Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health

Competitive Sourcing Guidebook

Section L: Acronyms and Glossary

**Acronyms**

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  **Acronym**   **Definition**                             **Chapter**
  ------------- ------------------------------------------ ---------------
  ACE           Agency Cost Estimate                       Throughout

  AIS           Automated Information System               C.3

  AISSP         Automated Information Systems Security     C.3
                Program                                    

  ALP           Acceptable Levels of Performance           C.1, D.1

  ANSI          American National Standards Institute      C.2

  AQL           Acceptable Quality Level                   C.2

  ATO           Agency Tender Official                     Throughout

  AVPT          Admissions and Voucher Processing Team     C.5

  BCE           Baseline Cost Estimate                     B.2

  BI            Background Investigation                   C.3

  CA            Commercial Activity                        Throughout

  CAAT          Commercial Activities Acquisition Team     Throughout

  CART          Commercial Activities Review Team          Throughout

  CASC          Commercial Activities Steering Committee   Throughout

  CATS-I        Commercial Activities Tracking System --   B.1
                Inventory                                  

  CC            Commissioned Corps                         C.7, D.3

  CDRL          Contract Data Requirements List            C.3

  CFR           Code of Federal Regulations                Throughout

  CGA           Continuing Government Activity             C.4

  CIT           Center for Information Technology          Throughout

  CLIN          Contract Line Item Number                  C.3

  CME           Contract Manpower (or Manyear) Equivalent  C.7, D.3

  CO            Contracting Officer                        Throughout

  COR           Contracting Officer\'s Representative      C.4

  COTR          Contracting Officer's Technical            C.2, G, H
                Representative                             

  CSO           Competitive Sourcing Official              A

  CSP           Competitive Sourcing Plan                  B

  CSR           Competitive Sourcing Report                B

  CY            Calendar Year                              C.7, D.3

  DDM           Deputy Director for Management             Throughout

  DMS           Division of Management Support             A

  DOD           Department of Defense                      C.7, D.3

  DOL           Department of Labor                        D.4

  DP/CPF        Deputy Director of Defense Procurement for C.6
                Cost, Pricing, and Finance                 

  DUNS          Data Universal Numbering System            C.3

  EAP           Employee Assistance Program                A, B

  EDP           Environmental Differential Pay             C.7, D.3

  EFT           Electronic Funds Transfer                  C.3

  EO            Executive Officer                          Throughout

  EOY           End of Year                                C.7, D.3

  EPA           Economic Pricing Adjustment                C.7, D.3

  FAIR          Federal Activities Inventory Reform        Throughout

  FAQ           Frequently Asked Questions                 G

  FAR           Federal Acquisition Regulation             Throughout

  FedBizOpps    Federal Business Opportunities             B.2

  FICA          Federal Insurance Contribution Act         C.6

  FLSA          Fair Labor Standards Act                   C.6

  FSC           Federal Supply Center                      C.7, D.3

  FT            Full Time                                  C.7, D.3

  FTE           Full-Time Equivalent                       Throughout

  FWS           Federal Wage System                        C.7, D.3

  FY            Fiscal Year                                Throughout

  GAO           Government Accountability Office           Throughout

  GC            General Counsel                            E

  GFE           Government Furnished Equipment             C.1, D.1

  GFF           Government Furnished Facilities            C.1, D.1

  GFP           Government-Furnished Property              C.1, D.1

  GS            General Schedule                           Throughout

  HHS           Department of Health and Human Services    Throughout

  HR            Human Resources                            B

  HRA           Human Resources Advisor                    Throughout

  HRDB          Human Resources Database                   B

  IC            Institute and Center                       Throughout

  IDIQ          Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity    B.2, C.3

  IGCE          Independent Government Cost Estimate       C.6

  IHSP          In-House Service Provider                  G,H

  ISSA          Inter/Intra Service Support Agreement      B.2

  ISST          Imaging Service Support Sub-Team           C.5

  IT            Information Technology                     Throughout

  LBI           Limited Background Investigation           C.3

  LOO           Letter of Obligation                       G

  MEO           Most Efficient Organization                C.3, D.2

  MERHC         Medicare-eligible retiree healthcare       C.7, D.3

  MIS           Management Information Systems             C.2

  MOA           Memorandum of Agreement                    B.2

  MOBIS         Management Organizational and Business     D.4
                Improvement Services                       

  MOU           Memorandum of Understanding                B.2

  MP            Management Plan                            C.1

  NACIC         National Agency Check and Inquiry          C.3
                Investigation plus a Credit Check          

  NAF           Non-Appropriated Fund                      C.7, D.3

  NAICS         North American Industry Classification     C.7, D.3
                System                                     

  NIH           National Institutes of Health              Throughout

  NPCS          Nursing and Patient Care Services          C.5

  NTE           Not To Exceed                              C.3

  OD            Office of the Director                     Throughout

  OFPP          Office of Federal Procurement Policy       C.1

  OM            Office of Management                       A

  OMA           Office of Management Assessment            A

  OMB           Office of Management and Budget            Throughout

  OPDIV         Operations Division (agencies within HHS)  Throughout

  OPDST         Outpatient and Diagnostics Support Teams   C.5

  OPM           Office of Personnel Management             Throughout

  OSMP          Office of Strategic Management Planning    Throughout

  OT            Overtime                                   C.7, D.3

  PD            Position Description                       Throughout

  PHS           Public Health Service                      C.7, D.3

  PM            Project or Program Manager                 C.5

  PMA           President's Management Agenda              A

  PO            Project Officer                            G, H

  PPR           Preliminary Planning Report                B

  PPT           Preliminary Planning Team                  B

  PRS           Performance Requirements Summary           C.1, D.1

  PT            Part Time                                  C.7, D.3

  PWS           Performance Work Statement                 Throughout

  PWS/RD        Performance Work Statement/Requirements    B
                Document                                   

  QAE           Quality Assurance Evaluator                C.2, G, H

  QASP          Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan        C.2

  QC            Quality Control                            C.2

  QCP           Quality Control Plan                       C.1, C.2, C.3

  RD            Requirements Document                      D.1

  RFP           Request for Proposals                      C.4

  RIF           Reduction In Force                         B

  SAC           Standard Accounting Code                   B

  SCA           Service Contract Act                       D.4

  SCF           Standard Competition Form                  C.7

  SES           Senior Executive Service                   Throughout

  SF            Standard Form                              B

  SLCF          Streamlined Competition Form               D.3

  SME           Subject Matter Expert                      C.4

  SOO           Statement of Objectives                    C.1

  SOP           Standard Operating Procedures              C.1, D.1

  SOW           Statement Of Work                          C.3

  SSA           Source Selection Authority                 C.6

  SSBI          Single Scope Background Investigation      C.3

  SSEB          Source Selection Evaluation Board          C.6

  TE            Technical Exhibit                          C.1, D.1

  USC           United States Code                         Throughout

  VERA          Voluntary Early Retirement Authority       G

  VSIP          Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay         G

  WG            Wage Grade                                 B.2

  WL            Wage Lead                                  B.2
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

# Glossary

+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
|                   | Terms associated with the competitive sourcing   |
|                   | process:                                         |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Action Plan** |                                                  |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Activity**    | A specific task or grouping of tasks that        |
|                   | provides a specialized capability, service or    |
|                   | product based on a recurring government          |
|                   | requirement. Depending on the grouping of tasks, |
|                   | an activity may be an entire function or may be  |
|                   | a part of a function. An activity may be         |
|                   | inherently governmental or commercial in nature. |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Adversely     | Federal civilian employees serving competitive   |
| > Affected        | or excepted service appointments in Tenure       |
| > Employees**     | Groups I, II, or III, who are identified for     |
|                   | release from their competitive level by an       |
|                   | agency, in accordance with 5 C.F.R. Part 351 and |
|                   | 5 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as a direct result of a     |
|                   | performance decision resulting from a            |
|                   | streamlined or Standard Competition.             |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Agency Cost   | The part of the agency tender in a Standard      |
| > Estimate**      | Competition that includes the agency\'s cost     |
|                   | proposal and represents the full cost of agency  |
|                   | performance of the commercial activity, based on |
|                   | the requirements in the solicitation and the     |
|                   | costing policy in Attachment C of Circular A-76. |
|                   | The agency cost estimate for a Streamlined       |
|                   | Competition is developed in accordance with      |
|                   | Attachments B and C of Circular A-76.            |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Agency        | Performance of a commercial or inherently        |
| > Performance**   | governmental activity with government personnel. |
|                   | Often referred to as \"in-house performance.     |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Agency        | A service provider staffed by government         |
| > Source**        | personnel.                                       |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Agency Tender | An inherently governmental agency official with  |
| > Official        | decision-making authority who is responsible for |
| > (ATO)**         | the agency tender and represents the agency      |
|                   | tender during source selection.                  |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Agency        | The agency management plan submitted in response |
| > Tender**        | to a solicitation for a Standard Competition.    |
|                   | The agency tender includes an MEO, agency cost   |
|                   | estimate, MEO quality control plan, MEO phase-in |
|                   | plan, and copies of any MEO subcontracts (with   |
|                   | the private sector providers\' proprietary       |
|                   | information redacted). The agency tender is      |
|                   | prepared in accordance with Attachment B and the |
|                   | solicitation requirements.                       |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Annualize**   | The calculation method to convert a cost to an   |
|                   | annual basis. The calculation converts a cost    |
|                   | for a performance period that is less than one   |
|                   | full year into an annual cost to correctly       |
|                   | reflect the cost in a government cost estimate.  |
|                   | This calculation is performed by first dividing  |
|                   | the cost in the performance period by the number |
|                   | of days in the performance period to determine   |
|                   | the corresponding daily cost and then            |
|                   | multiplying the daily cost by 365.25 days to     |
|                   | determine the annualized cost. To account for    |
|                   | leap years, 365.25 is the average number of days |
|                   | in a year.                                       |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Award Date**  | The date upon which the winning Service Provider |
|                   | is officially awarded competed work, either in   |
|                   | the form of a signed Letter of Obligation or     |
|                   | formalized issuance of a contract to a private   |
|                   | sector entity. In a Standard Competition or a    |
|                   | Streamlined Competition with an in-house         |
|                   | decision, this typically occurs within \_\_\_    |
|                   | days of the performance decision. In a           |
|                   | Streamlined Competition with a private sector    |
|                   | decision, the award date may not occur for       |
|                   | several months, depending on the post-decision   |
|                   | acquisition process.                             |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Basic Pay**   | Basic pay for GS employees is a position\'s      |
|                   | annual salary plus any other applicable civilian |
|                   | employee pay entitlements. Basic pay for FWS     |
|                   | employees is a position\'s annual wages          |
|                   | including shift differential pay and             |
|                   | environmental pay, plus any other applicable     |
|                   | civilian employee pay entitlements. Examples of  |
|                   | other civilian employee pay entitlements         |
|                   | include, but are not limited to, night           |
|                   | differential pay for FWS employees,              |
|                   | environmental differential pay, and other        |
|                   | premium pay.                                     |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| >                 | Performance comparison of organization business  |
|  **Benchmarking** | processes against an internal or external        |
|                   | standard of recognized leaders. Most often the   |
|                   | comparison is made against a similar process in  |
|                   | another organization considered to be \"world    |
|                   | class.\"                                         |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Capital       | An expenditure for a physical improvement to an  |
| > Improvement**   | existing capital asset such as additions and     |
|                   | major alterations that are intended to improve   |
|                   | performance or increase useful life.             |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Civilian      | An individual who works for a federal agency on  |
| > Employee**      | an appointment without time limitation who is    |
|                   | paid from appropriated funds, which includes     |
|                   | working capital funds. A foreign national        |
|                   | employee, temporary employee, term employee,     |
|                   | non-appropriated fund employee, or uniformed     |
|                   | personnel is not included in this definition.    |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Commercial    | A recurring service that could be performed by   |
| > Activity (CA)** | the private sector. This recurring service is an |
|                   | agency requirement that is funded and controlled |
|                   | through a contract, fee-for-service agreement,   |
|                   | or performance by government personnel.          |
|                   | Commercial activities may be found within, or    |
|                   | throughout, organizations that perform           |
|                   | inherently governmental activities or classified |
|                   | work.                                            |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Commercial    | A commercial source is any business or other     |
| > source**        | non-Federal activity that is eligible for        |
|                   | contract award in accordance with Federal        |
|                   | Acquisition Regulations.                         |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Common        | Specific costs identified in the solicitation    |
| > Costs**         | that will be incurred by the government          |
|                   | regardless of the provider (private sector,      |
|                   | public reimbursable, or agency). Common costs    |
|                   | are sometimes referred to as wash costs.         |
|                   | Examples of common costs include                 |
|                   | government-furnished property, security          |
|                   | clearances, and joint inventories.               |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Competition   | The documents used in a Standard Competition in  |
| > File**          | addition to the government contract files        |
|                   | required by FAR Subpart 4.8. Agencies maintain   |
|                   | this file regardless of the source selected to   |
|                   | perform the activity.                            |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Competition   | The agency officials appointed before a Standard |
| > Officials**     | Competition is announced. These individuals      |
|                   | perform key roles and have essential             |
|                   | responsibilities for the successful completion   |
|                   | of the Standard Competition. Competition         |
|                   | officials are the agency tender official,        |
|                   | contracting officer, source selection authority, |
|                   | human resource advisor, and PWS team leader.     |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Competition** | A formal evaluation of sources to provide a      |
|                   | commercial activity that uses pre-established    |
|                   | rules (e.g., the FAR, this circular).            |
|                   | Competitions between private sector sources are  |
|                   | performed in accordance with the FAR.            |
|                   | Competitions between agency, private sector, and |
|                   | public reimbursable sources are performed in     |
|                   | accordance with the FAR and this circular. The   |
|                   | term \"competition,\" as used in this circular   |
|                   | includes streamlined and Standard Competitions   |
|                   | performed in accordance with this circular, and  |
|                   | FAR-based competitions for agency-performed      |
|                   | activities, contracted services, new             |
|                   | requirements, expansions of existing work, and   |
|                   | activities performed under fee-for-service       |
|                   | agreement. The term also includes cost           |
|                   | comparisons, streamlined cost comparisons, and   |
|                   | direct conversions performed under previous      |
|                   | versions of Circular A-76.                       |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Competitive   | An inherently governmental agency official       |
| > Sourcing        | responsible for the implementation of Circular   |
| > Official        | A-76 within the agency.                          |
| > (CSO)**         |                                                  |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Competitive   | The process of obtaining the best value in the   |
| > Sourcing**      | provision of commercial activities; utilizing    |
|                   | Circular A76 Standard Competition process to     |
|                   | develop a performance work statement (PWS),      |
|                   | structure a most efficient organization (MEO) of |
|                   | the in-house government work force, and then     |
|                   | compare the MEO with any qualified commercial    |
|                   | providers based on the requirements developed in |
|                   | the PWS. Standard competitions are mandated by   |
|                   | OMB circular A-76 for commercial activities      |
|                   | involving more than 65 FTE positions. In this    |
|                   | process, there is no assumption that the private |
|                   | sector will win the competition. This process    |
|                   | has been referred to as \"outsourcing\" or       |
|                   | \"contracting-out\", but only \"competitive      |
|                   | sourcing\" accurately describes and refers to    |
|                   | the A-76 process.                                |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Component**   | An organizational grouping within an agency,     |
|                   | such as a bureau, center, military service, or   |
|                   | field activity.                                  |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Contracting   | An inherently governmental agency official who   |
| > Officer (CO)**  | participates on the PWS team, and is responsible |
|                   | for the issuance of the solicitation and the     |
|                   | source selection evaluation methodology. The CO  |
|                   | awards the contract and issues the MEO letter of |
|                   | obligation or fee-for-service agreement          |
|                   | resulting from a streamlined or Standard         |
|                   | Competition. The CO and the SSA may be the same  |
|                   | individual.                                      |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Conversion    | The minimum gained savings projected before      |
| > Differential**  | converting from one method of operation to       |
|                   | another. The differential reflects the           |
|                   | unpredictable costs inherent in changing the     |
|                   | status quo. These include such costs as retained |
|                   | pay and the temporary loss of productivity       |
|                   | associated with a conversion. The conversion     |
|                   | differential is the lesser of ten percent of     |
|                   | government personnel cost or \$10 million over   |
|                   | the performance period and applies only to       |
|                   | Standard Competitions.                           |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Conversion    | A change in the performance of a commercial      |
| > From Contract** | activity from a private sector provider to       |
|                   | agency performance.                              |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Conversion To | A change in the performance of a commercial      |
| > Contract**      | activity from agency performance to a private    |
|                   | sector provider.                                 |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Core          | A set of skills that an organization must        |
| > Competency**    | perform well for the organization to be          |
|                   | successful. Core competencies define the essence |
|                   | of \"who the organization is.\"                  |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Date of Full  | The first day of the performance period          |
| >                 | following the phase-in period (first performance |
|  Performance/Full | period) at which time the service provider       |
| > Performance     | becomes fully responsible for performing the     |
| > Period**        | competed work to the PWS specified quantity and  |
|                   | quality standards. This second performance       |
|                   | period may be referred to as the base period,    |
|                   | full performance period, or the first period of  |
|                   | full performance. This period of performance may |
|                   | be less than or more than 12 months, typically   |
|                   | done to align this and subsequent performance    |
|                   | periods with fiscal year financial budgets.      |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| >                 | The decline in the value of a capital asset.     |
|  **Depreciation** | Depreciation represents a cost of ownership and  |
|                   | the consumption of an asset\'s useful life.      |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Deviation**   | A change in how an MEO will perform work under a |
|                   | Letter of Obligation. A deviation may decrease   |
|                   | or increase the cost of performance. Decreases   |
|                   | in cost are beneficial, while increases in cost  |
|                   | may lead to additional oversight, cure notices,  |
|                   | or, in extreme cases, termination of the Letter  |
|                   | of Obligation.                                   |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Direct        | Manpower resources dedicated to performing the   |
| > Labor**         | requirements of the solicitation and labor for   |
|                   | supervision and management related support to    |
|                   | the tender (e.g., MEO) such as labor for quality |
|                   | control.                                         |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Directly      | Civilian employees whose work is being competed  |
| > Affected        | in a streamlined or Standard Competition.        |
| > Employees**     |                                                  |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Directly      | The agency tender official who submitted the     |
| > Interested      | agency tender; a single individual (must be a    |
| > Party**         | directly affected employee) appointed by a       |
|                   | majority of directly affected employees as their |
|                   | agent; a private sector offeror; or the official |
|                   | who certifies the public reimbursable tender.    |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Divestiture** | An agency\'s decision to eliminate a government  |
|                   | requirement for a commercial activity. No        |
|                   | service contract or fee-for-service agreement    |
|                   | exists between the agency and the private sector |
|                   | after a divestiture. By divesting of a           |
|                   | commercial activity, an agency elects not to     |
|                   | control the activity and cedes ownership and     |
|                   | control of the activity\'s associated assets     |
|                   | (e.g., equipment, facilities, property) and      |
|                   | resources (agency manpower and budgeting for the |
|                   | activity). The agency has no role in the         |
|                   | financial support, management, regulation, or    |
|                   | oversight of a divested activity. Moving,        |
|                   | transferring, or converting a commercial         |
|                   | activity from government performance to private  |
|                   | sector or public reimbursable performance is not |
|                   | a divestiture.                                   |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Employee      | A written plan developed by the HRA for the      |
| > Transition      | potential transition of the agency\'s civilian   |
| > Plan**          | employees to an MEO, or to private sector or     |
|                   | public reimbursable performance. This plan is    |
|                   | developed early in the streamlined or Standard   |
|                   | Competition process, based on the incumbent      |
|                   | government organization, to identify projected   |
|                   | employee impacts and the time needed to          |
|                   | accommodate such impacts, depending on the       |
|                   | potential outcomes of the competition. The       |
|                   | employee transition plan differs from a phase-in |
|                   | plan, which is developed by prospective          |
|                   | providers responding to a solicitation.          |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **End Date**    | The end date for a streamlined or Standard       |
|                   | Competition is the date that all SCF/SLCF        |
|                   | certifications are completed, signifying an      |
|                   | agency\'s performance decision.                  |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Exemption**   | An exemption is a determination, made in         |
|                   | accordance with Circular A-76 (1983) and the OMB |
|                   | Revised Supplemental Handbook (1996), that a     |
|                   | commercial activity may be converted to or from  |
|                   | in-house, contract or ISSA performance, without  |
|                   | cost comparison and may be justified by reasons  |
|                   | other than cost.                                 |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Expansion**   | An increase in the operating cost of an existing |
|                   | commercial activity based on modernization,      |
|                   | replacement, upgrade, or increased workload. An  |
|                   | expansion of an existing commercial activity is  |
|                   | an increase of 30 percent or more in the         |
|                   | activity\'s operating costs (including the cost  |
|                   | of FTEs) or total capital investment.            |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > *               | The website where the government electronically  |
| *FedBizOpps.gov** | advertises solicitations or requirements and     |
|                   | makes public announcements of the commencement   |
|                   | and performance decisions of A-76 studies.       |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| >                 | A formal agreement between agencies, in which    |
| **Fee-for-Service | one agency provides a service (a commercial      |
| > Agreement**     | activity) for a fee paid by another agency. The  |
|                   | agency providing the service is referred to in   |
|                   | this circular as a public reimbursable source.   |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Foreign       | An employee that is not a United States citizen  |
| > National        | who is employed by the United States Government  |
| > Employee**      | and works outside the United States, its         |
|                   | territories or possessions, under a system in    |
|                   | which an Executive Agency is the official        |
|                   | employer of the foreign national employee and    |
|                   | assumes responsibility for all administration    |
|                   | and management functions associated with the     |
|                   | employee\'s employment.                          |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Full          | The performance period following the phase-in    |
| > Performance     | period (first performance period) at which time  |
| > Period**        | the service provider becomes fully responsible   |
|                   | for performing the competed work to the PWS      |
|                   | specified quantity and quality standards. This   |
|                   | second performance period may be referred to as  |
|                   | the base period, full performance period, or the |
|                   | first period of full performance. This period of |
|                   | performance may be less than or more than 12     |
|                   | months, typically done to align this and         |
|                   | subsequent performance periods with fiscal year  |
|                   | financial budgets. (See also "Date of Full       |
|                   | Performance")                                    |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Full Time     | The staffing of Federal civilian employee        |
| > Equivalent      | positions, expressed in terms of annual          |
| > (FTE)**         | productive work hours (1,776) rather than annual |
|                   | available hours that includes non-productive     |
|                   | hours (2,080 hours). FTEs may reflect civilian   |
|                   | positions that are not necessarily staffed at    |
|                   | the time of public announcement and staffing of  |
|                   | FTE positions may fluctuate during a streamlined |
|                   | or Standard Competition. The staffing and        |
|                   | threshold FTE requirements stated in this        |
|                   | circular reflect the workload performed by these |
|                   | FTE positions, not the workload performed by     |
|                   | actual government personnel. FTEs do not include |
|                   | military personnel, uniformed services, or       |
|                   | contract support.                                |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Function      | The numerical code used to categorize an         |
| > Code**          | agency\'s commercial and inherently governmental |
|                   | activities for inventory reporting purposes.     |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Government    | Facilities, equipment, material, supplies, or    |
| > Furnished       | other services provided by the government for    |
| > Property        | use by all prospective providers in the          |
| > (GFP)**         | solicitation. Costs for GFP included in a        |
|                   | solicitation are considered common costs.        |
|                   | Replacement costs, insurance, maintenance and    |
|                   | repair costs for GFP may or may not be           |
|                   | government-furnished, depending on the           |
|                   | provisions in the solicitation.                  |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Government    | Civilian employees, foreign national employees,  |
| > Personnel**     | temporary employees, term employees,             |
|                   | non-appropriated fund employees, and uniformed   |
|                   | services personnel employed by an agency to      |
|                   | perform activities.                              |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Human         | An inherently governmental agency official who   |
| > Resource        | is a human resource expert and is responsible    |
| > Advisor (HRA)** | for performing human resource-related actions to |
|                   | assist the ATO in developing the agency tender.  |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Incumbent     | The source (i.e., agency, private sector, or     |
| > Service         | public reimbursable source) providing the        |
| > Provider**      | service when a public announcement is made of    |
|                   | the streamlined or Standard Competition.         |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Information   | Any equipment or interconnected system(s) or     |
| > Technology**    | subsystem(s) of equipment used in the automatic  |
|                   | acquisition, storage, manipulation, management,  |
|                   | movement, control, display, switching,           |
|                   | interchange, transmission, or reception of data  |
|                   | or information by the agency. For purposes of    |
|                   | this definition, equipment is used by an agency  |
|                   | if the equipment is used directly by the agency, |
|                   | or is used by a contractor under a contract with |
|                   | the agency that requires (1) its use or (2) to a |
|                   | significant extent, its use in the performance   |
|                   | of a service or the furnishing of a product. The |
|                   | term \"information technology\" includes         |
|                   | computers, ancillary equipment, software,        |
|                   | firmware and similar procedures, services        |
|                   | (including support services), and related        |
|                   | resources, and does not include any equipment    |
|                   | that is acquired by a contractor incidental to a |
|                   | contract; or contains imbedded information       |
|                   | technology that is used as an integral part of   |
|                   | the product, but the principal function of which |
|                   | is not the acquisition, storage, manipulation,   |
|                   | management, movement, control, display,          |
|                   | switching, interchange, transmission, or         |
|                   | reception of data or information. For example,   |
|                   | heating, ventilation, and air conditioning       |
|                   | equipment, such as thermostats or temperature    |
|                   | control devices, and medical equipment where     |
|                   | information technology is integral to its        |
|                   | operation, are not information technology.       |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Inherently    | An activity that is so intimately related to the |
| > Governmental    | public interest as to mandate performance by     |
| > Activities**    | government personnel as provided by Attachment A |
|                   | of Circular A-76.                                |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Inter-Service | For purposes of competing in the A-76 Standard   |
| > Support         | Competition process, an Inter-Service Support    |
| > Agreement**     | Agreement (ISSA) is an offer from a public       |
|                   | reimbursable activity (i.e. another Federal      |
|                   | agency that does not fall under the purview of   |
|                   | HHS). An ISSA is handled like a private sector   |
|                   | offeror in the cost competition process and the  |
|                   | contracting officer selects the most             |
|                   | advantageous offer from the ISSA and private     |
|                   | sector offers to compete against the in-house    |
|                   | offer.                                           |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Interested    | For purposes of challenging the contents of an   |
| > Parties**       | agency\'s commercial activities inventory        |
|                   | pursuant to the Federal Activities Inventory     |
|                   | Reform Act, an interested party is (1) a private |
|                   | sector source that is an actual or prospective   |
|                   | offeror for a contract or other form of          |
|                   | agreement to perform the activity and has a      |
|                   | direct economic interest in performing the       |
|                   | activity that would be adversely affected by a   |
|                   | determination not to procure the performance of  |
|                   | the activity from a private sector source; (2) a |
|                   | representative of any business or professional   |
|                   | association that includes within its membership  |
|                   | private sector sources referred to in (1) above; |
|                   | (3) an officer or employee of an organization    |
|                   | within an executive agency that is an actual or  |
|                   | prospective offeror to perform the activity; (4) |
|                   | the head of any labor organization referred to   |
|                   | in section 7103(a)(4) of title 5, United States  |
|                   | Code, that includes within its membership        |
|                   | officers or employees of an organization         |
|                   | referred to in paragraph (3).                    |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Inventory**   | A list of government personnel, by location,     |
|                   | function, and position, performing either        |
|                   | commercial activities or inherently governmental |
|                   | activities.                                      |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Key           | A standard in the Requirements Document or       |
| > Performance     | Performance Work Statement that, when measured,  |
| > Indicator**     | provides an indication of the overall            |
|                   | performance of the service provider. It is       |
|                   | usually a major item of work, or one that covers |
|                   | many of the service provider's processes, tasks, |
|                   | or services.                                     |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Managed       | Under managed competition, a public-sector       |
| > Competition**   | agency competes with private-sector firms to     |
|                   | provide public-sector functions or services      |
|                   | under a controlled or managed process. This      |
|                   | process clearly defines the steps to be taken by |
|                   | government employees in preparing their own      |
|                   | approach to performing an activity. The          |
|                   | agency\'s proposal for providing the service,    |
|                   | which includes a bid proposal for                |
|                   | cost-estimation purposes, is useful in competing |
|                   | directly with private-sector bids.               |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Management    | A GSA contract which includes an A-76 portion or |
| > Organizational  | Special Item Number (SIN) for different types of |
| > and Business    | consulting services.                             |
| > Improvement     |                                                  |
| > Services        |                                                  |
| > (MOBIS)**       |                                                  |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Management    | The Management Plan is the document that         |
| > Plan**          | outlines the changes that will result in the     |
|                   | Government\'s Most Efficient Organization (MEO)  |
|                   | to perform a commercial activity in-house. It    |
|                   | provides the staffing patterns and operating     |
|                   | procedures that serve as a baseline for in-house |
|                   | cost estimates.                                  |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Letter of     | A formal agreement that an agency implements     |
| > Obligation**    | when a standard or Streamlined Competition       |
|                   | results in agency performance (e.g., MEO). The   |
|                   | Letter of Obligation constitutes the             |
|                   | government's "award" of competed work to the     |
|                   | in-house organization.                           |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **MEO           | Contracts between an agency and the private      |
| > Subcontracts**  | sector that are included in the agency tender or |
|                   | fee-for service agreements with a public         |
|                   | reimbursable source that are included in the     |
|                   | agency tender. In addition to the cost of MEO    |
|                   | subcontracts, agency or public reimbursable cost |
|                   | estimates must include support costs associated  |
|                   | with MEO subcontracts such as                    |
|                   | government-furnished property, and contract      |
|                   | administration, inspection, and surveillance.    |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **MEO Team**    | A group of individuals, comprised of technical   |
|                   | and functional experts, formed to assist the ATO |
|                   | in developing the agency tender.                 |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| >                 | A change to a contract or letter of obligation.  |
|  **Modification** | The change may or may not affect the level of    |
|                   | effort required to complete the work.            |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Military      | Officers \[as defined in 10 U.S.C. § 101(b)(1)\] |
| > Personnel**     | and enlisted members \[as defined in 10 U.S.C. § |
|                   | 101(b)(6)\] of the military services (defined as |
|                   | the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps).    |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Most          | The staffing plan of the agency tender,          |
| > Efficient       | developed to represent the agency\'s most        |
| > Organization    | efficient and cost-effective organization based  |
| > (MEO) (per      | upon the Performance Work Statement (PWS).. An   |
| > Circular A-76   | MEO is required for a Standard Competition and   |
| > Revised May     | may include a mix of government personnel and    |
| > 2003)**         | MEO subcontracts.                                |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Most          | The MEO refers to the Government\'s in-house     |
| > Efficient       | organization to perform a commercial activity.   |
| > Organization    | It may include a mix of Federal employees and    |
| > (MEO) (per      | contract support. It is the basis for all        |
| > Revised         | Government costs entered on the Cost Comparison  |
| > Supplemental    | Form. The Most Efficient Organization (MEO) is   |
| > Handbook        | the product of the Management Plan and is based  |
| > 1996)**         | upon the Performance Work Statement (PWS).       |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **National      | A national defense activity is a commercial      |
| > Defense         | activity that is approved by the Secretary of    |
| > Activity**      | Defense, or designee, as being subject to        |
|                   | deployment in a direct military combat support   |
|                   | role.                                            |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **National      | A national security activity is a commercial     |
| > Security        | activity that is approved by the Director of     |
| > Activity**      | Central Intelligence, or designee, as being      |
|                   | necessary to meet the national security.         |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **New           | An agency\'s newly established need for a        |
| > Requirement**   | commercial product or service that is not        |
|                   | performed by (1) the agency with government      |
|                   | personnel; (2) a fee-for-service agreement with  |
|                   | a public reimbursable source; or (3) a contract  |
|                   | with the private sector. An activity that is     |
|                   | performed by the agency and is reengineered,     |
|                   | reorganized, modernized, upgraded, expanded, or  |
|                   | changed to become more efficient, but still      |
|                   | essentially provides the same service, is not    |
|                   | considered a new requirement. New ways of        |
|                   | performing existing work are not new             |
|                   | requirements.                                    |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Non-Pay       | Costs in a cost estimate that are not related to |
| > Categories of   | pay. Non-pay categories of costs include, but    |
| > Cost**          | are not limited to, materials, supplies,         |
|                   | equipment, facilities, capital assets, and minor |
|                   | items and the inflation for these costs.         |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Offer**       | A private sector source\'s formal response to a  |
|                   | request for proposals or invitation for bid. The |
|                   | term \"offeror\" refers to the specific source   |
|                   | rather than the response.                        |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Overhead**    | Overhead includes two major categories of cost,  |
|                   | operations overhead and general and              |
|                   | administrative overhead. Operations overhead     |
|                   | includes costs that are not 100 percent          |
|                   | attributable to the activity being competed but  |
|                   | are generally associated with the recurring      |
|                   | management or support of the activity. General   |
|                   | and administrative overhead includes salaries,   |
|                   | equipment, space, and other tasks related to     |
|                   | headquarters management, accounting, personnel,  |
|                   | legal support, data processing management, and   |
|                   | similar common services performed external to    |
|                   | the activity, but in support of the activity     |
|                   | being competed. A standard twelve percent        |
|                   | overhead factor is an estimated federal agency   |
|                   | overhead factor that is calculated in agency and |
|                   | public reimbursable cost estimates for           |
|                   | streamlined and Standard Competitions.           |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Past          | An indicator that may be used in the source      |
| > Performance**   | selection process to evaluate a prospective      |
|                   | provider\'s previous performance on work         |
|                   | comparable to that being competed, for the       |
|                   | purpose of predicting the quality of future      |
|                   | performance relative to other offers or public   |
|                   | reimbursable tenders. FAR 42.1501 describes the  |
|                   | information used to evaluate past performance,   |
|                   | and FAR 15.305(a)(2) provides guidance for the   |
|                   | consideration of past performance in the source  |
|                   | selection process.                               |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Pay           | Costs in a cost estimate associated with the     |
| > Categories of   | payroll for government personnel, including      |
| > Cost**          | inflation.                                       |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Performance   | The outcome of a streamlined or Standard         |
| > Decision**      | Competition, based on SLCF or SCF                |
|                   | certifications.                                  |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Performance   | Performance measures provide a series of         |
| > Measures**      | indicators, expressed in qualitative,            |
|                   | quantitative or other tangible terms that        |
|                   | indicate whether current performance is          |
|                   | reasonable and cost effective. Performance       |
|                   | measures can include workload and output-to-cost |
|                   | ratios, transaction ratios, error rates,         |
|                   | consumption rates, inventory fill rates,         |
|                   | timeliness measures, completion and back order   |
|                   | rates, etc. Quality service measures may include |
|                   | responsiveness rates, user satisfaction rates,   |
|                   | etc.                                             |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Performance   | Verifiable, measurable levels of service in      |
| > Standards**     | terms of quantity, quality, timeliness,          |
|                   | location, and work units. Performance standards  |
|                   | are used in a performance-based PWS to (1)       |
|                   | assess (i.e., inspect and accept) the work       |
|                   | during a period of performance; (2) provide a    |
|                   | common output-related basis for preparing        |
|                   | private sector offers and public tenders; and    |
|                   | (3) compare the offers and tenders to the PWS.   |
|                   | The requiring activity\'s acceptable levels of   |
|                   | service are normally stated in the PWS. The      |
|                   | solicitation includes performance standards.     |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Performance   | A statement in the solicitation that identifies  |
| > Work Statement  | the technical, functional, and performance       |
| > (PWS)**         | characteristics of the agency\'s requirements.   |
|                   | The PWS is performance-based and describes the   |
|                   | agency\'s needs (the \"what\"), not specific     |
|                   | methods for meeting those needs (the \"how\").   |
|                   | The PWS identifies essential outcomes to be      |
|                   | achieved, specifies the agency\'s required       |
|                   | performance standards, and specifies the         |
|                   | location, units, quality and timeliness of the   |
|                   | work.                                            |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Phase-in      | A prospective provider\'s plan to replace the    |
| > Plan**          | incumbent provider(s) that is submitted in       |
|                   | response to the solicitation. The phase-in plan  |
|                   | is implemented in the first performance period   |
|                   | and includes details on minimizing disruption,   |
|                   | adverse personnel impacts, and start-up          |
|                   | requirements. The phase-in plan is different     |
|                   | from the employee transition plan developed by   |
|                   | the HRA.                                         |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| >                 | A federal agency decision to change a            |
| **Privatization** | government-owned and government-operated         |
|                   | commercial activity or enterprise to private     |
|                   | sector control and ownership. When privatizing,  |
|                   | the agency eliminates associated assets and      |
|                   | resources (manpower for and funding of the       |
|                   | requirement). Since there is no government       |
|                   | ownership and control, no service contract or    |
|                   | fee-for-service agreement exists between the     |
|                   | agency and the private sector after an agency    |
|                   | privatizes a commercial activity or enterprise.  |
|                   | Moving work from agency performance with         |
|                   | government personnel to private sector           |
|                   | performance where the agency still funds the     |
|                   | activity is not privatization.                   |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Prospective   | Private sector, public reimbursable, and agency  |
| > Providers**     | sources that may submit responses (offers or     |
|                   | tenders) in response to an agency\'s             |
|                   | solicitation.                                    |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Provider**    | An agency, private sector, or public             |
|                   | reimbursable source that is performing, or will  |
|                   | perform, a commercial activity; sometimes        |
|                   | referred to as a service provider.               |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Public        | An agency\'s formal declaration that the agency  |
| > Announcement**  | has made a (1) decision to perform a streamlined |
|                   | or Standard Competition, or (2) performance      |
|                   | decision in a streamlined or Standard            |
|                   | Competition. The CO makes these announcements    |
|                   | via FedBizOpps.gov.                              |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Public        | A service provider from a federal agency that    |
| > Reimbursable    | could perform a commercial activity for another  |
| > Source**        | federal agency on a fee-for-service or           |
|                   | reimbursable basis by using either civilian      |
|                   | employees or federal contracts with the private  |
|                   | sector.                                          |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Public        | A federal agency\'s formal response to another   |
| > Reimbursable    | federal agency\'s solicitation for offers or     |
| > Tender**        | tenders. The public reimbursable tender is       |
|                   | developed in accordance with this circular and   |
|                   | includes a cost estimate, prepared in accordance |
|                   | with Attachment C of Circular A-76.              |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **PWS Team**    | A group of individuals, comprised of technical   |
|                   | and functional experts, formed to develop the    |
|                   | PWS and quality assurance surveillance plan, and |
|                   | to assist the CO in developing the solicitation. |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Quality       | The government\'s inspection plan. The quality   |
| > Assurance       | assurance surveillance plan documents methods    |
| > Surveillance    | used to measure performance of the service       |
| > Plan**          | provider against the requirements in the PWS.    |
|                   | The agency relies on the service provider to     |
|                   | monitor daily performance using their own        |
|                   | quality control plan, but retains the right to   |
|                   | inspect all services. When the agency makes a    |
|                   | performance decision, the agency re-evaluates    |
|                   | and modifies the existing quality assurance      |
|                   | surveillance plan, based upon the selected       |
|                   | provider and the selected provider\'s accepted   |
|                   | quality control plan.                            |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Quality       | The government\'s monitoring of a service        |
| > assurance       | provider\'s performance in accordance with the   |
| > surveillance**  | quality assurance surveillance plan and the      |
|                   | performance requirements identified in the       |
|                   | solicitation.                                    |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Quality       | The Government's plan to monitor the performance |
| > Assurance       | of a service provider under a contract or Letter |
| > Surveillance    | of Obligation.                                   |
| > Plan**          |                                                  |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Quality       | A self-inspection plan that is included in all   |
| > Control Plan**  | offers and tenders. The quality control plan     |
|                   | describes the internal staffing and procedures   |
|                   | that the prospective provider will use to meet   |
|                   | the quality, quantity, timeliness,               |
|                   | responsiveness, customer satisfaction, and other |
|                   | service delivery requirements in the PWS.        |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Recurring     | A recurring commercial activity is one that is   |
| > commercial      | required by the Government on a consistent and   |
| > activity**      | long term basis. This definition does not imply  |
|                   | an hourly, daily, monthly or annual requirement, |
|                   | but must, in a general sense, be repetitive in   |
|                   | nature, wherein the expected workload can be     |
|                   | reasonably estimated.                            |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| >                 | In the case of directly affected employees       |
| **Representatives | represented by a labor organization accorded     |
| > of Directly     | exclusive recognition under 5 U.S.C. § 7111, a   |
| > Affected        | representative is an individual designated by    |
| > Employees**     | that labor organization to represent its         |
|                   | interests. In the case of directly affected      |
|                   | employees not represented by a labor             |
|                   | organization under 5 U.S.C. § 7111, a            |
|                   | representative is an individual appointed by     |
|                   | directly affected employees as their             |
|                   | representative.                                  |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Requirements  | The RD defines the requirements of the functions |
| > Document**      | under study. It is the basis for the competition |
|                   | between the in-house offeror (represented by the |
|                   | MEO Team) and an estimate of private sector      |
|                   | costs. Its development is the first major phase  |
|                   | after announcement of a streamlined A-76         |
|                   | competition. The RD includes the following major |
|                   | elements:                                        |
|                   |                                                  |
|                   | -   General information regarding the work       |
|                   |     environment                                  |
|                   |                                                  |
|                   | -   Personnel requirements (e.g., training and   |
|                   |     certifications)                              |
|                   |                                                  |
|                   | -   Text that defines the final work outputs     |
|                   |                                                  |
|                   | -   Text or technical exhibits that define work  |
|                   |     counts for the final work outputs            |
|                   |                                                  |
|                   | -   Text or technical exhibits that define       |
|                   |     quality and timeliness requirements for the  |
|                   |     final work outputs                           |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Residual      | The estimated value of a capital asset at the    |
| > Value**         | end of its useful life as determined by          |
|                   | application of the Useful Life and Disposal      |
|                   | Value Cost Factor.                               |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Resources**   | Funding allocated for contracts, manpower,       |
|                   | facilities, material, or equipment to perform    |
|                   | agency requirements.                             |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Segregable    | An increase to an existing commercial activity   |
| > Expansion**     | that can be separately competed.                 |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Severable     | An increase of work currently performed either   |
| > expansion**     | by contract, in-house or ISSA that could be      |
|                   | provided using the current approach or could be  |
|                   | competed since the increase in work is           |
|                   | separable. Thus a PWS can be written for the     |
|                   | work without severe additional administrative    |
|                   | burden, in order to be subjected to competition, |
|                   | i.e., cost comparison. Economies of scale are    |
|                   | not justification for dismissing new or expanded |
|                   | work as severable; these economies will be       |
|                   | tested through competitive offers.               |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **SHARE A-76!** | The Department of Defense A-76 knowledge         |
|                   | management system used to share knowledge,       |
|                   | information, and experience about public-private |
|                   | competitions. This public site contains          |
|                   | A-76-related guidance, sample documents, best    |
|                   | practices, tools, and links to other A-76        |
|                   | websites and sources for A-76-related            |
|                   | information. Users may post best practices used  |
|                   | in public-private competitions, research A-76    |
|                   | through the use of search engines, and submit    |
|                   | internet links to add to the available links in  |
|                   | SHARE A-76! The web site address is              |
|                   | http://emissary.acq.osd.mil/inst/share.nsf/.     |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Solicitation  | The due date for delivery of private sector      |
| > Closing Date**  | offers, public reimbursable tenders, and the     |
|                   | agency tender, as stated in the solicitation.    |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Source        | A competition official with decision-making      |
| > Selection       | authority who is responsible for source          |
| > Authority       | selection as required by the FAR and this        |
| > (SSA)**         | circular. The SSA and CO may be the same         |
|                   | individual.                                      |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Source        | The team or board appointed by the SSA to assist |
| > Selection       | in a negotiated acquisition.                     |
| > Evaluation      |                                                  |
| > Board (SSEB)**  |                                                  |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Source**      | One of three specific categories of service      |
|                   | providers (i.e., agency, private sector, or      |
|                   | public reimbursable) that can perform a          |
|                   | commercial activity for an agency.               |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Standard      | The agency form that documents and certifies all |
| > Competition     | costs calculated in the Standard Competition.    |
| > Form (SCF)**    |                                                  |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Start Date**  | The start date for a streamlined or Standard     |
|                   | Competition is the date that the agency makes a  |
|                   | formal public announcement of the agency\'s      |
|                   | decision to perform a streamlined or Standard    |
|                   | Competition.                                     |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Streamlined   | The agency form that documents and certifies all |
| > Competition     | costs calculated in the Streamlined Competition, |
| > Form (SLCF)**   | in accordance with Attachment C of Circular      |
|                   | A-76.                                            |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Technical     | The technical approach of the MEO to meet the    |
| > Performance     | requirements of the PWS. It is prepared in       |
| > Plan**          | accordance with Section L of the solicitation    |
|                   | and depicts the MEO\'s technical approach. A     |
|                   | Government TPP is only required as part of the   |
|                   | Government Management plan when the              |
|                   | Cost/Technical Tradeoff source selection process |
|                   | is used.                                         |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Transition    | A written plan for the transition from the       |
| > Plan**          | current organizational structure to MEO or       |
|                   | contract/ISSA performance, designed to minimize  |
|                   | disruption, adverse impacts, capitalization, and |
|                   | startup requirements.                            |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Uniformed     | Members of the armed forces (i.e., Army, Navy,   |
| > Services**      | Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard) and    |
|                   | other uniformed services (e.g., National Oceanic |
|                   | and Atmospheric Administration, Public Health    |
|                   | Service).                                        |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| > **Useful Life** | The estimated period of economic usefulness of a |
|                   | capital asset.                                   |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+