CPARS
The Department of Commerce, Office of Acquisition Management, has issued guidance on a new system that will be used to record contractor performance information. The Department of Commerce policy is set forth in Commerce Acquisition Manual (CAM) 1342.15. This policy will ensure the Department of Commerce and NOAA’s compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 42.15 and OMB Memorandum dated July 29, 2009, Subject: Improving the Use of Contractor Performance Information.
The system that will be used by the Department of Commerce and NOAA to collect contractor performance information is the 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. CPARS is for UNCLASSIFIED use only. Classified information is not to be entered into this system and only Government personnel shall be given access to the system.
CPAR assesses a contractor's performance and provides a record, both positive and negative, on a given contractor during a specific period of time. Each assessment is based on objective facts and supported by program and contract management data, such as cost performance reports, customer comments, quality reviews, technical interchange meetings, financial solvency assessments, construction/production management reviews, contractor operations reviews, functional performance evaluations, and earned contract incentives.
CPARS has connectivity with the Federal Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS). PPIRS is the system used to collect and retrieve performance assessment reports from Federal agencies for use in source selection determinations. Completed CPARS report cards are transferred to PPIRS on a weekly basis and are available for source selection purposes. Source selection officials should visit the PPIRS website for additional information.