15.102 Oral presentations.

(a) Oral presentations by offerors as requested by the Government may substitute for, or augment,

written information. Use of oral presentations as a substitute for portions of a proposal can be

effective in streamlining the source selection process. Oral presentations may occur at any time in

the acquisition process, and are subject to the same restrictions as written information, regarding

timing (see 15.208) and content (see 15.306). Oral presentations provide an opportunity for dialogue

among the parties. Pre-recorded videotaped presentations that lack real-time interactive dialogue

are not considered oral presentations for the purposes of this section, although they may be included

in offeror submissions, when appropriate.

(b) The solicitation may require each offeror to submit part of its proposal through oral

presentations. However, representations and certifications shall be submitted as required in the FAR

provisions at 52.204-8(d) or 52.212-3(b), and a signed offer sheet (including any exceptions to the

Government’s terms and conditions) shall be submitted in writing.

(c) Information pertaining to areas such as an offeror’s capability, past performance, work plans or

approaches, staffing resources, transition plans, or sample tasks (or other types of tests) may be

suitable for oral presentations. In deciding what information to obtain through an oral presentation,

consider the following:

(1) The Government’s ability to adequately evaluate the information;

(2) The need to incorporate any information into the resultant contract;

(3) The impact on the efficiency of the acquisition; and

(4) The impact (including cost) on small businesses. In considering the costs of oral presentations,

contracting officers should also consider alternatives to on-site oral presentations (e.g.,

teleconferencing, video teleconferencing).

(d) When oral presentations are required, the solicitation shall provide offerors with sufficient

information to prepare them. Accordingly, the solicitation may describe-

(1) The types of information to be presented orally and the associated evaluation factors that will be

used;

(2) The qualifications for personnel that will be required to provide the oral presentation(s);

(3) The requirements for, and any limitations and/or prohibitions on, the use of written material or

other media to supplement the oral presentations;

(4) The location, date, and time for the oral presentations;

(5) The restrictions governing the time permitted for each oral presentation; and

(6) The scope and content of exchanges that may occur between the Government’s participants and

the offeror’s representatives as part of the oral presentations, including whether or not discussions

(see 15.306(d)) will be permitted during oral presentations.

(e) The contracting officer shall maintain a record of oral presentations to document what the
Government relied upon in making the source selection decision. The method and level of detail of

the record (e.g., videotaping, audio tape recording, written record, Government notes, copies of

offeror briefing slides or presentation notes) shall be at the discretion of the source selection

authority. A copy of the record placed in the file may be provided to the offeror.

(f) When an oral presentation includes information that the parties intend to include in the contract

as material terms or conditions, the information shall be put in writing. Incorporation by reference

of oral statements is not permitted.

(g) If, during an oral presentation, the Government conducts discussions (see 15.306(d)), the

Government must comply with 15.306 and 15.307.

Parent topic: Subpart 15.1 - Source Selection Processes and Techniques