMB Memo Appropriate Use of Brand Name or Equal Purchase Descriptions dated 28 November 2007, OMB Memo Publication of Brand Name Justifications dated 17 April 2006, and OMB Memo Use of Brand Name Specifications dated 11 April 2005.

1.7.11 “Green” Procurement Top of Page

“Green Procurement” is the acquisition of environmentally preferable products and services in accordance with one or more established Federal environmental procurement preference programs. The Green Procurement Program applies to all DOC operating units and applicable contractors and purchases, including those below the micro purchase threshold. It is the Department’s policy to specify and acquire, in an environmentally preferable and sustainable manner, products and services that minimize solid waste, prevent pollution, save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and encourage public support and participation. DOC’ s Forecasting and Advance Acquisition Planning System (FAAPS) shall be used to promote green acquisition. FAAPS has been revised to include an element entitled “Sustainable (i.e., Environmental) Acquisition Preferences(s).” Programs covered under the Green Procurement policy include recovered materials products, bio-based products, energy efficient products, electronic product environmental assessment tool (EPEAT) products, water efficient products, alternative fuels vehicles/alternative fuels/hybrids, non-ozone depleting products, environmentally-preferable products and services and waste prevention and recycling. CAM 1323.70 Section 2 of describes each of these programs further and includes links to websites that contain additional details and product info. Requesting Officials must review and become familiar with the Green Procurement Program as they are responsible for: ensuring that relevant green procurement requirements are considered early in the acquisition strategy and identified prior to submission of the procurement request; consulting with contracting, environmental, and information technology personnel to facilitate market research and acquisition planning, and enhance statements of work or specifications that incorporate green procurement requirements; preparing and documenting Requests for Procurement exceptions; and managing the contract to ensure green procurement requirements are addressed and delivered in accordance with the terms of the contract. See FAR Part 23 and CAM 1323.70 for further specifics and resource information regarding procurement of supplies and services in compliance with DOC’s Green Procurement Program.

CAM 1323.70 implements DOC’s Green Procurement Program in compliance with Executive Order 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management; Section 6002 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); Section 9002 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act; Section 104 of the Energy Policy Act; Section 612 of the Clean air Act; Executive Order 13221, Energy Efficient Standby Power Devices; and FAR. It is the Government’s policy to conserve resources, provide good stewardship of the environment and reduce negative impact on the environment. Therefore, green products and services shall be purchased to the maximum extent practicable, consistent with FAR and Federal green procurement preference programs. CAM 1323.70 Appendix B provides a summary of green procurement requirements included in the FAR, including applicable clauses. CAM 1323.70 Appendix E is a list of Green Procurement websites, which includes websites for products, guidance and resources and some related training. CAM 1323.70 Section 5, states a requirement for all acquisition professionals, CORs, Program Managers and Project Managers to take Green Procurement training, and specifically discusses the training resources listed in 1323.70 Appendix E.

One significant resource for acquiring compliant products is through utilization of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) List of Designated Products. EPA is required to designate products that are or can be made with recovered materials, and to recommend practices for buying these products. Once a product is designated, procuring agencies are required to purchase it with the highest recovered material content level practicable. An EPA-designated product is a product:

That is or can be made with recovered material;
That is listed by EPA in a procurement guideline (40 CFR Part 247); and
For which EPA has provided purchasing recommendations in a related Recovered Materials Advisory Notice (RMAN).

As part of its continuing program to promote the use of recovered materials, the EPA has issued "Wastes – Resource Conservation – Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines” (CPG) to designate recycled-content products in various product categories. The CPG implements Section 6002 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requiring the EPA to designate products that are or can be produced with recovered materials and to recommend practices for the procurement of designated products by procuring agencies. Once the EPA designates a product, RCRA requires any Federal agency procuring that product to purchase it with the highest percentage of recovered materials practicable. Therefore, when purchasing supplies that contain recovered material or services that could include supplies that contain recovered material, the Contracting Officer should access the list of EPA designated products (CPG) which also provides recommended sources of supply. When specifying and procuring EPA-designated recycled content products, Contracting Officers shall ensure that a preference is included for products and services which meet or exceed the EPA purchasing guidelines as contained in the EPA Recovered Materials Advisory Notices (RMANS). Additional information on this program is located at the CPG website. In addition, Contracting Officers shall ensure that vendors provide written certifications that their products meet the minimum content in the solicitation document; maintain copies of certification documents; and produce copies of the written certification upon request. For purchases above the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT), Contracting Officers shall obtain estimates and certifications of the recycled content in the products to be supplied under a contract and verify those estimates and certifications. Vendor certification documents shall be reviewed as part of the annual review and monitoring process to verify contractor compliance.

For acquisitions below the micro-purchase threshold written justification are not required however, green preference requirements still apply. Above the micro-purchase threshold, a decision not to specify and procure the following classes of green products must be supported by a written justification: recovered materials and bio-based products; ENERGY STAR® and FEMP-designated products; and EPEAT products. CAM 1323.70 Appendix C, “Summary of Procurement Exceptions for Which Written Justifications are Required” is self-explanatory. It annotates the specific FAR references for the exceptions, basis for exception, and assigns responsibilities for drafting the justification as well as citing approval authorities for the specific justifications. CAM 1323.70 Appendix d provides a sample (template) for use in drafting the justification. The Contracting Officer she shall place the original approved justification with distribution of copies per CAM 1323.70 Section 4, Para 4.1. Written justifications are not required for acquisitions below the micro-purchase threshold.

1.7.12 SAFETY Act Considerations Top of Page

In order to ensure that the threat of liability does not deter potential manufacturers or sellers of antiterrorism technologies from developing, deploying and commercializing technologies that could save lives, the SAFETY Act provides incentives for such development and deployment by creating a system of “risk management” and a system of “litigation management”. Requiring activities should review requirements to identify potential technologies that prevent, detect, identify, or deter acts of terrorism or limit the harm such acts might cause, and may be appropriate for SAFETY Act protections. In questionable cases, the agency shall consult with Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Acquisition officials shall consider SAFETY Act issues as early in the acquisition cycle as possible which normally would be at the point where the required capabilities or performance characteristics are addressed. This is important because the processing times for issuing determinations on all types of SAFETY Act applications vary depending on many factors, including the influx of applications to DHS and the technical complexity of the individual applications. If the technology to be procured is found to be appropriate for SAFETY Act protections, agencies should: (1) formally relay this determination to DHS for purposes of supporting contractor application(s) for SAFETY Act protections in relation to criteria (b)(viii) of 6 CFR§ 25.4, Designation of Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technologies; (2) Encourage offerors to seek SAFETY Act protections for their offered technologies, even in advance of the issuance of a solicitation; and (3) Not mandate SAFETY Act protections for acquisitions because applying for SAFETY Act protections for a particular technology is the choice of the offeror. Agencies shall not solicit offers contingent upon SAFETY Act designation or certification occurring before contract award unless authorized in accordance with FAR 50.205-3. Further, agencies shall not solicit offers or award contracts presuming DHS will issue a SAFETY Act designation or certification after contract award unless authorized in accordance with FAR 50.205-4.

See FAR 50.2 for further information and guidance. Questions concerning the SAFETY Act may be directed to DHS Office of SAFETY Act Implementation (OSAI). Additional information about the SAFETY Act may be found at http://www.SAFETYAct.gov. Included on this website are block designations and block certifications granted by DHS.

1.7.13 Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects Top of Page

Project labor agreements are a tool that agencies may use to promote economy and efficiency in Federal procurement. Executive Order 13502 encourages agencies to consider requiring their use in connection with large-scale construction projects; that is, construction projects where the total cost to the Federal Government is $25M or more. An agency may, if appropriate, require that every contractor and subcontractor engaged in construction on the project agree, for that project, to negotiate or become a party to a project labor agreement with one or more labor organizations if the agency decides that the use of project labor agreements will:

Advance the Federal Government’s interest in achieving economy and efficiency in Federal procurement, producing labor-management stability, and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations governing safety and health, equal employment opportunity, labor and employment standards, and other matters; and
Be consistent with the law.

FAR 22.503 lists several factors for consideration in deciding whether the use of a project labor agreement is appropriate for the construction project, in addition to any other factors the agency decides are appropriate. In addition, FAR 22.504 prescribes the general requirements for the agreements. FAR 22.505 specifies the provision at FAR 52.222-33 be used with its Alternate I if the agency requires submission of a project labor agreement from only the apparent successful offeror, prior to contract award; Alternate II is specified if the agency decides to allow submission of a project labor agreement after contract award. FAR 52.222.34 shall be included in all solicitations and contracts associated with the construction project; Alternate I is specified if an agency allows submission of the project labor agreement after contract award.

1.8 Competition Requirements

Top of Page

Obtaining full and open competition when acquiring goods and services increases the Government’s buying power, as competition can drive down costs and potentially heighten performance, innovation and overall value. Therefore, to the maximum extent practicable, contracting officers shall promote and provide for full and open competition in awarding contracts. Contracting without providing for full and open competition or full and open competition after exclusion of sources is prohibited unless one of the exceptions mentioned below applies.

1.8.1 Considerations for Increasing Competition Top of Page

Commerce Acquisition Manual (CAM) 1306.70 at http://oam.eas.commerce.gov/docs/CAM%201306.70%20Competition%20Requirements.pdf provides policy and guidance to promote and provide for full and open competition in the acquisition process and are applicable to all acquisitions within the Department of Commerce (DOC).

Requirements Development. To promote effective competition, sufficient information should be provided in the statement of work and sufficient time should be provided for response. The contracting officer shall ensure that commercial items are acquired to the maximum extent practicable, statements of work are not unduly restrictive, and specifications are not unnecessarily detailed. In addition, the contracting officer shall take appropriate steps to ensure that the acquisition team works collaboratively and applies their respective skill sets to understand the market for the requirement, including how industry is structured, potential cost drivers, and the competition state.

Performance Based Acquisition. The contracting officer shall ensure the use of performance-based acquisitions for services to the maximum extent practicable. The use of performance-based acquisitions will encourage meaningful competition by allowing vendors to offer more innovative solutions to meet the Government’s performance needs. Performance-based acquisitions will also allow vendors to offer market-tested commercial solutions at competitive pricing with risks that can be reasonably managed under a fixed-price contract.

Outreach and Market Research. Senior Bureau Procurement Officials shall sponsor at least one vendor and/or small business outreach event annually, and cooperate with the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization to participate in small business outreach events. In addition, when planning an acquisition, contracting officers shall conduct market research and outreach activities, as appropriate to the circumstances, such as:

Inviting potential offerors, through a request for information or an industry day that provides a general description of the scope or purpose of the acquisition, to submit information or have discussion on marketplace capabilities;
Taking advantage of the full range of market research tools to understand marketplace capabilities and identify all reasonable potential solutions;
Engaging potential suppliers, whenever practicable, in an advisory process, especially for complex needs, such as major systems, that invites potential offerors, through a pre-solicitation notice, to submit information that the agency would evaluate to advise offerors of their potential to be viable competitors.

Acquisition Planning. Contracting officers shall ensure that as a part of market research and acquisition planning processes, the acquisition team works collaboratively to consider the comparative benefits of awarding a new contract using full and open competition versus placing an order under an existing contract.

Strategic Sourcing. Contracting officers shall actively consider the use of strategic sourcing when requirements can be satisfied through a contracting vehicle under an existing Departmental or Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative. If a contracting vehicle under an existing strategic sourcing initiative is not used, the contracting officer shall document, in the acquisition plan, the reason the vehicle was not used.

Task and Delivery Orders. Contracting officers shall ensure that acquisitions achieve meaningful competition in the placement of task and delivery orders by:

Applying greater competitive rigor through the disclosure of significant factors and sub-factors and their relative importance when conducting the “fair opportunity process” for orders over $5 million; and
Using data generated by Federal Procurement Data System reports to evaluate new competitions on the extent to which task and delivery order competition is being achieved.

Socioeconomic Programs. Contracting officers should take appropriate steps to facilitate a regular collaboration of contracting and program offices with their Small Business Specialist and the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) in planning acquisitions to identify:

Requirements that can be met by small businesses; and
The small business contracting authority that: is best suited for a given requirement, and will help the Department meet or exceed its small business contracting goals.

In addition, contracting officers should utilize the OSDBU, the Small Business Administration, and the Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency to assist with market research to help identify qualified and capable small and minority business sources for prime contracting and subcontracting opportunities

Barriers to Competition. For all noncompetitive and single offer contracts that exceed the simplified acquisition threshold, contracting officers shall take the following steps to engage the marketplace to determine how barriers to competition can be removed:

Contact sources that expressed interest in the procurement (e.g., responded to a request for information, participated in an industry day, or contacted the OSDBU) but ultimately did not submit offers to understand the basis for their decision not to participate;
Ask sources if future plans, such as those described in published justifications and approval documents for sole-source contracts, will be effective in encouraging competition and if other alternatives should be considered; and
Document the results of inquiries in the contract file.

Migration Strategy. The contracting officer shall develop a strategy to migrate to more competitive contracting. When re-competing a requirement, if a decision is made that it is premature to transition to a more competitive contracting strategy, the contracting officer shall document and support their rationale not to transition. The documentation shall include market research results identifying barriers to competition and results of spend analysis that does not support competitive practices.

1.8.2 Other Than Full and Open Competition Top of Page

Contracting Officers shall promote and provide for full and open competition to the maximum extent possible. Under certain circumstances the Contracting Officer may determine that an exception applies and use of other than full and open competition must be justified and approved in accordance with FAR 6.302.

The following are exceptions to full and open competition:

1.8.2.1 Only One Responsible Source Top of Page

Only One Responsible Source [41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1), FAR 6.302-1]

Unique supplies or services are available from only one or a limited number of sources.
The acquisition will be conducted under a follow-on contract for the continued development/production of a major system or highly specialized equipment (or major components thereof).
Award to any other source would result in substantial duplication of cost to the Government that is not expected to be recovered through competition or unacceptable delays in fulfilling the requirement.
The agency's need is for a brand name commercial item.

1.8.2.2 Unusual and Compelling Urgency Top of Page

Unusual and Compelling Urgency [41 U.S.C. 253(c)(2), FAR 6.302-2]

Unusual and compelling urgency (e.g., fire, flood, explosion, disaster), and
Delay in award of a contract would result in serious injury (financial or other) to the Government unless competition is limited.

1.8.2.3 Industrial Mobilization Top of Page

Industrial Mobilization [41 U.S.C.253(c)(3), FAR 6.302-3]

· Government finds it necessary to establish or maintain facilities, producers, manufacturers, or other suppliers in case of national emergency.

Government deems it important to retain services of an expert or neutral person for any current or anticipated litigation or dispute.
Government deems it important to establish or maintain essential engineering, developmental, or research capabilities by an educational or other nonprofit institution or a federally funded research and development center.

1.8.2.4 International Agreement Top of Page

International Agreement [41 U.S.C. 253(c)(4), FAR 6.302-4]

Acquisition will be reimbursed by a foreign government that requires that the supplies/services be obtained from a particular firm as specified in official written direction, e.g., Letter of Offer and Acceptance.
A treaty or international agreement between the U.S. and a foreign government or international organization specifies or limits the sources to be solicited.

1.8.2.5 Authorized or Required by Statute Top of Page

Authorized or Required by Statute [41 U.S.C. 253(c)(5), FAR 6.302-5]

A statute expressly authorizes or requires that the acquisition be made through another agency or from a specified source.

1.8.2.6 National Security Top of Page

National Security [41 U.S.C 253(c)(5), FAR 6.302-6]

Disclosure of the Government’s needs would compromise national security.

1.8.2.7 Public Interest Top of Page

Public Interest [41 U.S.C. 253(c)(7), FAR 6.302-7]

The Secretary of Commerce determines that it is not in the public interest in the particular acquisition concerned to provide for full and open competition.
A written determination to use the Public Interest exception must be made by the Secretary of Commerce.

1.8.2.8 Noncompetitive and Single Offer Contracts Top of Page

Noncompetitive and single offer contracts present a risk to the Government as they deprive the

Government of the ability to consider alternative solutions in a reasoned and structured manner. Therefore, it is the policy of the Federal Government that Contracting Officers (CO) shall promote and provide for full and open competition to the maximum extent possible. However, under certain circumstances Contracting Officer may determine that an exception applies to this policy Federal policy of full and open competition (see FAR 6.302).

The Department of Commerce has outlined specific actions that a Contracting Office must take to mitigate risk when making an award on a noncompetive basis on when a single offer is received (see CAM 1316.1 section 3).

1.8.3 Justification and Approval (J&A) Top of Page

In accordance with FAR 6.303 and CAM 1316.1 section 3, Contracting Officers shall not commence negotiations for a sole source contract, commence negotiations for a contract resulting from an unsolicited proposal (see APG 1.5.12.1), award of a single offer contract, or award any other contract without providing for full and open competition unless the Contracting Officer with assistance from the Program staff (who must provide the technical rationale justifying other than full and open competition) accomplishes the following to develop and obtain approval in the Justification and Approval document commonly known as a J&A or JOTFOC - Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition :

Justifies the use of such actions in writing.
Certifies the accuracy and completeness of the justification.
Obtains approval of that justification by the appropriate approving official
Includes the synopsis results in the J&A.

The Project Officer provides the Contracting Officer rationale to justify other than full and open competition for the procurement. The Contracting Officer prepares a synopsis for publication on the Government-wide Point of Entry at www.fedbizopss.gov, unless an exception applies (see FAR 5.202. This notice informs industry that the Government intends to award a contract by means using other than full and open competition and allows industry an opportunity to respond to the need. The response time for this notice shall be at least 15 days. Any responses received as a result of the synopsis must be reviewed by the Contracting Officer for disposition. If no viable alternate solutions/sources are received, the Contracting Officer shall prepare a written J&A in accordance with FAR 6.302. The J&A shall be prepared using the CD-492 Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition.

1.8.3.1 Contracts above the Simplified Acquisition Threshold - Sole Source Top of Page

For contracts above the SAT, competition may be limited per FAR 6.302 and oral RFPs may be authorized when the Contracting Officer completes the appropriate file documentation required by those citations. Contracts awarded pursuant to the authority of 6.302-2, Unusual and Compelling Urgency, may not exceed the time for the agency to enter into another contract for the required goods and services through the use of competitive procedures, and may not exceed one year unless the head of the agency entering into the contract determines that exceptional circumstances apply. The determination may be made after contract award when making the determination prior to award would unnecessarily delay the award.

For developing a supporting narrative for the CD-492 see Sample JOFOC CD492 Narrative.

Approval authority of the J&A will depend upon the value of the procurement:

Dollar Threshold	J&A Approval Level
$2.5 - SAT	Contracting Officer
SAT - $650K	Operating Unit Competion Advocate
$650K - 12.5M	Competition Advocate – SBPO, Director NOAA AGO
$12.5M - $62.5M	Head of Contracting Activity (HCA) (DUS for Oceans and Atmosphere)
> $62.5 M	Department of Commerce Senior Procurement Executive (SPE)

Per the NOAA Acquisition Handbook, the following concurrences are required for Justifications for Other than Full and Open Competition (JOFOC):

Dollar Threshold	JOFOC Concurrence
> $25K	SES/Flag Officer - Line Office Assistant Administrator (AA), DAA or SO Director
> $100K	Legal Counsel – OGC/CLD
> $250K	NOAA Contract Review Board
> $500K	Level above the Contracting Officer
> $50 million	Department of Commerce Senior Procurement Executive (SPE)

J&As Requiring Approval by the Department of Commerce Senior Procurement Executive. The content of these justifications must be fully developed per FAR 6.303-2. Legal Counsel review is required, and the applicable Acquisition Strategy (or Milestone Plan if no Acquisition Strategy exists) as well as historical justification information, if applicable, must be submitted with the proposed justification.

Assume the reviewer is unfamiliar with the program. Each justification must have a forwarding memorandum signed by the Head of the Contracting Office (HCO). This memo must address, at a minimum, discrepancies between information in the most recent prior justification and the current justification, discrepancies between information in the planning documents and the justification, and anticipated contract type.

FAR 6.305 requires agencies to make available for public inspection within 14 days after contract award the justification required by FAR 6.303-1, on the website of the agency and at the Government-wide Point of Entry (www.fedbizopps.gov). For contract awards pursuant to FAR 6.302-2, the requirement is for posting within 30 days after award. Contracting Officers must screen the justifications and remove any contractor proprietary data, as well as such references and citations as necessary to protect the proprietary data prior to making the justifications available for public inspection.

Brand Name or Equal. If the justification is a brand name justification under FAR 6.302-1(c), then it must be posted with the solicitation. Justifications must be posted a minimum of 30 days. However, posting the justification does not apply if it would disclose the agency’s needs in a way that would compromise national security or create other security risks per FAR 6.305.

1.8.3.2 Orders under GSA FSS - Sole Source Top of Page

Limited Sources Justification and Approval for GSA FSS Orders. Sole-source orders less than the SAT require the Contracting Officer to prepare a sole-source justification memorandum. For sole source orders under GSA FSS exceeding the SAT, Contracting Officers shall include the content specified in FAR 8.405-6 to prepare the J&A.

TOs and DOs to GSA FSS Contractors should be competed to the fullest extent possible. Contracting Officers may solicit quotations from GSA FSS on a sole-source basis (e.g., due to unusual and compelling urgency or exclusive licensing agreement.

When preparing a Sole Source Justification under GSA FSS, the Contracting Officer must address the content referenced in FAR 8.405-6. The justification must cite that the acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program (see FAR 8.401). The statutory authorities for the MAS Program are Title III of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (41 U.S.C. 251, et seq.) and Title 40 U.S.C. 501, Services for Executive Agencies.

Approval authority is determined by the dollar value of the J&A:

Dollar Threshold	J&A Approval Level
$2.5K - SAT	Contracting Officer
SAT – $650K	Operating Unit Competion Advocate
$650K – $12.5M	Competition Advocate – SBPO, Director NOAA AGO
$12.5M – $62.mM	Head of Contracting Activity (HCA) (DUS for Oceans and Atmosphere)
> $62M	Department of Commerce Senior Procurement Executive (SPE)

Note: Sole-source orders less than the Simplified Acquisition Threshold require the Contracting Officer to prepare a sole-source justification memorandum.

1.8.3.3 Simplified Acquisition - Sole Source Top of Page

Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP). A Sole Source Justification is required for acquisitions valued at or under the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) but in excess of the micro-purchase threshold in accordance with FAR 13.106. Acquisitions conducted under SAP are exempt from the requirements in FAR 6. See Simplified Acquisition Sole Source Justification Template – General and Simplified Acquisition Sole Source Justification Template – Supplies.

1.8.3.4 Commercial Items - Sole Source Top of Page

FAR 13.5 is a test program that gives Contracting Officers procedural discretion and flexibility so that commercial item acquisitions greater than the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) may be solicited, offered, evaluated, and awarded in a simplified manner that maximizes efficiency and economy and minimizes burden and administrative costs for both the Government and industry. This program authorizes use of Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP) for the acquisition of commercial supplies and services in amounts greater than the SAT but not exceeding $6.5 million ($12 million) for acquisitions for commercial items to support a contingency operation or facilitate the defense against or recovery from nuclear, biological, chemical, or radiological attack).

To use this authority for a sole source transaction, Contracting Officers must complete a J&A using the format at FAR 6.303-2, modified to reflect an acquisition under the authority of the test program for commercial items.

1.8.3.5 Emergency Acquisition - Sole Source Top of Page

Competition may be limited per FAR 6.302 and oral RFPs may be authorized when the Emergency Acquisition Contracting Officer (EA KO) completes the appropriate file documentation required by those citations. Contracts awarded pursuant to the authority of FAR 6.302-2, Unusual and Compelling Urgency, may not exceed the time for the agency to enter into another contract for the required goods and services through the use of competitive procedures, and may not exceed one year unless the head of the agency entering into the contract determines that exceptional circumstances apply. The determination may be made after contract award when making the determination prior to award would unnecessarily delay the award.

1.9 Acquisition Systems

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Acquisition systems are part of the Integrated Acquisition Environment (IAE), the Presidential E-Government initiative whose purpose is to simplify, unify, and streamline the complex federal acquisition process. They enable agencies and vendors to conduct their acquisition activities more efficiently.

1.9.1 Agency Acquisition Systems Top of Page

1.9.1.1 Commerce Business Services Top of Page

Commerce Business Systems (CBS) are a Department-wide effort designed to modernize and integrate financial and administrative management systems and to streamline related business processes. The goal of CBS is to employ modern technology in providing managers with standardized, accurate, and timely information to manage their resources while at the same time reducing administrative costs. http://www.corporateservices.noaa.gov/cbs/index.html

NOAA Data Warehouse

Integrated Travel Manager (ITM) Information

FMC Travel Coordinator Listing (New Information Updated 07/29/2010)

Commerce Purchase Card System (CPCS)
CPCS Info Page | BankCard Statement Retention Memo

1.9.1.2 C.Request Top of Page

C.Request is NOAA’s online Procurement Request (PR) application. It can be utilized from anywhere in the world where Internet access is available and Internet Explorer installed. All PRs above the micro-purchase threshold must be initiated using this application.

· To gain access to C.Request, users are required to following the registration process provided at: http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/acquisition/c_request.cfm

· For guides and information concerning C.Request see: http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/acquisition/c_request_online.cfm

1.9.1.3 C.Buy Top of Page

C.Buy is the electronic tool for use in solicitation, award, and post award contract data management.

· For further information about C.Buy, visit the NOAA AGO C.Buy webpage at: http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/acquisition/c_buy.cfm

· C.Buy training is provided at: http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/acquisition/c_buy_guidance.cfm

1.9.1.4 Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) Top of Page

Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS). It is the Department of Defense (DOD) Enterprise Solution for collection of contractor past performance information and a web-enabled application that collects and manages the library of automated records of contractor's performance on Government contracts. http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/acquisition/cpars.cfm

1.9.1.5 Forecasting and Advance Acquisition Planning System (FAAPS)

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Forecasting and Advance Acquisition Planning System (FAAPS) – web based acquisition planning system - http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/faaps.cfm

1.9.2 Federal Acquisition Systems Top of Page

1.9.2.1 AbilityOne Top of Page

AbilityOne - Web site of the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, the independent federal agency that administers the AbilityOne Program. http://www.abilityone.gov/index.html

1.9.2.2 Central Contractor Registration (CCR) Top of Page

Central Contractor Registration (CCR) – Primary vendor database for the Federal Government. CCR collects, validates, stores, and disseminates data in support of agency acquisition missions. https://www.bpn.gov/ccr/default.aspx

Unless an exception exists, prospective prime vendors must be registered in CCR prior to being awarded a contract (see FAR 4.1102). The Contracting Officer must use CCR to verify that the prospective contractor is registered in the CCR database.

This policy applies to all types of awards except the following:

· Purchases using the Bankcard as both the purchasing and payment mechanism.

Awards to foreign vendors for work performed outside the United States, if it is impractical to obtain CCR registration.
Classified contracts or purchases, when registration in the CCR database, or use of CCR data, could compromise the safeguarding of classified information or national security.
Contracts awarded by deployed Contracting Officers in the course of military operations, including, but not limited to, contingency operations as defined in 10 U.S.C. 101(a)(13) or contracts awarded by Contracting Officers in the conduct of emergency operations such as responses to natural disasters or national or civil emergencies.
Purchases to support unusual or compelling needs of the type described in FAR 6.302-2. Use of this exception does not relieve the Contracting Officer from ensuring that the Contractor is registered in CCR prior to the time of payment.
Micro-purchases that do not use the electronic funds transfer (EFT) method for payment and are not required to be reported (see FAR 4.6).

Vendors are required to complete a one-time registration to provide basic information relevant to procurement and financial transactions. Vendors must update or renew their registration at least once per year to maintain an active status.

CCR validates the vendor information and electronically shares the secure and encrypted data with the Federal agencies’ finance offices to facilitate paperless payments through electronic funds transfer (EFT). Additionally, CCR shares the data with Federal Government procurement and electronic business systems.

1.9.2.3 Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) Top of Page

Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) - Provided as a public service by General Services Administration (GSA) for the purpose of efficiently and conveniently disseminating information on parties that are excluded from receiving Federal contracts, certain subcontracts, and certain Federal financial and nonfinancial assistance and benefits, pursuant to the provisions of 31 U.S.C. 6101, E.O. 12549, E.O. 12689, FAR 9.404, and each agency's codification of the Common Rule for Non-procurement suspension and debarment. For additional information see https://www.epls.gov/.

1.9.2.4 Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS) Top of Page

Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS) - The Individual Subcontracting Report (ISR) is the former SF-294. Large Business Subcontractors are required to submit the ISR to the Large Business whom awarded them the contract within eSRS at http://www.esrs.gov/.

1.9.2.5 Federal Agency Registration (FedReg) Top of Page

Federal Agency Registration (FedReg) - Web-enabled, government-wide application that collects information on federal government buying and selling activities to facilitate accurate financial accounting of intra-governmental transactions. https://www.bpn.gov/far/

1.9.2.6 Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) Top of Page

Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) - web-based system for posting solicitations and other procurement-related documents to the Internet. https://www.fbo.gov/

1.9.2.7 Federal Procurement Data Systems – Next Generation (FPDS-NG) Top of Page

Federal Procurement Data System – Next Generation (FPPDS-NG) - FPDS-NG system allows for millions of procurement transactions from across the federal government to be recorded and reported upon in real-time. https://www.fpds.gov/fpdsng_cms/. For NOAA Specific information see http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/acquisition/users_manual.cfm

1.9.2.8 Financial Management Services (FMS) Top of Page

Financial Management Services (FMS) Treasury Offset Program (TOP) - The Treasury Offset Program is a centralized offset program, administered by the Financial Management Service's (FMS) Debt Management Services (DMS), to collect delinquent debts owed to federal agencies and states (including past-due child support), in accordance with 26 U.S.C. § 6402(d) (collection of debts owed to federal agencies), 31 U.S.C. § 3720A (reduction of tax refund by amount of the debts), and other applicable laws. http://www.fms.treas.gov/debt/top.html

1.9.2.9 GSA e-Buy Top of Page

GSA e-Buy - A component of General Services Administration (GSA) Advantage, e-Buy is an electronic system that allows Federal buyers to request information, find sources, and prepare Request for Quote (RFQ) / Request for Proposal (RFP) online for services and products offered through GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program. E-Buy facilitates the request for and submission of offers for commercial products and services offered through GSA Federal Supply Schedules (FSS) and Government-wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs). Using the e-Buy system, Contracting Officers may prepare and post an RFQ/RFP for a specified period of time and Contractors may review the request and post a response.

e-Buy leverages the power of the Internet to increase FSS and GWAC Contractor participation in obtaining quotations that result in best value procurement opportunities. For more information, visit https://www.ebuy.gsa.gov/advgsa/advantage/ebuy/start_page.do.

1.9.2.10 Online Representations and Certification Application (ORCA)

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Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) – An e-Government initiative that was designed by the Integrated Acquisition Environment (IAE) to replace the paper based Representations and Certifications (Reps and Certs) process. https://orca.bpn.gov/

The Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and ORCA systems are complimentary; vendors must be registered in CCR in order to register in ORCA. ORCA uses data pulled from CCR and pre-populates many of the required Reps and Certs. The vendor completes the remaining Reps and Certs with the understanding that with each Solicitation, they are certifying to current, accurate, and complete information.

1.9.2.11 Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) Top of Page

Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) - Web-enabled, enterprise application that provides timely and pertinent contractor past performance information to the Department of Defense and Federal acquisition community for use in making source selection decisions. http://www.ppirs.gov/.

1.9.2.12 VETBIZ.gov Top of Page

VETBIZ.gov – web-based database to collect veterans business information to enable buyers to quickly locate veterans and service-disabled veteran businesses. http://www.vip.vetbiz.gov/

1.9.2.13 Wage Détermination Online (WDOL) Top of Page

Wage Determinations Online(WDOL) - website provides a single location for federal contracting officers to use in obtaining appropriate Service Contract Act (SCA) and Davis-Bacon Act (DBA) wage determinations (WDs) for each official contract action. http://www.wdol.gov/

1.10 Procurement Request (PR) Package

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After conducting market research and defining the requirement, this information is compiled by the Customer/Project Officer into a Purchase Request (referred to by some as the “PR”), which the Contracting Officer uses to begin the acquisition process. The Customer or Project Officer is responsible for preparing the Purchase Request and including information needed by the Contracting Officer to prepare a Solicitation, evaluate offers, and award a contract action. The Purchase Request package may be for new work, modification to an existing contract (administrative purposes or to add new work), or for a funding action (funded order against an existing contract).

Each PR, including requests for Task Orders under existing contracts, will include the following:

For Services:

Performance Work Statement (PWS) to show work to be performed, deliverables, and period of performance.
Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP)

o Specifies Contractor outcomes/objectives

o Performance Standards

o Any incentives

o Method of surveillance

· Customer certification that services were reviewed for the most effective means of accomplishment. If long term requirement, and could be more effectively met with in-house resources, a statement citing action taken to acquire resources or explanation as to why contracting out is necessary.

· Estimated cost and level of effort in staff-years, staff-months, or staff-hours.

· Evaluation and selection criteria for competitive award.

· Properly chargeable funds certified by the cognizant fiscal/budget office.

For Supplies:

· Description of the supplies, including the following, as applicable:

o Common nomenclature, part number, national stock number, local stock number, model number.

o Kind of material (e.g., type, grade, and alternatives).

o Electrical data.

o Dimensions, size, or capacity.

o Principles of operation.

o Restrictive environmental conditions.

o Intended use, including equipment with which the item is to be used.

o Original equipment manufacturer’s part number.

o Unit of issue (e.g., each, roll, can, or lot).

o Quantity requested.

o Delivery information.

§ Required delivery date(s) (must be stated as specific calendar dates).

§ Place of delivery.

· Special packing or marking information.

· For a small dollar supply purchase, a good description might include a noun, part number, a picture of the item if possible, or a sample of what is needed so the Contracting Officer can show it to potential vendors.

For Procurement Request greater than then Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT), CAM 1307.1 Appendix B provides a sample checklist of required contents.

C. Request (http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/acquisition/c_request.cfm) is NOAA’s online PR application. C.Request will guide the Project Officer through the process of generating a PR and including the applicable documentation/information. Documentation may include a Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL), Performance Work Statement, evaluation criteria, and funding data and source. Upon receipt of the PR, it is imperative that the Contracting Officer double check that the type of funding is appropriate to the request.

The Customer/Program officials are responsible for nominating CORs for each acquisition. Such nominations shall be clearly identified by the Program Official in the body (Block #17) of the PR. Only CORs listed as eligibility on AGO’s website can be nominated by the program official to perform COR functions.

PRs for non-commercial items, however, follow the uniform format specified in FAR 15.204-1

Emergency Acquisition: If the requirement is for a commercial item or for services and/or supplies for Emergency Acquisition, the Customer/Project Officer should provide required information in a non-Uniform Contract Format (UCF) format.

Funding. Each PR must contain adequate funding to support the proposed requirement. An approved line of accounting including appropriation data from the Customer will usually provide this. This requirement is necessary unless the Purchase Request is backed by a document providing bulk funds (in cases where the Requiring Activity provides the Purchase Officer with a block grant of money to issue a series of orders). The estimated cost shown on the Purchase Request is the amount that has been committed by the Requiring Activity for the purchase of requested supplies or services.

The Contracting Officer is still responsible for ensuring that all requirements of law, executive order, regulations and all other applicable procedures have been met as required by FAR 1.602-1.

Purchase Requests Containing Restrictions as to Availability of Cited Funds. If the PR contains a cut-off date for obligation of cited funds, every effort should be made to schedule procurement actions to meet the established deadline. Meeting the deadline does not relieve the Contracting Officer from compliance with established procurement policies including adequate competition and fair and reasonable pricing. Any known or anticipated delay that may prevent the obligation of funds by the deadline date must be reported to the Requiring Activity in a timely manner. If the proposed purchase price exceeds the monetary ceiling established on the PR, the Contracting Officer cannot issue a contract award until additional funding is provided.

The Project Officer must provide an Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) for each item. See NOAA IGCE Guide, Labor Estimating Tool and Labor Category Checklist.

1.11 Source Selection Plan

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In a competitive procurement, the Source Selection Plan (SSP) describes the supplies and services to be procured, how the source selection process will be organized and conducted, who will evaluate the offers, what criteria evaluators will use, and the time frame for the evaluation.

The Contracting Officer or the Head of the Contracting Officer (HCO) shall serve as the Source Selection Authority (SSA). For negotiated contracts less than $10,000,000 the Contracting Officer may perform the duties of both the SSA and the Source Selection Advisory Council (SSAC). For negotiated contracts greater than $10,000,000, a formal source selection organization shall be used and the SSP shall be forwarded to the NOAA SBPO and the DOC SPE for approval prior to issuance of the Solicitation.

All planned acquisitions greater than the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) must have a written SSP. Although the Project Officer is responsible for preparing the SSP, the SSA, Contracting Officer (if different from the SSA), and Counsel will assist in preparation and/or review of the document. SSP content and length will vary based upon the dollar value and complexity of each procurement. SSP signature approvals are required by the Project Officer, Contracting Officer, SSA, and CCO (if different from the SSA).

The SSP shall contain the following information:

A short description of the project/procurement to include the rationale required by FAR 6.401 that underlies the decision to solicit competitive proposals.

A listing by name of the SSA, members of the Source Selection Advisory Council (SSAC) if one is required, Contracting Officer (if different from the SSA), Chairperson of the Source Selection Evaluation Board (SSEB), individual members of the SSEB, Small Business Specialist, Cost/Price Analysis Team (C/PAT) (typically the Contracting Officer with support from the cognizant audit agency (i.e. Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) and/or the cognizant field pricing agency (i.e. Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA)), Counsel, and Contracting Officer's staff who will handle this procurement.

A listing of the evaluation factors and weighting that will be used, including a copy of Section M of the proposed Solicitation, as well as whether or not oral presentations will be utilized.

The rating scheme to be used by the SSEB, described in sufficient detail so that the SSEB requires no other documentation in conducting their evaluation. For NOAA, it is recommended that rating schemes do not employ numeric ratings and rankings unless prior approval by the SBPO of the rating scheme has been obtained. An adjectival rating scheme (e.g., Outstanding, Very Good, Satisfactory, Marginal, Unsatisfactory) is preferred. (For sample adjectival ratings, see the Army Source Selection Guide, June 2001.)

Visit the Source Selection Plan Template

Access to the SSP. The SSP contains source selection sensitive information. FAR 2.101 states:

… information prepared for use by an agency for the purpose of evaluating a bid or proposal to enter into an agency procurement contract, if that information has not been previously made available to the public.

Disclosure of source selection information to any person not authorized to receive the information can jeopardize the integrity or successful completion of the procurement and could subject the person who released the information to criminal penalties. Typically only SSEB members and personnel from the responsible contracting activity with a “need to know” are authorized access to the plan.

SSEB members must sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and statement of financial interest for the procurement being competed. The Contracting Officer will review these agreements to determine potential conflicts of interest and will consult with Counsel.

1.11.1 Oral Presentations Top of Page

Oral presentations are common place in Federal source selections. They are most appropriate where “face-to-face” interaction is encouraged. For more information see Guide on Oral Presentations.

1.12 Files and Documentation

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Contract files are established and maintained to serve as a background for informed decisions at each step of the acquisition process, provide information for reviews and investigations, and furnish essential facts in the event of litigation or Congressional inquiries. Once the contract is physically complete, deliveries and/or services have been completed by the Contractor and accepted by the Government (see FAR 4.804-4), the Contracting Officer must then close the contract with assistance from the Client/designated Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

1.12.1 Contract Files Top of Page

Files should include, at a minimum, Purchase Request Number, Procurement Instrument Identification Number (PIIN), date of purchase or award, name of vendor or contractor, dollar amount (in U.S. dollars), a brief description of the supplies or services, a compilation of performance assessments, documentation supporting other than full and open competition, details regarding the market research conducted, the number of sources solicited and the method of solicitation, and documentation supporting the source selection decision if factors other than price were considered. Depending on the type of Acquisition various Contract File Checklists are presented to assist the Contracting Officer.

1.12.2 Simplified Acquisition Top of Page

Depending on the circumstances surrounding the procurement, including the dollar value, commercial acquisitions pursuant to FAR 13.5 may require additional reports, reviews, and documentation in addition to those prescribed under FAR 13 for simplified acquisitions. File documentation should be commensurate with the scope and complexity of the requirement, including, but not limited to, the following if applicable:

Documentation of market research.
Commerciality Determination. Contracting Officers should document in writing their determinations that the commercial item definition has been met for all acquisitions using FAR 12 that exceed $1 million. Contract files must be fully and adequately documented to show the market research conducted and the rationale supporting the decision. Particular care must be taken to document determinations involving modifications of a type customarily available in the commercial marketplace, and items only offered for sale, lease, or license to the general public, but not yet actually sold, leased, or licensed. In these situations, the documentation must clearly detail the particulars of the modifications and sales offers. When such items lack sufficient market pricing histories, additional diligence must be given to determinations that prices are fair and reasonable as required by FAR 15.4.
Subcontracting Plan negotiated, approved, and incorporated into resultant contract. Required for all actions greater than $650,000 if solicited on an unrestricted basis.
Counsel review.
For sole source acquisitions, a J&A as detailed above.
Evidence that the acquisition was posted on FedBizOpps.
Streamlined Business Clearance Memorandum (BCM). For all acquisitions greater than the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT), the Contracting Officer is required to complete a BCM. A streamlined BCM template is provided for procurements under FAR 13.5. See the SAP Pre/Post-Negotiation BCM Template, and the SAP Post-Negotiation BCM Template,
Documenting the contract file via the BCM to include a brief written description of the procedures used in awarding the contract, including the fact that the test procedures in FAR 13.5 were used, the number of offers received, and an explanation, tailored to the size and complexity of the basis for the award.
Federal Procurement Data System – Next Generation (FPDS-NG) Reporting – ensure proper coding of reports to reflect that the award was made pursuant to FAR 13.5 Test Program for Certain Commercial Items.

1.12.3 Emergency Acquisition Top of Page

In an emergency situation documentation is especially important because of the limited witnesses to procurement actions and the nature of urgent and compelling contracting. Make every effort to document the contract file throughout the contracting process – and provide your replacement with a fully documented turnover. During the course of a longer-term (30 days or more) emergency, incident, contingency, or COOP, the Contracting Officer should maintain an Emergency Acquisition Contracting Officer’s Continuity Book to provide continuity for any follow-on Contracting Officers. Upon termination of an emergency, incident, contingency, or COOP deployment, the last Contracting Officer will forward the continuity book to the Emergency acquisition contracting representative. At a minimum, the book should include the following:

· A current vendor and contractor source listing to include vendor names, addresses, telephone numbers, points of contact, and type of supplies and services provided;

· A current list of vendors and contractors willing to provide 24-hour per day emergency support;

· Copies of all policy letters or messages of guidance received to date;

· Minutes of all meetings attended by Contracting Officer personnel to include open action items impacting the contracting function;

· A listing of all ratification actions to date;

· Copies of all Client education handouts developed to date;

· Key points of contact at the deployed site to include name, grade, duty title, unit, telephone number, and after hours point of contact, if available;

· Lessons learned during the deployment to date;

· Copies of weekly reports of actions and dollars spent to date; and

· Any other pertinent information.


1.13 Summary of Planning Module References

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Section	Loc	Reference Description	Type	Source
1.0	1	FAR 2.101	Regulaion	FAR
1.0	2	FAR 1.102-3	Regulation	FAR
1.0	3	FAR 1.102-2(a)(7)	Regulation	FAR
1.0	4	FAR 7.104	Regulation	FAR
1.0	5	NOAA Business Operations Manual	Guidance	NOAA
1.0	6	Forecasting and Advanced Acquisition Planning System (FAAPS) .	Website	NOAA
1.0	7	FAR 7.101	Regulation	FAR
1.1	1	CAM 1307.1	Policy	DOC
1.1	2	CAM 1307.1 Appendix B	Policy	DOC
1.1	3	FAR 11	Regulation	FAR
1.1.1	1	FAR 9.203.	Regulation	FAR
1.1.2	1	FAR 37.102(f)	Regulation	FAR
1.1.2	2	Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Policy Letter 93-1, Management Oversight of Service Contracting,	Policy	OFPP
1.1.2	3	DAO 208-10	Policy	DOC
1.1.2	4	NOAA Acquisition Strategy Requirements	Policy	NOAA
1.1.2	5	PM 2008-01 Using Performance-Based Acquisition to Meet Program Needs	Policy	DOC
1.1.2	6	Guidebook for Performance-Based Services Acquisition in the Department of Defense	Guidance	DOD
1.1.2	7	Seven Steps to Performance Based Service Acquisition	Guidance	GSA
1.1.2	8	FAR 46.103(a)	Regulation	FAR
1.1.2	9	Sample QASP for CPFF Contract	Sample	NOAA
1.1.2	10	CON 110 Requirements Overview	Training	NOAA
1.1.2	11	Acquisition Lessons Learned from GAO Protests in the January 2005 edition of The Advisor	Guidance	GAO
1.1.2	12	APG 1.7	Internal	A
1.1.3	1	OFPP Memorandum “The Federal Acquisition Certification for Program and Project Managers” dated April 25, 2007	Policy	OFPP
1.1.3	2	CAM Notice 10-11 PPM Certification Program	Policy	DOC
1.1.3	3	CAM 1301.671 Department of Commerce Program and Project Manager Certification Program.	Policy	DOC
1.1.3	4	Department of Commerce Investment Review Board	Policy	DOC
1.2.1	1	Principles of Federal Appropriations Law	Guidance	GAO
1.2.1	2	FAR 31.205-32	Regulation	FAR
1.2.1.1	1	Justice Department	Website	DOJ
1.2.1.1	2	Chief Financial Officer/Assistant Secretary for Administration, Department of Commerce	Website	DOC
1.2.1.1	3	Department of Commerce Publishing and Printing Management Manual, Chapter 4. 108 Business Cards	Guidance	DOC
1.2.1.1	4	http://www.osec.doc.gov/oas/md/Publishing&PrintingManual_9-04.pdf	Guidance	DOC
1.2.1.2	1	31 U.S.C. § 1345	Statute	Federal
1.2.1.2	2	Effective Immediately – New Legal Guidance Regarding the Use of Appropriated Funds to Purchase Food for Non-Federal Attendees at Agency-Sponsored Conferences dated April 2, 2008.	Policy	DOC
1.2.1.5	1	Government Printing Office	Website	GPO
1.2.1.5	2	FAR 8.802(a)	Regulation	FAR
1.2.1.5	3	NAO 201-32C	Policy	NOAA
1.2.1.6	1	FAR 52.229-3	Regulation	FAR
1.2.2	1	Procurement Memorandum 2008-05 – Continuing Resolution	Policy	DOC
1.2.2	2	31 USC 1301(a),	Statute	USC
1.2.2.1	1	Antideficiency Act	Statute	USC
1.2.2.2	1	http://www.gao.gov/ada/antideficiency.htm	Guidance	GAO
1.2.2.4	1	The General Accountability Office’s Principles of Federal Appropriations Law.	Guidance	GAO
1.2.2.4	2	DOC Financial Management Handbooks	Guidance	DOC
1.2.2.4	3	NOAA Finance Handbook	Guidance	NOAA
1.2.2.4	4	FAR 37.106	Regulation	FAR
1.2.2.4	5	NOAA Budget Office	Website	NOAA
1.2.2.4	6	http://www.corporateservices.noaa.gov/~nbo/	Website	NOAA
1.2.2.4	7	NOAA Finance Office	Website	NOAA
1.2.2.4	8	Procurement Memorandum 2008-05	Policy	DOC
1.2.2.5	9	FAR 32.703-2	Regulation	FAR
1.2.2.5	10	FAR 52.232-18	Regulation	FAR
1.2.2.5	11	FAR 32.705-1(a) Availability of Funds	Regulation	FAR
1.2.2.5	12	FAR 52.232-18	Regulation	FAR
1.2.2.5	13	FAR 52.232-19	Regulation	FAR
1.3	1	APG 1.4	Internal	APG
1.3	2	FAR 10	Regulation	FAR
1.3	3	GSA Acquisition Market Research website	Website	GSA
1.3	4	https://www.acquisition.gov/buyers_market_research.asp	Website	GSA
1.3.1	1	FAR 10	Regulation	FAR
1.3.2	1	Central Contractor Registration	Website	CCR
1.3.2	2	Market Research Helpful Hints	Guidance	NOAA
1.3.2	3	Market Research Checklist	Checklist	NOAA
1.3.2	4	GSA Acquisition Market Research web-site	Website	GSA
1.3.2	5	https://www.acquisition.gov/buyers market_research.asp	Website	GSA
1.3.2	6	Central Contractor Registration (CCR)	Website	Federal
1.3.2	7	FAR 4.1102	Regulation	FAR
1.3.2	8	10 U.S.C. 101(a)(13)	Statute	USC
1.3.2	9	FAR 6.302-2	Regulation	FAR
1.3.2	10	FAR 4.6	Regulation	FAR
1.3.2	11	FAR 3.104	Regulation	FAR
1.3.2	12	FAR 15.201(b)	Regulation	FAR
1.3.2	13	NOAA Acquisition Alert (AA) 11-03	Policy	NOAA
1.3.2	14	Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps)	Website	Federal
1.3.2	15	FAR 15.201(e)	Regulation	FAR
1.3.2	16	Sample RFI	Sample	NOAA
1.3.2	17	FAR 15.201(f)	Regulation	FAR
1.3.2	18	Pre-Solicitation Brief Template	Template	NOAA
1.3.2	19	Sample Industry Day Briefing.	Training	DOC
1.3.2	20	General Services Administration (GSA)	Website	GSA
1.3.2	21	Small Business Administration (SBA)	Website	SBA
1.3.2	22	The Thomas Registry	Website	THOMAS
1.3.2	23	Multi-Agency contracts	Website	Federal
1.3.2	24	www.ccr.gov	Website	CCR
1.3.2	25	www.ccr.gov	Website	CCR
1.4	1	FAR 7.102(a)	Regulation	FAR
1.4	2	CAM 1307.1	Regulation	DOC
1.4	3	NOAA Acquisition Handbook, Part 7, Exhibit 1	Policy	NOAA
1.4	4	Simplified Acquisition Procedures and Federal Supply Schedule Plan of Action and Milestones	Template	NOAA
1.4	5	SAP and FSS POA&M Template	Template	NOAA
1.4	6	NOAA Acquisition Handbook Part 7	Policy	NOAA
1.4	7	Emergency Acquisition Contracting AP Template	Template	NOAA
1.4.1	1	CAM 1307.1	Policy	DOC
1.4.1	2	DAO 208-15 Procurement Planning System	Policy	DOC
1.4.1	3	CAM 1307.1	Policy	DOC
1.4.1	4	FY 2010 Agency Acquisition Planning Instructions	Policy	NOAA
1.4.1	5	FY 2011 Acquisition Planning Instruction	Policy	NOAA
1.4.1	6	Federal Advanced Acquisition Planning System (FAAPS) website	Website	NOAA
1.4.1	7	NOAA Acquisition Handbook Part 7	Policy	NOAA
1.4.1	8	NOAA Business Operations Manual	Policy	NOAA
1.4.1	9	NOAA Business Operations Manual	Policy	NOAA
1.4.1	10	NOAA Acquisition Handbook	Policy	NOAA
1.4.1	11	CAM Notice 10-19, CAM 1307.1	Policy	NOAA
1.4.2	1	CAM 1307.1	Policy	DOC
1.4.2	2	Simplified Acquisition Procedures and Federal Supply Schedule Planning and Acquisition Milestones	Template	NOAA
1.4.2	3	NOAA Acquisition Handbook, page 81	Policy	NOAA
1.4.2	4	NOAA Milestone Plan Template	Template	NOAA
1.4.3	1	FAR 15.6	Regulation	FAR
1.4.3	2	CAM 1307.1 Appendix D	Policy	DOC
1.4.3	3	CAM 1307.1 Appendix C	Policy	DOC
1.4.3	4	NOAA Acquisition Handbook, Part 7, Exhibit 2	Policy	NOAA
1.4.3	5	FAR 7.105	Regulation	FAR
1.4.3	6	CAM 1307.1	Policy	DOC
1.4.3	7	NOAA AP Milestone Template.	Template	NOAA
1.4.3	8	CAM 1307.1	Policy	DOC
1.5	1	FAR 8.002	Regulation	FAR
1.5	2	FAR 8.1	Regulation	FAR
1.5	3	FAR 8.6	Regulation	FAR
1.5	4	FAR 8.7	Regulation	FAR
1.5	5	FAR 8.4	Regulation	FAR
1.5	6	FAR 8.4	Regulation	FAR
1.5	7	FAR 41	Regulation	FAR
1.5	8	FAR 8.802(a)	Regulation	FAR
1.5	9	NAO 201-32C	Policy	NOAA
1.5	10	FAR 8.11	Regulation	FAR
1.5	11	FAR 8.7	Regulation	FAR
1.5	12	FAR 8.4	Regulation	FAR
1.5	13	FAR 8.4	Regulation	FAR
1.5	14	FAR 8.6	Regulation	FAR
1.5	15	FAR 12	Regulation	FAR
1.5	16	FAR 12 Process Map	Internal	APG
1.5	17	FAR 13	Regulation	FAR
1.5	18	FAR 13 Process Map	Internal	APG
1.5	19	FAR 14	Regulation	FAR
1.5	20	FAR 14 Process Map	Internal	APG
1.5	21	FAR 15	Regulation	FAR
1.5	22	FAR 15 Process Map	Internal	APG
1.5	23	FAR 17	Regulation	FAR
1.5	24	Interagency Acquisitions Under the Economy Act	Regulation	FAR
1.5	25	FAR 18	Regulation	FAR
1.5.1	1	FAR 8.102	Regulation	FAR
1.5.3	1	FAR 8.6	Regulation	FAR
1.5.3	2	http://www.unicor.gov/	Website	UNICOR
1.5.3	3	FAR 8.605	Regulation	FAR
1.5.3	4	FAR 8.602	Regulation	FAR
1.5.3	5	FAR 8.604	Regulation	FAR
1.5.3	6	https://www.unicor.gov	Website	UNICOR
1.5.3	7	FAR 6.102	Regulation	FAR
1.5.3	8	FAR 19.5	Regulation	FAR
1.5.3	9	FAR 13	Regulation	FAR
1.5.3	10	FAR 16.505	Regulation	FAR
1.5.3	11	FAR 8.605	Regulation	FAR
1.5.3	12	FAR 8.602(a)(4)	Regulation	FAR
1.5.4	1	FAR 8.7	Regulation	FAR
1.5.4	2	National Industries for the Blind	Website	NIB
1.5.4	3	http://www.nib.org/	Website	NIB
1.5.4	4	National Institute for the Severely Disabled	Website	NISH
1.5.4	5	http://www.nish.org	Website	NISH
1.5.4	6	JWOD Procurement List	Website	JWOD
1.5.4	2	http://www.abilityone.com/OA_HTML/ibeCZzpHome.jsp?sitex=10020:22372:US	Website	JWOD
1.5.5	1	41 CFR 101-26.6	Regulation	GPO
1.5.5	2	41 CFR 101-26.704	Regulation	GPO
1.5.5	3	http://www4.law.cornell.edu/cfr/	Website	Cornell
1.5.6	1	FAR 38	Regulation	FAR
1.5.6	2	Government-Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs)	Website	GSA
1.5.6	3	Simplified Acquisition Documentation Record	Sample	NOAA
1.5.6	4	APG 1.8.3	Internal	APG
1.5.6	5	FAR 17.5	Regulation	FAR
1.5.6.1	1	FAR 8.405-1	Regulation	FAR
1.5.6.1	2	GSA Advantage!	Website	GSA
1.5.6.1	3	FAR 8.405-2	Regulation	FAR
1.5.6.1	4	FAR 16.601(c)	Regulation	FAR
1.5.6.2	1	FAR 8.405-6	Regulation	FAR
1.5.6.2	2	www.gsaAdvantage.gov	Website	GSA
1.5.6.4	1	https://www.ebuy.gsa.gov/advgsa/ebuy/ctrler/EbuyHome.	Website	GSA
1.5.7	1	FAR 16.505(a)(6)	Regulation	FAR
1.5.7	2	http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/acquisition/bankcard.cfm	Website	NOAA
1.5.7	3	Attachment (1) to PM 2011-03	Policy	DOC
1.5.7	4	PM 2011-03	Policy	DOC
1.5.7	5	Attachment (2) to PM 2011-03	Policy	DOC
1.5.7	6	Acquisition Alert (AA) 11-02	Policy	NOAA
1.5.7	7	CAM Notice 11-05, CAM 1339.70	Policy	DOC
1.5.8	1	FAR 8.802(a)	Regulation	FAR
1.5.8	2	NAO 201-32C	Policy	NOAA
1.5.8	3	NAO 201-32C	Policy	NOAA
1.5.9	1	FAR 12	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9	2	FAR 13.5	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.1	1	FAR 2.101	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.1	2	FAR 2	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.1	3	FAR 12	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.1	4	FAR 13	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.1	5	Commerical Item Determination Checklist	Checklist	NOAA
1.5.9.2	1	FAR 12.102	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.2	2	FAR 12	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.2	3	FAR 13	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.2	4	FAR 14	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.2	5	FAR 15	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.2	6	FAR 12.207(b)	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.2	7	D&F for T&M Template.	Template	NOAA
1.5.9.2	8	FAR 12	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.2	9	FAR 5	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.2	10	FAR 12	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.2	11	FAR 52.212-4	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.2	12	FAR 12.212	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.3	1	FAR 13.5	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.3	2	FAR 52.219-8	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.3	3	FAR 52.219-9	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.3	4	APG 1.7 Special Considerations	Internal	APG
1.5.9.3	5	CAM 1306.7	Policy	DOC
1.5.9.4	1	FAR Subpart 13.5	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.4	2	SF 1449	Form	GSA
1.5.9.4	3	Contracting Officer’s Certificate of Appointment, SF 1402	Form	GSA
1.5.9.5	1	FAR 13.5	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.5	2	FAR 6.303-2	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.5	3	Commercial Sole Source Proposal Analysis Roadmap	Training	NOAA
1.5.9.6	1	FAR 12	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.6	2	FAR 15.4	Regulation	FAR
1.5.9.6	3	Commercial Item Determination Checklist	Checklist	NOAA
1.5.9.6	4	NCMA article “Buyer’s 10 Commandments for Procuring Commercial Items” CM March 2008.	Reference	NCMA
1.5.10	1	FAR 13 - Process Map	Internal	APG
1.5.10	2	FAR 2.101	Regulation	FAR
1.5.10	3	FAR 13.5.	Regulation	FAR
1.5.10	4	FAR 2.101	Regulation	FAR
1.5.10	5	FAR 13.5	Regulation	FAR
1.5.10	6	FAR 13.5	Regulation	FAR
1.5.10	7	FAR 13.003,	Regulation	FAR
1.5.11	1	FAR Part 14	Regulation	FAR
1.5.12	1	FAR 14,	Regulation	FAR
1.5.12	2	FAR 15.306	Regulation	FAR
1.5.12	3	FAR 15.306(d)	Regulation	FAR
1.5.12.1	1	FAR 15.6	Regulation	FAR
1.5.12.1	2	FAR 15.606-2	Regulation	FAR
1.5.12.1	3	The Basics of Unsolicited Proposals	Guidance	NOAA
1.5.13	1	FAR 2.101	Regulation	FAR
1.5.13	2	FAR 17.502-1	Regulation	FAR
1.5.13	3	APG 1.7.8	Internal	APG
1.5.13	4	Interagency Funds Transfer Checklist	Checklist	NOAA
1.5.13	5	CAM 1317.570	Policy	DOC
1.5.13	6	http://oam.eas.commerce.gov/CAS_agreement_mou.html	Guidance	DOC
1.5.13	7	http://www.ogc.doc.gov/Model Agreements/doc/Economy_Act_Purchasing.doc	Template	DOC
1.5.13	8	CAM 1317.570 Appendix E	Policy	DOC
1.5.13	9	APG 1.9.8	Internal	APG
1.5.13	10	CAM 1317.570	Policy	DOC
1.5.14	1	FAR 18	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14	2	NOAA COOP Contracts List	List	NOAA
1.5.14.1	1	FAR 13.5	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.1	2	FAR 13.201(g)(1)	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.2	1	APG Template Matrix	Internal	APG
1.5.14.2	2	Pre-Deployment Checklist Example	Checklist	NOAA
1.5.14.3	1	FAR 4.1102(a)(3)	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.3	2	FAR 5.202(a)(2)	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.3	3	FAR 18.103	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.3	4	FAR 6.001(a)	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.3	5	FAR Part 13	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.3	6	FAR Part 6	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.3	7	FAR 13.501	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.3	8	FAR 13.5	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.3	9	FAR 6.302-2	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.3	10	FAR 9.206-1	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.3	11	FAR 9.202(a).	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.3	12	FAR 13.106-1(b)	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.3	13	FAR 15.203(f)	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.3	14	FAR 5.202	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.3	15	FAR 26.2	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.3	16	FAR 33.103(f)	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.3	17	FAR 33.104(b) and (c)	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.3	18	FAR 25.102	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.3	19	FAR 28.102-1(a)	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.3	20	Miller Act 40 U.S.C. 270a-f,	Statute	Cornell
1.5.14.4	1	Emergency Acquisition Guide – May 2007	Guidance	DAU
1.5.14.4	2	DOC Procurement Memorandum 2006-07 Emergency Acquisition Flexibilities	Policy	DOC
1.5.14.4	3	NOAA Acquisition Alert System 10-02 – Processing acquisitions in support incidents requiring quick acquisition turnarounds (e.g. Deep Water Horizon)	Policy	NOAA
1.5.14.4	4	NOAA Acquisition Alert System 06-01 Standard Provision for Incident/Emergency Management Acquisitions	Policy	NOAA
1.5.14.4	5	Emergency Management Institute	Training	FEMA
1.5.14.4	6	http://training.fema.gov/EMICourses/	Training	FEMA
1.5.14.4	7	Field Guide for Emergency Acquisition (February 2007)	Training	DAU
1.5.14.4	8	https://acc.dau.mil/GetAttachment.aspx?id=111612&pname=file&lang=en-US&aid=24353	Training	DAU
1.5.14.4	9	Defense Acquisition University (DAU)	Website	DAU
1.5.14.4	10	https://acc.dau.mil/CommunityBrowser.aspx?id=21701&lang=en-US	Website	DAU
1.5.14.5	1	FAR 8	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.5	2	FAR 13.201	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.6	1	Micro-Purchase Worksheet	Checklist	NOAA
1.5.14.6	2	Module Electronic Purchase Log	Form	NOAA
1.5.14.6	3	http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/ acquisition/bankcard.cfm.	Website	NOAA
1.5.14.7	1	FAR 2.101	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.7	2	FAR 13.500(e)	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.7	3	FAR 13.104	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.7	4	FAR 13.106(b)	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.7	5	FAR 13.106-2(b)	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.7	6	EA KO Simplified Acquisition Documentation Record	Checklist	NOAA
1.5.14.8	1	FAR 15	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.8	2	FAR 15	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.8	3	CAM	Policy	DOC
1.5.14.8	4	CAR	Regulation	DOC
1.5.14.8	5	NOAA Acquisition Handbook	Policy	NOAA
1.5.14.8	6	FAR 6.302	Regulation	FAR
1.5.14.8	7	FAR 6.302-2	Regulation	FAR
1.6	1	FAR 16	Regulation	FAR
1.6.1	1	CAM 1316.1	Policy	DOC
1.6.1	2	Increasing Competition and Structuring Contracts for the Best Results	Guidance	NOAA
1.6.1.1	1	FAR 16.2	Regulation	FAR
1.6.1.1	2	FAR 16.3	Regulation	FAR
1.6.1.1	3	FAR 16.4	Regulation	FAR
1.6.1.1	4	FAR 16.104	Regulation	FAR
1.6.1.2	1	FAR 12.2	Regulation	FAR
1.6.1.2	2	FAR 12.207	Regulation	FAR
1.6.1.2	3	FAR 16.202-1	Regulation	FAR
1.6.1.2	4	FAR 16.203-1	Regulation	FAR
1.6.1.2	5	FAR 37	Regulation	FAR
1.6.1.2	6	FAR 37.102	Regulation	FAR
1.6.1.2	7	40 U.S.C. 1101	Regulation	FAR
1.6.1.2	8	FAR Part 36	Regulation	FAR
1.6.1.2	9	FAR Part 36	Regulation	FAR
1.6.1.2	10	FAR Part 41	Regulation	FAR
1.6.1.2	11	FAR 46.103(a)	Regulation	FAR
1.6.1.2	12	FAR 16.405-2(b)(1)(i)	Regulation	FAR
1.6.1.2	13	OFPP Memorandum “Appropriate Use of Incentive Contracts” December 2007.	Policy	OFPP
1.6.2	1	FAR 16.103	Regulation	FAR
1.6.3	1	FAR 12.207.	Regulation	FAR
1.6.3	2	FAR 16.404	Regulation	FAR
1.6.4	1	CAM 1316.1, Appendix B	Policy	DOC
1.6.4	2	Acquisition Alert 2010-03	Policy	NOAA
1.6.4	3	APG Post-Award Module	Internal	APG
1.6.4	4	FAR 15.404-4(c)(4)(i).	Regulation	FAR
1.6.4	5	FAR 16.305	Regulation	FAR
1.6.4	6	FAR 16.401(e)(2)	Regulation	FAR
1.6.4	7	CAM 1316.1	Policy	DOC
1.6.4	8	FAR 16.401(e)(3)	Regulation	FAR
1.6.4	9	CAM 1316.1, Paragraph 7.5.	Policy	DOC
1.6.5	1	CAM 1316.1	Policy	DOC
1.6.5	2	Acquisition Alert 2010-03	Policy	NOAA
1.6.5	3	FAR 16.601	Regulation	FAR
1.6.5	4	D&F for T&M Contract Template	Template	NOAA
1.6.5	5	FAC 2005-15 T&M Information Sheet	Guidance	Federal
1.6.5	6	Comparison of Regulations for T&M/LH Contracts Chart	Guidance	Federal
1.6.6	1	FAR 16.603	Regulation	FAR
1.6.6	2	D&F for UCA Template	Template	NOAA
1.6.6	3	FAR 19.704	Regulation	FAR
1.6.6	4	FAR 19.705-5(b)	Regulation	FAR
1.6.6	5	APG Evaluation Module	Internal	APG
1.6.6	6	FAR 6	Regulation	FAR
1.6.7	1	FAR 16.502	Regulation	FAR
1.6.7	2	FAR 16.503	Regulation	FAR
1.6.7	3	FAR 16.504	Regulation	FAR
1.6.7	4	FAR 16.504	Regulation	FAR
1.6.7	5	FAR 16.505	Regulation	FAR
1.6.7	6	CAM 1316.1	Policy	DOC
1.6.8.1	1	FAR 16.703	Regulation	FAR
1.6.8.2	1	Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 8.405-3	Regulation	FAR
1.6.8.2	1	Basic Purchase Agreement (BPA)	Regulation	GSA
1.6.8.2	3	GSA Schedule	Regulation	FAR
1.6.8.3	1	CAM 1317.570	Policy	DOC
1.6.8.3	2	http://oam.eas.commerce.gov/CAS_agreement_mou.html	Policy	DOC
1.6.8.3	3	http://www.ogc.doc.gov/gen_law.html	Website	DOC
1.7.1	1	FAR 19.201	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1	2	CD 570	Form	DOC
1.7.1	3	FAR 19.5	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1	4	FAR 8	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1	5	CD-570	Form	DOC
1.7.1	6	CD-570 Review Levels	Policy	DOC
1.7.1	7	Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) assigned Procurement Center Representative (PCR).	Website	SBA
1.7.1	8	FAR 19.1405	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1	9	FAR 19.1305	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.1	1	FAR 19.001	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.1	2	FAR 19.102	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.1	3	http://www.sba.gov/size/indextableofsize.html	Website	SBA
1.7.1.1	4	table of size standards	Website	SBA
1.7.1.1	5	FAR 19.303	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.1	6	13 C.F.R. 121.402	Regulation	Federal
1.7.1.1	7	SBA Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS)	Website	SBA
1.7.1.1	8	Code of Federal Regulations Section 121.405.	Regulation	Federal
1.7.1.1	9	www.sba.gov/size/indexsize.html.	Website	SBA
1.7.1.1	10	www.census.gov/epcd/www/smallbus.html.	Website	DOC
1.7.1.2.1	1	Federal Register Nov 15 2006	Website	GPO
1.7.1.2.2	1	FAR 52.217-8	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.2.2	2	FAR 19.301-2	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.3	1	http://www.sba.gov.	Website	SBA
1.7.1.3	2	http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/list/whhbcu/edlite-list.html	Website	ED
1.7.1.4	1	FAR 2.101	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.4	2	FAR 7.107	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.4	3	FAR 7.107(c)	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.4	4	PM 2003-04 Bundling Action Plan	Policy	DOC
1.7.1.4	5	FAR Requirements for Bundled Contracts	Guidance	NOAA
1.7.1.4	6	Sigmatech, Inc.; B-296401; August 10, 2005	Guidance	GAO
1.7.1.4	7	FAR 7.107(a) and (b),	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.4	8	FAR 10.001(c)(2)	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.4	9	FAR 19.202-1	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.4	10	TRS Research; B-290644; September 13, 2002	Guidance	GAO
1.7.1.4	11	Benefit Analysis Guidebook: A Reference to Assist Department of Defense Acquisition Strategy Teams in Performing a Benefit Analysis before Bundling Contract Requirements.	Guidance	NOAA
1.7.1.5	1	http://www.naics.com/search.htm	Website	NAICS
1.7.1.5	2	http://www.sba.gov	Website	SBA
1.7.1.5	3	FAR 52.219-1,	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.6	1	FAR 19.102	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.6	2	http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html	Website	DOC
1.7.1.7	1	13 CFR §121.406	Regulation	Federal
1.7.1.7	2	FAR 19	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.7	3	http://www.sba.gov/.	Website	SBA
1.7.1.7	4	FAR 52.219-6, Alternate I	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.8	1	FAR 13,	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.8	2	FAR 19.804-2	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.8	3	http://www.ccr.gov	Website	CCR
1.7.1.9	1	SF 1449	Form	GSA
1.7.1.10	1	FAR 19.1301	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.10	2	list of qualified HUBZone Small Business Concerns	Website	SBA
1.7.1.10	3	FAR 19.501	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.11	1	FAR 19.14	Regulation	FAR
1.7.1.11	2	http://www.gsa.gov/vetsgwac	Website	GSA
1.7.1.11	3	http://www.vetbiz.gov/	Website	VA
1.7.2	1	FAR 39.201	Regulation	FAR
1.7.2	2	NOAA Section 508 Standards Checklist and Assessment Certification Form	Checklist	NOAA
1.7.2	3	FAR 13.2	Regulation	FAR
1.7.2	4	http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/brochure.htm	Website	Federal
1.7.2	5	http://www.section508.gov	Regulation	FAR
1.7.3	2	FAR 37	Regulation	FAR
1.7.3.1	1	FAR 22.1001	Regulation	FAR
1.7.3.1	2	FAR 22.1002	Regulation	FAR
1.7.3.1	3	41 U.S.C. 353(d)	Statute	Federal
1.7.3.1	4	Fair Labor Standards Act.	Statute	Federal
1.7.3.1	5	FAR 22.1006	Regulation	FAR
1.7.3.1	6	Standard Forms 98	Form	GSA
1.7.3.1	7	Wage Determinations OnLine	Website	DOL
1.7.3.1	8	DOL Publication WH-1313	Policy	Federal
1.7.3.1	9	FAR 22.1018	Regulation	FAR
1.7.3.1	10	Walsh Healey Public Contract Act	Statute	Federal
1.7.3.1	11	FAR 22.1003-3	Regulation	FAR
1.7.3.1	12	Explanation and Applicability of Labor Laws.	Guidance	NOAA
1.7.3.2	1	FAR 46.103(a)	Regulation	FAR
1.7.3.2	2	FAR 46.404	Regulation	FAR
1.7.3.2	3	http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/104859	Website	GSA
1.7.3.2	4	FAR 7.105	Regulation	FAR
1.7.3.2	5	FAR 37.102(e)	Regulation	FAR
1.7.3.2	6	APG 1.3	Internal	APG
1.7.3.2	7	FAR 37.601	Regulation	FAR
1.7.3.2	8	FAR 16.402-2	Regulation	FAR
1.7.3.2	9	FAR 16.4	Regulation	FAR
1.7.3.2	10	APG 1.6.	Internal	APG
1.7.3.2	11	OFPP Memorandum “Appropriate Use of Incentive Contracts” dated December 4, 2007	Policy	OFPP
1.7.3.2	12	DoD PBSA Guide Appendix C: Sample Performance Requirements	Sample	NOAA
1.7.3.2	13	DoD PBSA Guide Appendix F: Performance Assessment Methods	Sample	NOAA
1.7.3.2	14	USPTO Support Services	Sample	NOAA
1.7.3.2	15	DoC OCIO HCHB IT Support Monitoring Plan	Sample	DOC
1.7.3.2	16	DoC OCIO Helpdesk Performance-Based Service Contracting Matrix	Sample	DOC
1.7.3.2	17	General and Specific Information Technology Requirements	Template	NOAA
1.7.3.2	18	FAR 37.601	Regulation	Federal
1.7.3.2	19	SOO Sample – Silent Knight Demonstration	Sample	NOAA
1.7.3.2	20	SOO Sample – DHS FEMA	Sample	NOAA
1.7.3.2	21	SOO Sample – GSA Applied Learning Center	Sample	NOAA
1.7.3.2	22	SOO Sample: NOAA NexRad	Sample	NOAA
1.7.3.2	23	SOO Sample: NOAA NEPA	Sample	NOAA
1.7.3.2	24	SOO Sample: DISA	Sample	NOAA
1.7.3.2	25	Seven Steps to Performance Based Acquisition Website	Website	GSA
1.7.3.2	26	https://www.acquisition.gov/comp/seven_steps/index.html	Website	GSA
1.7.3.2	27	NOAA PWS Template	Template	NOAA
1.7.3.2	28	DoD PBSA Guide Appendix H: PWS Writing Tips	Guidance	NOAA
1.7.3.2	29	PWS Sample – Grounds Maintenance	Sample	NOAA
1.7.3.2	30	PWS Sample – Custodial Services	Sample	NOAA
1.7.3.2	31	PWS Sample – SSA LAN Services	Sample	NOAA
1.7.3.2	32	FAR 46.4	Regulation	FAR
1.7.3.2	33	FAR 37.604	Regulation	FAR
1.7.3.2	34	QASP Sample – Grounds Maintenance	Sample	NOAA
1.7.3.2	35	QASP Sample – Custodial Services	Sample	NOAA
1.7.3.2	36	QASP Sample: NASA AXAF CCD Imaging Spectrometer QASP	Sample	NOAA
1.7.3.2	37	QASP Sample: USPTO Support Services Draft QASP	Sample	NOAA
1.7.3.2	38	https://acquisition.gov/ comp/seven_steps/home.html	Website	GSA
1.7.3.3	1	FAR 37.102(f)	Regulation	FAR
1.7.3.3	2	OFPP Policy Letter 93-1	Policy	OFPP
1.7.3.3	3	DAO 208-10	Policy	DOC
1.7.3.3	4	Procurement Memorandum (PM) 2011-07	Policy	DOC
1.7.3.3	5	DOC PM 2008-1 Using Performance-Based Acquisition to Meet Program Needs.	Policy	DOC
1.7.3.3	6	NOAA Acquisition Strategy Requirements Template	Template	NOAA
1.7.4	1	DoD Contract Security Classification Specification Form (DD 254)	Form	NOAA
1.7.4	2	The DD254 Preparation Guide	Guidance	NOAA
1.7.4	3	CAR 1352.237-70	Policy	DOC
1.7.4	4	CAR 1352.237.71	Policy	DOC
1.7.4	5	CAR 1352.237-72	Policy	DOC
1.7.4	6	CAR 1352.237-73	Policy	DOC
1.7.4	6	CAR 1352.239-72	Policy	DOC
1.7.4	7	NAO 207-12 Technology Controls and Foreign National Access,	Policy	NOAA
1.7.4	`8`	`http://deemedexports.noaa.gov/contacts.html`	Website	Federal
1.7.4	`9`	`“NOAA Line Office/Corporate Office Endorsement Supplement for the NOAA Sponsor of Foreign National Guests”`	Sample	NOAA
1.7.4	`10`	`“Certification of Conditions and Responsibilities for Departmental Sponsors of Foreign National Guests”`	Policy	NOAA
1.7.4	`11`	`http://deemedexports.noaa.gov/Appendix%20B.pdf”`	Policy	NOAA
1.7.4	12	“Certifications of Conditions and Responsibilities for Foreign National Guests	Policy	NOAA
1.7.4	`13`	`http://deemedexports.noaa.gov/Appendix%20C.pdf”`	Policy	NOAA
1.7.4	14	http://www.omao.noaa.gov/foreign.html	Policy	NOAA
1.7.4	15	CAM Notice 11-03, CAM 1337.70	Policy	DOC
1.7.4	16	Department Administrative Order (DAO) 207-12	Policy	DOC
1.7.4	17	Immigration and Naturalization Act (8 U.S.C. 1157 and 1158	Statute	Federal
1.7.4	18	FAR 52.204-9	Regulation	FAR
1.7.5	`1`	`NOAA Administrative Order (NAO) 207-12`	Policy	NOAA
1.7.5	`2`	`http://deemedexports.noaa.gov`	Website	NOAA
1.7.5	`3`	`http://deemedexports.noaa.gov/contacts.html`	Website	NOAA
1.7.5	`4`	`http://www.bis.doc.gov/`	Website	DOC
1.7.5	`5`	`http://www.osec.doc.gov/osy/`	Website	DOC
1.7.6	1	PM 2006-06 Information Security in Acquisitions	Policy	DOC
1.7.6	2	DOC IT Security Checklist	Checklist	NOAA
1.7.6	3	DOC IT Security Checklist Workflow	Gidance	NOAA
1.7.6	4	FAR 39.101	Regulation	FAR
1.7.6	5	http://checklists.nist.gov	Checklist	NIST
1.7.6	6	IT Security Program Policy and Minimum Implementation Standards.	Policy	DOC
1.7.6	7	IT Security in Acquisition Training Course.	Training	DOC
1.7.6	8	The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-05-22, dated August 2, 2005,	Policy	OMB
1.7.7	1	FAR 37.203	Regulation	FAR
1.7.7	2	Sample D&F Using Contractors as Evaluators	Sample	NOAA
1.7.7	3	FAR 37.204.	Regulation	FAR
1.7.8	1	FAR 1.701	Regulation	FAR
1.7.8	2	FAR 17.503	Regulation	FAR
1.7.8	3	OFPP Memorandum “Improving the Management and Use of Interagency Acquisitions” dated June 6, 2008	Policy	OFPP
1.7.8	4	CAM 1317.570 Appendix C	Policy	DOC
1.7.8	5	NOAA AGO-POL-08-005.	Policy	NOAA
1.7.8	6	FAR 1.703	Regulation	FAR
1.7.8	7	APG 1.6.5	Internal	APG
1.7.8	8	D&F for UCA Template	Template	NOAA
1.7.8	9	APG 1.6.6	Internal	APG
1.7.8	10	FAR 6.302-7	Regulation	FAR
1.7.8	11	FAR 6.202	Regulation	FAR
1.7.8	12	FAR 45.302-1	Regulation	FAR
1.7.8	13	Sample D&F To Continue Performance in the Face of a GAO Protest	Sample	NOAA
1.7.8	14	Sample D&F to Use Contractor Support for Certain Non-Inherently Governmental Functions,	Sample	NOAA
1.7.8	15	FAR 7.503(d)	Regulation	FAR
1.7.8	16	FAR 1.704	Regulation	FAR
1.7.8	17	Department of Commerce Interim Interagency and Special Agreements Handbook.	Guidance	DOC
1.7.9	1	FAR 32	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9	2	FAR 32.003	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9	3	FAR 13.	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9	4	FAR 32.001	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9	5	FAR 32.202-1(a)	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9	6	FAR 32.104	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9	7	FAR 32.105(a)	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9	8	FAR 31.205-20	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9	9	FAR 12	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9	10	FAR 32.005	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9	11	FAR 32.1004(b)(2)(ii)	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9	12	FAR 32.1004(b)(3)	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9.1	1	FAR 32.202	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9.1	2	FAR 32.204	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9.1	3	FAR 32.205	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9.2	1	FAR 32.503-3	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9.2	2	FAR 32.1001(d).	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9.2	3	FAR 32.1001	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9.2	4	FAR 32.1002	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9.2	5	FAR 32.1003	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9.2	6	FAR 32.113(d)	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9.2	7	FAR 32.1005	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9.2	8	FAR 52.232-32	Regulation	FAR
1.7.9.2	9	FAR 52.232-28	Regulation	FAR
1.7.10	1	FAR 11.105	Regulation	FAR
1.7.10	2	FAR 6.302-1	Regulation	FAR
1.7.10	3	FAR 13.106-1(b)	Regulation	FAR
1.7.10	4	FAR 13.501	Regulation	FAR
1.7.10	5	FAR 5.102(a)(6)	Regulation	FAR
1.7.10	6	(OFPP) Guidance for Appropriate Use of Brand Name or Equal Purchase Descriptions 11/28/2007	Policy	OMB
1.7.10	7	FAR 52.211-6	Regulation	FAR
1.7.10	8	FAR 11.105	Regulation	FAR
1.7.10	9	FAR 11.105(b) and (c)	Regulation	FAR
1.7.10	10	FAR 6.302-1(c)	Regulation	FAR
1.7.10	11	FAR 5.207	Regulation	FAR
1.7.10	12	OMB Memo Appropriate Use of Brand Name or Equal Purchase Descriptions dated 28 November 2007	Policy	OMB
1.7.10	13	OMB Memo Publication of Brand Name Justifications dated 17 April 2006	Policy	OMB
1.7.10	14	OMB Memo Use of Brand Name Specifications dated 11 April 2005	Policy	OMB
1.7.11	1	FAAPS	Website	DOC
1.7.11	2	CAM 1323.70 Section 2	Policy	DOC
1.7.11	3	FAR Part 23	Regulation	FAR
1.7.11	4	CAM 1323.70	Policy	DOC
1.7.11	5	CAM 1323.70	Policy	DOC
1.7.11	6	Executive Order 13423	E.O.	Federal
1.7.11	7	Executive Order 13221	E.O.	Federal
1.7.11	8	CAM 1323.70 Appendix B	Policy	DOC
1.7.11	9	CAM 1323.70 Appendix E	Policy	DOC
1.7.11	10	CAM 1323.70 Section 5	Policy	DOC
1.7.11	11	Wastes – Resource Conservation – Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines”	Website	EPA
1.7.11	12	Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)	Statute	Federal
1.7.11	13	EPA Recovered Materials Advisory Notices (RMANS).	Website	EPA
1.7.11	14	ENERGY STAR®	Website	EnergyStar
1.7.11	15	FEMP-designated products;	Website	FEMP
1.7.11	16	EPEAT products.	Website	EPA
1.7.11	17	CAM 1323.70 Appendix C	Policy	DOC
1.7.11	18	CAM 1323.70 Appendix d	Policy	DOC
1.7.11	19	CAM 1323.70 Section 4, Para 4.1	Policy	DOC
1.7.12	1	SAFETY Act	Statute	Federal
1.7.12	2	Department of Homeland Security (DHS).	Website	DHS
1.7.12	3	6 CFR§ 25.4,	Regulation	GPO
1.7.12	4	FAR 50.205-3	Regulation	FAR
1.7.12	5	FAR 50.205-4	Regulation	Federal
1.7.12	6	FAR 50.2	Regulation	FAR
1.7.12	7	http://www.SAFETYAct.gov.	Statute	Federal
1.7.13	1	Executive Order 13502	E.O.	Federal
1.7.13	2	FAR 22.503	Regulation	FAR
1.7.13	3	FAR 22.504	Regulation	FAR
1.7.13	4	FAR 22.505	Regulation	FAR
1.7.13	5	FAR 52.222-33	Regulation	FAR
1.7.13	6	FAR 52.222.34	Regulation	FAR
1.8.1	1	CAM 1306.70 at http://oam.eas.commerce.gov/docs/CAM%201306.70%20Competition%20Requirements.pdf	Policy	DOC
1.8.1	2	Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU)	Website	DOC
1.8.1	3	Small Business Administration	Website	SBA
1.8.1	4	Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency	Website	DOC
1.8.2	1	FAR 6.302	Regulation	FAR
1.8.2.1	1	41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1)	Statute	Federal
1.8.2.1	2	FAR 6.302-1	Regulation	FAR
1.8.2.2	1	41 U.S.C. 253(c)(2)	Statute	Federal
1.8.2.2	2	FAR 6.302-2	Regulation	FAR
1.8.2.3	1	41 U.S.C.253(c)(3)	Statute	Federal
1.8.2.3	2	FAR 6.302-3	Regulation	FAR
1.8.2.4	1	41 U.S.C. 253(c)(4)	Statute	Federal
1.8.2.4	2	FAR 6.302-4	Regulation	FAR
1.8.2.5	1	41 U.S.C. 253(c)(5)	Statute	Federal
1.8.2.5	2	FAR 6.302-5	Regulation	FAR
1.8.2.6	1	41 U.S.C 253(c)(5)	Statute	Federal
1.8.2.6	2	FAR 6.302-6	Regulation	FAR
1.8.2.7	1	41 U.S.C. 253(c)(7)	Statute	Federal
1.8.2.7	2	FAR 6.302-7	Regulation	FAR
1.8.2.8	1	FAR 6.302	Regulation	FAR
1.8.2.8	2	CAM 1316.1 section 3	Policy	DOC
1.8.3	1	FAR 6.303	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3	2	CAM 1316.1 section 3	Policy	DOC
1.8.3	3	APG 1.5.12.1	Internal	APG
1.8.3	4	FAR 5.202.	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3	5	FAR 6.302.	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3	6	CD-492 Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition	Form	DOC
1.8.3.1	1	FAR 6.302	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3.1	2	Sample JOFOC CD492 Narrative	Sample	NOAA
1.8.3.1	3	FAR 6.303-2	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3.1	4	FAR 6.305	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3.1	5	FAR 6.303-1,	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3.1	6	www.fedbizopps.gov	Website	FBO
1.8.3.1	7	FAR 6.302-2	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3.1	8	FAR 6.302-1(c)	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3.1	9	FAR 6.305.	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3.2	1	FAR 8.405-6	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3.2	2	FAR 8.405-6	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3.2	3	FAR 8.401	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3.2	4	Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (41 U.S.C. 251)	Statute	Federal
1.8.3.2	5	Title 40 U.S.C. 501	Statute	Federal
1.8.3.3	1	FAR 6.305	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3.3	2	FAR 6.303-1	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3.3	3	www.fedbizopps.gov	Website	FBO
1.8.3.3	4	FAR 6.302-2,	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3.3	5	FAR 13.106	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3.3	6	FAR 6	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3.3	7	Simplified Acquisition Sole Source Justification Template – General	Template	NOAA
1.8.3.3	8	Simplified Acquisition Sole Source Justification Template – Supplies	Template	NOAA
1.8.3.4	1	FAR 13.5	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3.4	2	FAR 6.303-2	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3.5	1	FAR 6.302	Regulation	FAR
1.8.3.5	2	FAR 6.302-2	Regulation	FAR
1.9	1	Integrated Acquisition Environment	Website	GSA
1.9	2	E-Government initiative	Website	White House
1.9.1.1	1	http://www.corporateservices.noaa.gov/cbs/index.htm	Website	NOAA
1.9.1.1	2	Core Financial System (CFS) Functional Information Accounts Payable \| Accounts Receivable\|Reimbursables\|Budget\|General Ledger \| SLTs	Website	NOAA
1.9.1.1	3	NOAA Data Warehouse Integrated Travel Manager (ITM) Information	Website	NOAA
1.9.1.1	4	*FMC Travel Coordinator Listing (New Information Updated 07/29/2010)*	Website	NOAA
1.9.1.1	5	Commerce Purchase Card System (CPCS) CPCS Info Page \| BankCard Statement Retention Memo	Website	NOAA
1.9.1.2	1	http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/acquisition/c_request.cfm	Website	NOAA
1.9.1.2	2	http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/acquisition/c_request_online.cfm	Website	NOAA
1.9.1.3	1	http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/acquisition/c_buy.cfm	Website	NOAA
1.9.1.3	2	http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/acquisition/c_buy_guidance.cfm	Training	NOAA
1.9.1.4	1	http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/acquisition/cpars.cfm	Website	NOAA
1.9.1.5	1	http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/faaps.cfm	Website	NOAA
1.9.2.1	1	http://www.abilityone.gov/index.html	Website	Federal
1.9.2.2	1	https://www.bpn.gov/ccr/default.aspx	Website	Federal
1.9.2.2	2	FAR 4.1102	Regulation	FAR
1.9.2.2	3	10 U.S.C. 101(a)(13)	Statute	Federal
1.9.2.2	4	FAR 6.302-2	Regulation	FAR
1.9.2.2	5	FAR 4.6	Regulation	FAR
1.9.2.3	1	31 U.S.C. 6101	Statute	Federal
1.9.2.3	2	E.O. 12549	E.O.	Federal
1.9.2.3	3	E.O. 12689,	E.O	Federal
1.9.2.3	4	FAR 9.404	Regulation	FAR
1.9.2.3	5	https://www.epls.gov/.	Website	EPLS
1.9.2.4	1	http://www.esrs.gov/	Website	ESRS
1.9.2.5	1	https://www.bpn.gov/far/	Website	BPN
1.9.2.6	1	https://www.fbo.gov/	Website	FBO
1.9.2.7	1	https://www.fpds.gov/fpdsng_cms/.	Website	FPDS
1.9.2.7	2	http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/acquisition/users_manual.cfm	Website	NOAA
1.9.2.8	1	26 U.S.C. § 6402(d)	Statute	Federal
1.9.2.8	2	31 U.S.C. § 3720A	Statute	Federal
1.9.2.8	3	http://www.fms.treas.gov/debt/top.html	Website	Treasury
1.9.2.9	1	https://www.ebuy.gsa.gov/advgsa/advantage/ebuy/start_page.do	Website	GSA
1.9.2.10	1	https://orca.bpn.gov/	Website	BPN
1.9.2.11	1	http://www.ppirs.gov/	Website	PPIRS
1.9.2.12	1	http://www.vip.vetbiz.gov/	Website	VA
1.9.2.13	1	http://www.wdol.gov/	Website	DOL
1.10	1	CAM 1307.1 Appendix B	Policy	DOC
1.10	2	http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/acquisition/c_request.cfm	Website	NOAA
1.10	3	FAR 15.204-1	Regulation	FAR
1.10	4	FAR 1.602-1	Regulation	FAR
1.10	5	NOAA IGCE Guide	Guidance	NOAA
1.10	6	Labor Estimating Tool	Guidance	NOAA
1.10	7	Labor Category Checklists	Checklist	NOAA
1.11	1	FAR 6.401	Regulation	FAR
1.11	2	Defense Contract Audit Agency	Website	DCAA
1.11	3	Defense Contract Management Agency	Website	Federal
1.11	4	Source Selection Plan Template	Template	NOAA
1.11	5	FAR 2.101	Regulation	FAR
1.11.1	1	Guide on Oral Presentations	Guidance	NOAA
1.12	1	FAR 4.804-4	Regulation	FAR
1.12.1	1	Contract File Checklists	Checklist	NOAA
1.12.2	1	FAR 13.5	Regulation	FAR
1.12.2	2	FAR 13	Regulation	FAR
1.12.2	3	FAR 12	Regulation	FAR
1.12.2	4	FAR 15.4	Regulation	FAR
1.12.2	5	FedBizOpps.	Website	FBO
1.12.2	6	FAR 13.5.	Regulation	FAR
1.12.2	7	SAP Pre/Post-Negotiation BCM Template	Template	NOAA
1.12.2	8	SAP Post-Negotiation BCM Template,	Template	NOAA
1.12.2	9	FAR 13.5	Regulation	FAR
1.12.2	10	FAR 13.5	Regulation	FAR

-End Module-