December 20, 2002

Department of the Interior Acquisition Policy Release (DIAPR) 2003-01

Subject: **USE OF PAST PERFORMANCE INFORMATION FROM PPIRS.GOV**

**BY DOI CONTRACTING OFFICERS**

1.  **[Purpose]{.underline}:** This DIAPR establishes Departmental
    policy regarding the use of the centralized Government database of
    reports on contractor past performance known as PPIRS.GOV

2.  **[Effective Date]{.underline}:** Upon signature.

3.  **[Expiration Date]{.underline}:** This DIAPR remains in effect
    until canceled or superseded.

4.  **[Background and Explanation]{.underline}:** The Office of Federal
    Procurement Policy (OFPP) sponsored the creation of a single
    database containing the past performance reports from all of the
    agencies that established formal past performance reporting systems.
    OFPP's intention was (and is) to bring to the contracting
    professional's desktop as much information as possible to assist
    her/him in making the most intelligent decisions possible in the
    source selection process. This web-based database was announced by
    the Administrator, OFPP in July 2002 and is named the Past
    Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS -- pronounced
    'peepers') and is located at PPIRS.GOV. As of mid- December 2002,
    PIPRS is fully operational, contains nearly 23,000 past performance
    reports from DOD's, NASA's and NIH's systems and is growing daily.
    Access to PPIRS data requires completion of an easy, two-step
    registration process on the website.

> Contracting Officers are also encouraged to use past performance 'best
> practices' information sponsored by OFPP and which is available at
> <http://www.acqnet.gov/Library/OFPP/BestPractices/pastpeformguide.htm>.

This information coupled with reports from PPIRS, gives the contracting
professional access to more information necessary to comply with FAR
15.304(c)(3)(ii), requiring that past performance shall be evaluated in
source selections in all competitively negotiated acquisitions in excess
of \$100,000 in value. FAR 15.305(a)(2) also provides information on
using past performance information in the source selection process.

5.  **[Action Required]{.underline}:** In order to enable Contracting
    Officers to utilize PPIRS, each DOI BPC has or will designate an
    individual to act as their bureau's PPIRS sub group owner, approving
    PPIRS access requests by their bureau's Contracting Officers. Access
    is individually requested on the PPIRS website which automatically
    notifies the appropriate sub group owner that an approval request is
    in his/her queue on the website. Once action is taken to approve the
    request, the requestor is notified automatically that they have been
    granted access. DOI BPCs in bureaus, which presently do not have
    internet access, will designate a sub group owner once internet
    access is reinstated in their offices.

DOI Contracting Officers, with access to the internet shall use past
performance information available from PPIRS.GOV in the source selection
process on offerors competing for awards in excess of \$100,000, unless
they have documented an exemption from past performance consideration in
accordance with FAR 15.304(c)(2)(iv). This applies to initial awards of
new contracts as well as awards under existing contractual vehicles.

Potential offerors shall be notified in the solicitation that PPIRS.GOV
will be used as a source of past performance information in the source
selection process, in addition to any other past performance information
required under the solicitation. The Contacting Officer shall assure
that any available reports are used in the source selection process
and/or shall provide the reports to the evaluation team for scoring of
the offers in the source selection process. Reports used shall be
retained in the record of the evaluation.

Please disseminate this guidance within your bureau. It will also be
available on the Internet at
[http://www.doi.gov/pam/diapr2003-01.pdf](http://www.doi.gov/pam/diapr2003-xx.pdf).
You may contact John Peterson of this office on (202) 208-7269 to
designate your bureau's sub group owner and/or if you have any questions
regarding this policy issuance.

> Debra E. Sonderman, Director
>
> Office of Acquisition and Property Management