Acquisition of Services

AAF  >  Acquisition of Services  >  Step 6: Execute Strategy

Prior to Posting Solicitation
After Receipt of Proposals/Responses
Issue Request for Proposal or Military Interdepartmental Purchase Request
Conduct Source Selection
Pre-Award Approval Documents
Contract Award
Debrief Unsuccessful Offerors
Finalize Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan
Post-Award Implementation/Transition

Reference Source: Guidance from OUSD(A&S)
Based on DAG CH 10-3.3.1 Step Six – Execute Strategy, Jan 2020

After the team has completed the required planning in Steps Four and Five, the FSM reads over the pre-solicitation documentation one more time before presenting the required documents to the Contracting Officer for execution. The FSM ensures the requirement, the QASP, and the Incentives clearly demonstrate what the outcome should be and how the contractor’s performance will be measured. If the documents represent the services acquisition adequately, the documents are transferred, along with your funding document, to the Contracting Officer for contract execution. The MFT will review Step Six under the Service Acquisition Mall.

Prior to Posting Solicitation

The Contracting Officer, with assistance from the Contract Specialist, creates the solicitation, Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quote (RFQ), or Invitation for Bids (IFB). The look of the solicitation varies depending on whether the services procurement falls under FAR Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items, Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures, Part 14, Sealed Bidding, or Part 15, Contracting by Negotiation. The Contracting Officer is responsible for ensuring the appropriate clauses and provisions are incorporated into the solicitation, along with the PWS or SOO, the QASP, Contract Data Requirements Lists and Other Attachments, and any special contract requirements, such as Contractor Manpower Reporting. Once the solicitation is complete, the Contracting Officer sends it for hierarchy review and also to the team to ensure everything discussed in Step Five was successfully captured in the RFP.

The Contracting Officer is also responsible for completing other documentation, such as the justification for other than full and open competition for sole source actions and/or determination and findings documents, such as the determination of the best procurement approach, use of option years, etc. and for starting the process of the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) designation. The FSM nominates the COR within the COR Tracking (CORT) Tool before the Contracting Officer can issue the designation.

It is best practice for the Contracting Officer to post a draft solicitation on FedBizOpps or another GFE portal, such as GSA e-Buy, to give industry the opportunity to provide comments on the solicitation. The number and type of questions received from industry is used to determine whether the requirements are understood for the industry to submit a competitive proposal. Once the final solicitation is released and the proposals are received, the source selection evaluation team will start the evaluation process.  The FSM and the Contracting Officer determine the source selection evaluation team and ensure the team’s training prior to the solicitation’s release.  The evaluation team consists of:

• Contracting Officer
• FSM
• Source Selection Official
• End Users, who have the technical background and investment in the requirement
• Cost/Price Analyst
• Technical Specialty such as Security, Quality Assurance

The evaluation team needs to be committed through the entire evaluation process. The DoD Source Selection Procedures, along with your agency’s source selection procedures, help guide the source selection evaluation team. The Contracting Officer uses these procedures to complete Section L Instructions, conditions, and notices to offerors or respondents and M Evaluation factors for award, of the solicitation and develops the source selection plan.

After Receipt of Proposals/Responses

The Contracting Officer gives the evaluation team complete instructions regarding the evaluation process. The Contracting Officer finalizes the award documentation, including the contract, price negotiation memorandum, and any other documents required by the FAR, DFARS and agency policy. Once the award documentation is reviewed, approved, and signed by the interested parties, the Contracting Officer announces the award within the GFE portal that was used to post the solicitation, such as FedBizOpps.  After the award is announced, the Contracting Officer may receive debrief requests within the time limit set forth in FAR Subpart 15.506, and the countdown protest period begins based on the time lines in the FAR. If there is a protest, the Contracting Officer will work with Legal, but the FSM and Evaluation Chairpersons may be asked to assist.  Once the award has been made and the protest period is over, it is time to execute the management of the services acquisition.