# Presentation: 247217

## Module 8 – Pre-Solicitation Phase

- 	Government Specific Course II

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## Topic 1- Introduction and Objectives 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Topic 1- Introduction and Objectives

## Learning Objectives

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- List different contracting policies related to government acquisitions
- FAR presents acquisition process regulations
- List different pre-award policies necessary for solicitation
- Publicizing contract actions, simplified acquisition procedures, and sealed bidding

## Learning Objectives (cont.)

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Identify key features in terms of pre-award actions required by acquisitions planning
- Discuss different forms of contracts
- Fixed-price and cost-reimbursement
- State pre-solicitation options
- Define key features of a comprehensive program/project specification and statement of work (SOW)

## Topic 2- Contracting Policies 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Topic 2- Contracting Policies

## Federal Acquisition Regulation  

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Federal Acquisition Regulation

- The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is the primary regulation for use by all Federal executive agencies in the acquisition of supplies and services with appropriated funds.

## Federal Acquisition Regulations (cont.) 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Federal Acquisition Regulations (cont.)

- Precludes agency acquisition regulations
- Limits agency acquisition regulations to those necessary to implement the FAR
- Provides for coordination, simplicity and uniformity in the Federal Acquisition Process
- Provides for agency and public participation in developing the FAR and agency acquisition regulation

## FAR Purposes 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- FAR Purposes

- The goals of FAR include:

- Satisfy the customer in terms of cost, quality, and timeliness of product or service
- Minimize administrative operating costs
- Conduct business with integrity
- Fulfill public policy objectives

## FAR Parts Defined 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- FAR Parts Defined

- FAR parts 1-12 detail regulations regarding the Pre-Solicitation Phase of contracting.  Parts 1-6:

- Federal Acquisition Regulations System
- Definitions of Words and Terms
- Improper Business Practices and Personal Conflicts of Interest
- Administrative Matters
- Publicizing Contract Actions
- Competition Requirements

## FAR Parts Defined (cont.) 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- FAR Parts Defined (cont.)

- FAR Parts 7-12 detail:

- Acquisition Planning
- Required Sources of Supplies and Services
- Contractor Qualifications
- Market Research
- Describing Agency Needs
- Acquisition of Commercial Items

## Register on FAR 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Register on FAR

- It is a good idea to register on FAR to receive electronic notices of changes to regulations.  These notices provide access to:

- Pending changes
- Draft notices in the Federal Register
- Final changes
- Register online at http://www.arnet.gov/far

## Pre-Award Policies 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Pre-Award Policies

- Three pre-award policies necessary for solicitation are:

- Publicizing contract actins
- Simplified acquisition procedures
- Sealed bidding

## Publicizing Contract Actions 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Publicizing Contract Actions

- Contract actions refer to those actions resulting in the creation of a contract, including actions for additional supplies or services outside the existing contract scope.

- Publicize actions to:
- Increase competition
- Broaden industry participation in meeting government requirements
- Assist small business concerns in obtaining contracts and subcontracts

## Publicizing Contract Actions (cont.) 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Publicizing Contract Actions (cont.)

- It is the contracting officer’s responsibility to do the publicizing task.
- An experienced project manager will assist the contracting officer with this task because:
- The project manager is likely to have the most knowledge of who are the qualified sources due to prior market research.
- The project manager’s involvement ensures that qualified sources have an opportunity to be informed of the acquisition.

## Simplified Acquisition Procedures 

- 	Government Specific Course II

- 8-

- Simplified Acquisition Procedures

- Simplified acquisition procedures are shorter, simplified policies for the acquisition of supplies and services that, in sum, do not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.

- The purpose of prescribing these procedures is to:
- Reduce administrative costs
- Improve opportunities for small business concerns
- Promote efficiency and economy in contracting
- Avoid unnecessary burdens for both agencies and contractors

## Simplified Acquisition Procedures 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Simplified Acquisition Procedures

- The project manager has the ultimate duty to select an acquisition approach that is suitable for a project.
- The project manager may choose to structure an acquisition to fit the rules of simplified acquisition procedures to deal with schedule pressure.

## Sealed Bidding 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Sealed Bidding

- Sealed bidding is a method of contracting that employs competitive bids, public opening of bids, and awards.

- Sealed bidding involves:
- Preparation of invitations for bids
- Publicizing the invitation for bids
- Submission of bids
- Evaluation of bids
- Contract award to the reasonable bidder

## Question

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- How would you define the key and complex contract terms and conditions for the solicitation?

## Topic 3 – Acquisition Planning

- 	Government Specific Course II

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## Business Partnership 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Business Partnership

- The Program Contracting Officer (PCO) and the program/project manager should develop a business partnership with emphasis on building a successful acquisition plan/strategy that leads to program/project success.

## Business Partnership (cont.) 

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- Business Partnership (cont.)

- During the pre-solicitation phase, the business partnership focuses on:

- Planning an acquisition process to fulfill the agency need in a timely manner and at a reasonable cost
- Developing an overall strategy for managing the acquisition
- Structuring for competition

## Business Partnership (cont.) 

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- Business Partnership (cont.)

- Structuring for socio-economic issues
- Formulating the acquisition strategy to consider contract types
- Comprehending procurement policies, regulations, options, procedures and contract administration, performance and management issues.

## Question

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Who is responsible for the success of the acquisition?

## Pre-Award Actions 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Pre-Award Actions

- FAR Subpart 7.1 details the pre-award actions required of acquisition planning:

- Form a team to be responsible for significant aspects of the acquisition.
- Generate the delivery requirements.
- Promote competition, coordinating with the cognizant small business specialist.
- Compose a written acquisition plan.

## Acquisition Planning

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- Acquisition planning should begin as soon as the agency need is identified.

- The specific content of acquisition plans will vary, depending on the nature, circumstances, and stage of the acquisition.
- The contents of an acquisition plan must:
- Identify the milestones at which decisions should be made.
- Address all the technical, business, management, and other significant considerations that will control the acquisition.

## Acquisition Planning Team 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Acquisition Planning Team

- The program/project manager and PCO form a team to develop the plan.

- A diverse and talented acquisition team is central to the success of an acquisition.
- Acquisition team members should work together and make decisions within their area of responsibility.
- Teamwork, unity of purpose, and strong communication among team members are necessary.

## Question

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- In your experience, why is it important that members of an acquisition team make decisions only within their areas of responsibility?

## Acquisition Team Members 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Acquisition Team Members

- An acquisition may consist only of the program/project manager and the PCO; or, for more complex acquisitions, the acquisition team can include a wide variety of members:

- Program/Project Manager
- Contracting Professional (includes Contracting Officer, CO)
- Contracting Officer Representative (COR)
- Financial Manager
- Auditor

## Acquisition Team Members (cont.) 

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- Acquisition Team Members (cont.)

- Property Administrator
- Technical/Engineer
- Quality Assurance Personnel (QAP)
- Legal Counsel
- Contractor

## Program/Project Manager 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Program/Project Manager

- The program/project manager:

- Is the representative of the capability need in an acquisition team
- Often leads the acquisition team
- Needs to be both a leader and an effective project manager.
- Plays an integral role in building the solicitation and making price-related decisions

## Program/Project Manager (cont.)

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- The program/project manager has the ability to influence, without complete authority, the selection of members for the acquisition team.
- Due to the design of a matrix organization, the typical program/project manager does not have total control over choosing  and maintaining the people necessary to succeed on a project

## Program/Project Manager (cont.)

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Items that effect the program/project manager’s role in the selection of acquisition team members include:

- The project charter
- Defines the limit’s of the program/project manager’s authority
- The project plan
- Identifies stipulations on who can work on the project
- The stakeholder analysis
- Provides insights in reference to which individuals may be willing and able to help on a project

## Contracting Professionals 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Contracting Professionals

- Contracting Professionals include Contract Specialists, Contracting Officers, and Procurement Analysts.  They play a role in:

- The acquisition of supplies and services
- Cost and price analysis
- Solicitation and selection of sources
- Preparation, negotiation, and award of contracts
- All phases of contract administration
- Termination or close out of contracts

## Contracting Officer 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Contracting Officer

- The contracting officer (CO) must have the authority to determine the application of rules and awards of a specific contract.  Contracting officers should lead in:

- Encouraging business process innovations.
- Ensuring sound business decisions by providing advice to customers.
- Ensuring that customers are provided with all available business alternatives.

## Contracting Officer (cont.)

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- During the pre-solicitation phase of acquisition planning, contracting officers have a number of responsibilities:

- Review all proposed solicitation to make decisions about classified information requirements
- Determine if there are any qualification requirements established by an involved agency and notify potential suppliers
- Ensure that the number of sources that meet the qualified requirements is adequate for competition

## Contracting Officer (cont.)

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- The Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and/or Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR) are delegated duties through a letter of appointment signed by the contracting officer.  The contracting officer:

- Determines the need for the COR and the COTR
- Must provide the COR with requisite formal training including:
- Review of duties
- Authority limitations
- Form completion
- Reporting requirements

## Financial Manager

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Plans, organizes, directs, and controls the money and resources of a program
- Takes care of business and financial functions
- May be part of acquisition planning, cost estimating and budgeting, contractor surveillance, and budget execution
- Provides acquisition team with necessary information to make decisions on type of money available

## Question

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Does the project manager write the performance reports for the members of the acquisition team?

## Auditors 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Auditors

- Accountant with specialized training and experience in examining cost or pricing data provided by offerors and contractor records
- The support of auditors can be invaluable in cost proposal analysis.

## Technical and Engineering Specialist

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Generally write specification, statement of work, and/or technical evaluation factors
- Evaluate technical proposals
- The Requirements Manager acts as the technical specialist for many acquisitions
- Larger acquisitions may include engineers, scientists, and others in related fields
- May have a good understanding of necessary costs to build a deliverable
- May have a good understanding of commercial products for a requirement

## Quality Assurance Personnel

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Quality Assurance Personnel (QAP) are also known as Quality Assurance Evaluators (QAE), Quality Assurance Representative (QAR), and sometimes Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR)

- Have technical expertise
- Normally used when a product has to be accepted or a service needs evaluating

## Legal Counsel 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Legal Counsel

- Legal counsel provides guidance regarding legal compliance and interpretation of laws and regulations.

## Contractor

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- The contractor member includes the prime contractor and any subcontractors that are needed.
- Not always considered a part of the acquisition team; however, he/she plays a major role
- The contractor has industry expertise.

## Question

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- In your experience, what are the advantages of including the contractor as part of the acquisition team?

## Team Characteristics 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Team Characteristics

- Important characteristics in all team members:

- Honesty
- Reliability
- Respect for others
- Courage
- Commitment
- Integrity

## Question

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- What is the ultimate impact of multi-functional teams?

## Topic 4 – The Acquisition Strategy 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Topic 4 – The Acquisition Strategy

## Acquisition Strategy Defined 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Acquisition Strategy Defined

- The business partnership between the PCO and the program/project manager is responsible for formulating the acquisition strategy.
- The acquisition strategy defines the management approach that will achieve program goals.
- Information in the acquisition strategy should have enough information to fully describe the planning considerations and decisions.

## Acquisition Strategy Components  

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- Acquisition Strategy Components

- The following issues are important to address when formulating an acquisition strategy:

- Structure for competition
- Structure for socio-economic issues
- Consider different contract types
- Comprehend procurement policies, regulations, options, procedures and contract administration, performance and management issues
- Alpha contracting process

## Competition Procedures 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Competition Procedures

- FAR Part 6 prescribes policies to promote full and open competition:

- Sealed bids
- Competitive proposals
- Combination of competitive procedures
- Other competitive procedures

## Small Business Concerns 

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- Small Business Concerns

- It is the policy of the government to provide maximum practicable opportunities in its acquisitions to following small business concerns:

- Veteran-owned
- Service-disabled, veteran-owned
- HUBZone
- Disadvantaged
- Women-owned

## Structure for Competition 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Structure for Competition

- It is important to structure for competition when planning an acquisition to provide full and open competition in soliciting offers and awarding government contracts.
- The contracting officer and the program/project manager both have a role to play in encouraging competition.

## Structure for Competition (cont.) 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Structure for Competition (cont.)

- The program/project manager can encourage competition by:

- Providing small business concerns with agency contact information
- Developing well-written SOO (Statement of Objectives)
- Dividing complex projects into subsystems to be individually acquired
- Paying more than one contractor to study a problem and develop expertise for a project requiring specialized knowledge

## Socio-Economic Laws 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Socio-Economic Laws

- Provide a unique framework for government contracting
- Program/project manager and PCO role includes:
- Implementation of public policy
- Obtaining the best value or price for the item or service

## Question

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- How much does the government save through competition?

## Small Business Act 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Small Business Act

- The Small Business Act of 1953 resulted in the creation of one of the largest socio-economic programs.
- It helped shape the framework for government contracting professionals.
- It specifies that most new jobs, and many new ideas and advances in technology, are generated by small business.

## Small Business Act (cont.) 

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- Small Business Act (cont.)

- Objectives
- Maintain and expand industrial base
- Ensure that small and minority businesses receive a fair opportunity to compete for government contracts

## Small Business Administration 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Small Business Administration

- The Small Business Administration (SBA):

- Counsels and assists small business concerns
- Assists contracting personnel to ensure that a fair proportion of contracts is placed with small business
- May assign one or more procurement center representative to any contracting activity or contract administration office to carry out SBA policies

## PCO and Socio-Economic Issues  

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- PCO and Socio-Economic Issues

- To encourage maximum participation by small business, the PCO can:

- Make every effort to find additional small business concerns before issuing solicitations
- Publicize solicitations and contract awards through government-wide point of entry.

## PM and Socio-Economic Issues 

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- PM and Socio-Economic Issues

- The program/project manager should work with the PCO to structure the solicitation for socio-economic issues by:

- Allowing the maximum amount of time for the submissions of offers.
- Furnishing information as to where specifications, plans and drawings with solicitations may be obtained or examined.

## Question

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- In your experience, what other methods for structuring for small-business participation have you found successful?

## Socio-Economic Initiatives 

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- Socio-Economic Initiatives

- Socio-economic initiatives that are relevant to contracting professionals include programs that:

- Clean the environment
- Clean Air/Water Act
- Ensure equal employment opportunity
- Executive Order 11246/11141
- Promote the hiring of veterans
- Veterans’ Preference

## Question

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Have you been involved with an acquisition in which socio-economic goals were met by incorporating and enforcing clauses in the contract?
- If so, what was the result?

## Contract Type  

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- Contract Type

- It is essential to choose the appropriate contract type to ensure successful performance under a contract.
- The type of contract determines the cost and performance risks placed on the contractor.
- There are two broad contract groups:
- Fixed-price
- Cost-reimbursement
- Within each group, various types of contracts can be used individually or in combination.

## Firm Fixed-Price Contracts 

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- Firm Fixed-Price Contracts

- Requires the contractor to successfully deliver conforming supplies or services for a price agreed to up front.
- Places the most performance and cost risk on the contractor
- Suitable for supplies and services that can be described in enough detail to ensure complete understanding of requirements by both parties

## Firm Fixed-Price Contracts (cont.)

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- Within the fixed-price contract group you can award contracts with:

- Economic price adjustment factors
- Various incentive types to motivate performance
- Price re-determination provisions
- To permit issuing an order on a fixed-price basis
- To allow for revisiting the reasonableness of that pricing later during the contract performance
- A specified level of effort

## Cost-Reimbursement Contract 

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- Cost-Reimbursement Contract

- Allows for payment of all incurred costs, within a predetermined ceiling, which can be allocated to the contract, are allowable within cost standards, and reasonable
- Places the least cost and performance risk on the contractor
- Only requires the contractor to use his/her “best efforts” to complete the contract

## Cost-Reimbursement Options 

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- Cost-Reimbursement Options

- Within the cost-reimbursement category there are:

- Cost type
- Payment of all incurred costs within a predetermined total estimated cost
- Cost sharing
- Government and contractor split performance cost in a predetermined manner
- Cost-plus-fixed-fee
- Payment of all incurred costs within a predetermined amount plus an agreed upon fee that will not change

## Cost-Reimbursement Options (cont.) 

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- Cost-Reimbursement Options (cont.)

- Cost-plus-incentive-fee
- Adjustment of the fee (up or down) using a predetermined formula based on total allowable costs in relation to total targeted costs
- Cost-plus-award-fee
- Negotiation of a base fee plus an award fee
- Award fee based upon a government evaluation of contractor performance and cost control

## Cost-Reimbursement Options (cont.) 

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- Cost-Reimbursement Options (cont.)

- Cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost-plus-award-fee options require considerable monitoring by the program and contracting staff.  These cost-reimbursement options are usually reserved for larger value, more visible procurements.

## Question

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- In what kind of scenario would you want to use a cost-reimbursement contract?

## Business Partnership 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Business Partnership

- The objective of the business partnership between the program/project manger and the PCO is to negotiate a contract type and price (or estimated cost and fee) that will result in reasonable contractor risk and provide the contractor with the greatest incentive for efficient and economical performance.

## Business Partnership (cont.) 

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- Business Partnership (cont.)

- In negotiating a contract type and price, the program/project manager and PCO should consider:

- A firm-fixed price contract best utilizes the basic profit motive of business enterprise
- Should be used when the risk involved is minimal or predictable
- Other types of contracts should be considered when a reasonable basis for firm pricing does not exist
- Negotiations should be directed toward a contract type that ties profit to contractor performance

## Question

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- As a program/project manager, would you rather bear the responsibility for the cost risk, schedule risk, or the performance risk?

## Selecting a Contract Type 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Selecting a Contract Type

- When selecting and negotiating a contract type, the contracting officer should consider the following factors:

- Price competition
- Effective price competition results in realistic pricing
- A fixed-price contract is ordinarily in the government’s interest
- Price analysis
- Pricing analysis may provide a realistic pricing standard

## Selecting a Contract Type (cont.) 

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- Selecting a Contract Type (cont.)

- Cost analysis
- Cost estimates of the offeror and the government can provide a basis for negotiating in the absence of effective price competition and/or insufficient price analysis.
- It is essential to identify and evaluate performance uncertainties and their impact on cost.
- Period of performance
- Contracts extending over a relatively long period may require economic price adjustment terms.

## Selecting a Contract Type (cont.) 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Selecting a Contract Type (cont.)

- Contractor’s technical capability and financial responsibility
- Adequacy of the contractor’s accounting system
- Will the contractor’s accounting system permit timely development of all necessary cost data in the required form of the contract type?
- A critical determination when the contract type requires price revision
- Critical when a cost-reimbursement contract is being considered and all past experience with the contractor was fixed-price

## Selecting a Contract Type (cont.) 

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- Selecting a Contract Type (cont.)

- Concurrent contracts
- When the proposed contract involves concurrent operations under other contracts, consider the impact of those contracts and their pricing.
- Extent and nature of proposed subcontracting
- When the contractor proposes extensive subcontracting, select a contract type that reflects the actual risks to the prime contractor.
- Acquisition history
- Contractor risk usually decreases as the requirement is repetitively acquired.

## Alpha Acquisition 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Alpha Acquisition

- Alpha Acquisition is a process for expediting the acquisition process.
- Meant to eliminate any unnecessary processes and reviews, and to streamline the required ones
- Involves many activities performed jointly by the government and contracting teams

## Alpha Contracting Process 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Alpha Contracting Process

- The alpha contracting process for alpha acquisition offers the following advantages:

- Improved communications
- Decreased number of formal iterations, revisions, and rework required to correct misunderstandings and errors
- Reduced cycle time by addressing the issues, questions, and support considerations earlier

## Topic 5 – Continuity, Coordination, and Interfaces

- 	Government Specific Course II

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## Program/Project Manager Role

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- It is the responsibility of the program/project manager to ensure that potential and actual contractors, sub-contractors, and affiliated government organizations or offices have a full understanding of program/project definition and the procuring agency’s organization culture and structure.

## Complex Contracts 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Complex Contracts

- Some contracts have more potential for problems than others.  Continuity, coordination, and interfaces should be emphasized for contracts that contain the following:

- A multiple incentive structure
- An SOW with unintended nuances
- A complex CLIN structure
- Complex provisions for technical execution

## Complex Contracts (cont.) 

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- Complex Contracts (cont.)

- Complex provisions for executing contract funding
- Complex provisions that will impact timely and accurate reporting of government funds expenditure
- Unclear provisions for possible follow-on contracts as relates to all of the above

## Multiple-Incentive Arrangement 

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- Multiple-Incentive Arrangement

- Should motivate the contractor to strive or for outstanding results in all incentive areas
- Should compel trade-off decisions among the incentive areas
- Due to the interdependency of the government’s cost, technical performance, and delivery goals, a contract that emphasizes only one of the goals may jeopardize control over the others.

## Multiple-Incentive Arrangement (cont.) 

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- Multiple-Incentive Arrangement (cont.)

- Outstanding results may not be attainable for each of the incentive areas.  As such, all multiple-incentive contracts must include a cost incentive (or constraint) that operates to preclude rewarding a contractor for superior technical performance or delivery results when the cost of those results outweighs their value to the government.

## Question

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- What is the best contract type?

## Statement of Work  

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- Statement of Work

- A Statement of Work (SOW) is a  document that is vulnerable to nuances and interpretation.  To review, it is a written statement that specifically describes:

- Phases of work or services, major tasks, or areas of responsibility
- Specific objectives that the contractor team must attain
- The deliverables that the contractor must provide
- A stated schedule of deliverables aligned with payments

## Deliverables 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Deliverables

- Deliverables are the key to measuring successful work requirement outcomes.

- Describe each deliverable in full.
- Clearly identify when the deliverable must be met.
- Deliverables should signify the completion of a task or group of tasks.
- Tie acceptance of work and payment to the deliverables identified in the SOW.

## S.M.A.R.T. Test 

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- S.M.A.R.T. Test

- A well-written SOW should be able to meet the S.M.A.R.T. test:

- S = Specific
- M = Measurable
- A = Accountable
- R = Reasonable
- T= Time-based

## Statement of Work 

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- Statement of Work

- SOW can be defined by five comprehensive sections:

- Introduction
- Background information
- Scope
- Applicable documents
- Requirements and deliverables

## SOW Introduction 

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- SOW Introduction

- Should identify what is being acquired/procured
- Should not include content that is repeated in the background or scope sections of the SOW

## SOW Background Section 

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- SOW Background Section

- Should summarize why the requirements were specified
- Should communicate enough historical information to explain the current requirement
- Includes accurate background facts and details
- Does not include, contractor directions, requirements, performance tasks, specifications, or reporting requirements

## SOW Scope Section 

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- SOW Scope Section

- Should provide reader with clear understanding of the requirements and deliverables
- Should be consistent with the task or activities to be performed
- Should be consistent with the end product, service, or result
- Should summarize key elements of the technical and management requirements
- Should not include and contractor directions, requirements, performance tasks, specifications, or reporting requirements

## SOW Applicable Documents 

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- SOW Applicable Documents

- Should include documents that are properly cited
- Should cite documents relevant to the work being performed
- Should cite the documents that are the most current

## Requirements and Deliverables 

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- Requirements and Deliverables

- SOW Requirements and Deliverables section should:

- Distinguish the contractor’s responsibilities from the content contained in the previous SOW sections
- Only identify minimum requirements
- Present contents in logical order

## Requirements and Deliverables (cont.)  

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- Requirements and Deliverables (cont.)

- Be specific enough to facilitate the estimate of probable cost
- Use active language to eliminate doubt about contractor obligations
- Specify procedures, methods, processes, tools, and techniques
- Identify applicable management, control, or decision points

## Statement of Work 

- 	Government Specific Course II

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- Statement of Work

- The entire SOW, in general, should:

- Be written using an approved template or format if possible
- Not include any non-value information or unnecessary cross-references to contact clauses and provisions
- Not allow for more than one interpretation of the contents

## Question

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- Complex CLIN structure
- Complex provisions for technical execution
- Complex provisions for executing contract funding
- Complex provisions that will impact timely and accurate reporting of government expenditure
- Unclear provisions for possible follow-on contracts as relates to all of the above

- From your past experiences, what is your understanding of the following topics:

## Exit Criteria  

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- Exit Criteria

- Exit criteria are some level of demonstrated performance, the accomplishment of some process at some level of efficiency, successful accomplishment of some event, or any other criterion that indicates that aspect of the program is progressing satisfactorily.

## Exit Criteria (cont.) 

- 	Government Specific Course II

- 8-

- Exit Criteria (cont.)

- Exit criteria are program/project-specific accomplishments that:

- Can apply within an acquisition phase or at the end of an acquisition phase
- Should be agreed upon by the program/project manager and the PCO as “show stoppers” to track the progress of a project and allow it to proceed further
- Are required at the end of a phase in addition to the minimum required accomplishments for that phase

## Exit Criteria (cont.)

- 	Government Specific Course II

- 8-

- Normally consist of no more than three or four major data points or events
- Normally are selected to track progress in important technical, schedule, or management risk areas
- Serve as gates that, when successfully passed or exited, allow a program to continue with additional activities within a phase or considered for continuation into the next phase

- Exit criteria are program/project-specific accomplishments that:

## Question

- 	Government Specific Course II

- 8-

- What decisions can the PM make about exiting the gate?

## Topic 6 – Review

- 	Government Specific Course II

- 8-

## Learning Objectives

- 	Government Specific Course II

- 8-

- List the different contracting policies that have to do with government acquisitions.
- List the different pre-award policies necessary for solicitation.
- Identify key features in terms of pre-award actions required by acquisition planning.

## Learning Objectives (cont.)

- 	Government Specific Course II

- 8-

- Define the key and complex contract terms and conditions for the solicitation.
- Explain how to plan a process provided by the efforts of the program/project manager and PCO.
- Discuss the teaming of the warranted contracting officer and the program/project manager.

## Learning Objectives (cont.)

- 	Government Specific Course II

- 8-

- Discuss the different forms of contracts.
- State the pre-solicitation options for a contract.
- Define the key features of a comprehensive program/project specification and a statement of work.