ISBNs

Paperback 9781567263008

PDF eBook 9781523096459

ePub 9781567263527

The path to successful source selection begins with Source Selection Step by Step: A Working Guide for Every Member of the Acquisition Team. Whether you are new to the acquisition team or an experienced practitioner looking to sharpen your skills, this comprehensive, highly readable handbook will guide you through the entire acquisition process, from designing an effective source selection plan, to preparing the solicitation, evaluating proposals, establishing a competitive range, and documenting the source selection decision. With clarity and frankness, Charles Solloway presents government source selection in a step-by-step guide that offers readers quick access to needed information. In addition to guidance about the process, the book includes: Techniques to streamline the process and reduce time and expense Ways to avoid common pitfalls Alternatives to common procedures that yield better results Methods to involve contractors more effectively Definitions of the key terms associated with government source selection. Make this book your first stop for quick and easy guidance on all aspects of government source selection.

Find out more about our Bulk Buyer Program

Book Details

Overview

About the Author

Table of Contents

Excerpt

Source Selection Step by Step: A Guide for Every Member of the Acquisition Team

SOURCE SELECTION
STEP BY STEP

A Guide for Every Member
of the Acquisition Team

Charles D. Solloway, Jr., CPCM

Source Selection Step by Step: A Guide for Every Member of the Acquisition Team

About the Author

Charles D. Solloway, Jr., CPCM, has more than 40 years of acquisition experience in the government and private sector. As a civilian employee of the U.S. Army, he held positions as buyer, contract specialist, contract negotiator, procurement analyst, contracting officer, director of contracting, and principal assistant responsible for contracting. Solloway twice received the U.S. Army’s highest civilian award, the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service, for innovations in contracting.

A Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM) and a Fellow of the National Contract Management Association (NCMA), Solloway serves on the NCMA Special Topic Committee on Contract Management Education.

As an educator he has authored a number of textbooks on acquisition topics and has taught thousands of acquisition professionals from both the public and private sectors.

Source Selection Step by Step: A Guide for Every Member of the Acquisition Team

CHAPTER 1

BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR AWARD OF A CONTRACT

Before we tackle the subject of source selection, it is helpful to briefly examine some of the basic requirements for awarding a contract.

Regardless of the manner in which a source is selected, an authorized contracting officer normally cannot make an award to a contractor unless he or she has determined that:

The contractor is responsible. In general terms, this means the contractor has a satisfactory record of perseverance and integrity and that the contractor either has, or has made provision to obtain, the necessary resources to do the job.

As a part of the responsibility determination, contracting officers must consult the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS). This relatively new online system gathers information from various government databases. This includes past performance information from the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) and information on contractor integrity or perseverance from the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS), which contains suspension and debarment information on contractors.

When appropriate, the government may establish special standards of responsibility for any particular acquisition, provided that contractors are so notified when they are solicited for bids, offers, or quotes.
The proposed contractor (offeror, bidder, or quoter) is responsive. In general terms, this means that the contractor has followed the instructions in the solicitation and has agreed before award to meet all the requirements of the proposed government contract. In negotiated procurements, as described in FAR Part 15, competing contractors that are initially found to have a nonresponsive proposal may be given an opportunity to become responsive through proposal revision if discussions (negotiations) are held and revisions are permitted.
The price (or cost) has been determined by the contracting officer to be fair and reasonable.
Money has been appropriated for the purpose of the contract, and the contracting officer has received the proper notification from agency fiscal authorities that the funds are available for use in awarding a contract. This notification of availability is often referred to as fund certification.

Only when these requirements have been met (or, in exceedingly rare instances, have been waived) may a contracting officer with the requisite authority execute a contract on behalf of the government. This is true regardless of the source selection process used.