Federal Contracting insight

Acquisition Cycle   

Teamwork is the keystone to achieve timely contract awards. Early involvement in the acquisition cycle to develop a customized acquisition plan tailored for individual needs.  

Acquisition Planning

The most important phase of the acquisition process is acquisition planning. It is during this phase that significant decisions are made which create the path for the entire acquisition.   

The team is formed between the technical community, the Contracting Officer and Contract Negotiator. This relationship needs to begin early in the planning stages prior to specification development so a mutual understanding of the requirement can be achieved by the team. Many variables such as competition, commercial item buying, type of contract, source selection techniques, and long-term administrative support are identified through this planning.  

Careful acquisition planning makes for good contracting experience. The team initiative ensures your contracting goals are met within a timely manner to support your mission. The procurement administrative lead time begins with the submission of the fruits of this planning phase to its contracting team.   

The acquisition process is structured along various timelines based upon the complexity of your requirement. Most acquisition planning needs tend to consider these times lines when identifying funding and the timing of contract award to safely ensure the obligation of your funds.  

Solicitation   

The solicitation phase is where the Contracting Officer begins execution of the acquisition plan. The requirement, which was jointly developed, is solicited either by a Request for Quotation (RFQ) or a Request for Proposal (RFP). The solicitation may be issued through conventional means by use of hard copy documents or in the case of a commercial item through use of a streamlined solicitation advertised in the SAM.GOV, for requirements greater than $25,000.    

Regardless of the solicitation method used, the statement of work or specification must succinctly describe our requirement so a common understanding may be formed by anyone reading the solicitation document.   

Often, prospective suppliers question requirements at this stage. In these instances, a review of the requirement is performed in light of their questions to see if the need is adequately described. Where there may be some uncertainty, an amendment to the requirements is issued to clear possible ambiguities.  

Evaluation Phase   

During the evaluation phase our team evaluates the proposals or quotes received to satisfy the requirement. The evaluation follows the plan developed during our acquisition planning meetings. The evaluation may be as simplistic as the proposal satisfies the requirement or complex when selecting the proposal that provides the best value. Past performance is an evaluation factor in all requirements.  

In conjunction with any technical evaluations, a cost or price evaluation is conducted by the contracting officer. The purpose of the evaluation is to develop a fair and reasonable price or a realistic cost to meet our requirement. The technical evaluation is a key consideration for the contracting officer to measure the contractor's understanding of our requirement and determine their pricing reflects the proposed technical solution. 

The results of this phase dictate whether an award may be made upon the receipt of initial proposals or if negotiations should be conducted with all firms submitting proposals or only those with the best chance for an award (competitive range).  

Negotiation   

Often acquisition team negotiates with the contractors identified during the evaluation phase as having the best opportunity to receive a contract award. The contracting officer is assisted by the technical members of the team when issues concerning technical deficiencies are discussed. The product of negotiations is either settlement on a fair and reasonable price for sole source acquisitions or the request for best and final offers for competitive requirements. 

Post-Negotiation & Award Phase   

The results of the negotiation are reviewed, and an award selection is made. It may be necessary to have the team review updated technical proposals and assist in determining the proposal with the best value. After the contract award is made, the contracting office will debrief the unsuccessful firms providing feedback as to areas where they could improve their proposal techniques.   

Contract Administration  

The day-to-day management of the contract begins after the contract award. Internal team’s effort continues to ensure adequate performance is obtained from the contractor selected to satisfy our requirement. Contract administration can only succeed with commitment from the contracting officer's representative and the contracting officer to monitor progress under the contract or delivery order. Under indefinite delivery type contracts each order represents a separate contract vehicle requiring administration. A limited degree of acquisition planning is necessary for each delivery order