PART 715—CONTRACTING BY

NEGOTIATION

Authority: Sec. 621, Pub. L. 87–195, 75 Stat. 445 (22 U.S.C. 2381) as amended; E.O. 12163, Sept.

29, 1979, 44 FR 56673; 3 CFR, 1979 Comp., p. 435.

Source: 49 FR 13240, Apr. 3, 1984, unless otherwise noted.

Subpart 715.3—Source Selection

715.303 Responsibilities.

715.303-70 Responsibilities of USAID evaluation committees.

715.305 Proposal evaluation.

715.370 Alternative source selection procedures.

715.370-1 Title XII selection procedure—general.

715.370-2 Title XII selection procedure—collaborative assistance.

Subpart 715.70—Partner Vetting

715.70 Partner vetting.

Subpart 715.6—Unsolicited Proposals

715.602 Policy.

715.604 Agency points of contact.

Parent topic: SUBCHAPTER C—CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES

Subpart 715.3—Source Selection

715.303 Responsibilities.

715.303-70 Responsibilities of USAID evaluation committees.

(a) Establishment and composition of USAID evaluation committees. A technical evaluation

committee shall be established for each proposed procurement. In each case, the committee shall be

composed of a chair representing the cognizant technical office, a representative of the contracting

office (who shall be a non-voting member of the committee), and representatives from other

concerned offices as appropriate.

(b) Technical evaluation procedures.
(1) The contracting officer will receive all proposals and provide to the chair a listing and copies of

the technical proposals and instructions for conducting the evaluation.

(2) The chair will promptly call a meeting of the committee to evaluate the proposals received. The

evaluation shall be based on the evaluation factors set forth in the solicitation document.

(3) The chair shall prepare and provide to the contracting officer written documentation

summarizing the results of the evaluation of each proposal, including an assessment of past

performance information in accordance with (48 CFR) FAR 15.305(a)(2). The documentation shall

include narrative justification of the evaluation results.

(4) The contracting officer is responsible for reviewing the documentation justifying the evaluation

results to determine that it is adequate and complete. The contracting officer shall return a

justification determined to be inadequate to the chair for revision.

(5) No member of the USAID evaluation committee shall hold discussions with any offeror before or

during the USAID evaluation committee's proceedings, nor shall any information about the proposals

be provided to anyone not on the committee without first obtaining the contracting officer's consent.

715.305 Proposal evaluation.

(a) [Reserved]

(b) A justification must be written by the contracting officer and placed in the official file to support

the decision to reject all proposals and to cancel the procurement.

(c) The contracting officer may authorize release of proposals outside the Government for

evaluation—

(1) When an Evaluation Assistance Contract (EAC) is required to provide technical advisory or other

services relating to the evaluation of proposals; or

(2) When an individual other than a Government employee, known as a Non-Government Evaluator

(NGE), is selected to serve as a member of a USAID technical evaluation committee.

(3) Prior to releasing the proposals outside the Government, the contracting officer must obtain a

signed and dated agreement from each NGE and EAC employee that they will safeguard the

proposals and information in the proposals and that they perceive no actual or potential conflict of

interests. (An example of such agreement is provided in the ADS).

715.370 Alternative source selection procedures.

The following selection procedures may be used, when appropriate, for activities covered under Title

XII of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended.

715.370-1 Title XII selection procedure—general.

(a) General. The Deputy Administrator has determined, as provided in (48 CFR) AIDAR
706.302–70(b)(3)(ii) that use of this Title XII source selection procedure is necessary so as not to

impair or affect USAID's ability to administer Title XII of the Foreign Assistance Act. This

determination is reflected in (48 CFR) AIDAR 706.302–70(b)(4). This constitutes authority for other

than full and open competition when selecting Title XII institutions to perform Title XII projects.

(b) Scope of subsection. This subsection prescribes policies and procedures for the selection of

institutions eligible under Title XII of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, to perform

activities authorized under Title XII.

(c) Applicability. The provisions of this subsection are applicable when the project office certifies

that the activity is authorized under Title XII, and determines that use of the Title XII selection

procedure is appropriate.

(d) Solicitation, evaluation, and selection procedures.

(1) Competition shall be sought among eligible Title XII institutions to the maximum practicable

extent; this requirement shall be deemed satisfied when a contractor is selected under the

procedures of this subsection.

(2) The project office shall—

(i) Prepare selection criteria for evaluation of eligible institutions for use in preparing the source list,

determining predominantly qualified sources, and selecting the contractor;

(ii) Prepare an initial list of eligible institutions considered qualified to perform the proposed

activity;

(iii) Provide a statement describing qualifications and areas of expertise considered essential, a

statement of work, estimate of personnel requirements, special requirements (logistic support,

Government furnished property, and so forth) for the contracting officer's use in preparing the

request for technical proposal (RFTP).

(iv) Send a memorandum incorporating the certification and determination required by paragraph

(c) of this section, together with the information required by paragraphs (d)(2)(i) through (iii) of this

section, with the “Action” copy of the requisition to the contracting officer, requesting him/her to

prepare and distribute the RFTP.

(3) Upon receipt and acceptance of the project officer's request, the contracting officer shall prepare

the RFTP. The RFTP shall contain sufficient information to enable an offeror to submit a responsive

and complete technical proposal. This includes a definitive statement of work, an estimate of the

personnel required, and special provisions (such as logistic support, Government furnished

equipment, and so forth), a proposed contract format, and evaluation criteria. No cost or pricing

data will be requested or required by the RFTP. The RFTP will be distributed to the eligible

institutions recommended by the project office. The RFTP will be synopsized, as required by (48

CFR) FAR 5.201, and will normally allow a minimum of 60 days for preparation and submission of a

proposal.

(4) Upon receipt of responses to the RFTP by the contracting officer, an evaluation committee will be

established as provided for in 715.303–70.

(5) The evaluation committee will evaluate all proposals in accordance with the criteria set forth in

the RFTP, and will prepare a selection memorandum which shall:
(i) State the evaluation criteria;

(ii) List all of the eligible institutions whose proposals were reviewed;

(iii) Report on the ranking and rationale therefor for all proposals;

(iv) Indicate the eligible institution or institutions considered best qualified.

(6) The evaluation committee will submit the selection memorandum to the contracting officer for

review and approval.

(7) The contracting officer will either approve the selection memorandum, or return it to the

evaluation committee for reconsideration for specified reasons.

(8) If the selection memorandum is approved, the contracting officer shall obtain cost, pricing, and

other necessary data from the recommended institution or institutions and shall conduct

negotiations. If a satisfactory contract cannot be obtained, the contracting officer will so advise the

evaluation committee. The evaluation committee may then recommend an alternate institution or

institutions.

715.370-2 Title XII selection procedure—collaborative assistance.

(a) General. (48 CFR) AIDAR 706.302–70(b)(4) provides authority for other than full and open

competition when selecting Title XII institutions to perform Title XII activities.

(b) Scope of subsection. This subsection prescribes policies and procedures for the selection of

institutions eligible under Title XII of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, to perform

activities authorized under Title XII, where USAID has determined, in accordance with paragraph (c)

of this subsection, that use of the collaborative assistance contracting system is appropriate. See (48

CFR) AIDAR appendix F (of this chapter)—Use of Collaborative Assistance Method for Title XII

Activities for a more complete definition and discussion of the collaborative assistance method.

(c) Determinations. The following findings and determinations must be made prior to initiating any

contract actions under the collaborative assistance method:

(1) The cognizant technical office makes a preliminary finding that an activity:

(i) Is authorized by Title XII; and

(ii) Should be classed as collaborative assistance because a continuing collaborative relationship

between USAID, the host country, and the contractor is required from design through completion of

the activity, and USAID, host country, and contractor participation in a continuing review and

evaluation of the activity is essential for its proper execution.

(2) Based upon this preliminary finding, the cognizant technical office shall establish an evaluation

panel consisting of a representative of the cognizant technical office as chairman, a representative of

the contracting officer, and any other representatives considered appropriate by the chairman to

review the proposed activity for its appropriateness under the collaborative assistance method.

(3) If supported by the panel's findings, the chairman will make a formal written determination that

the collaborative assistance method is the appropriate contracting method for the Title XII activity in

question.
(d) Evaluation and selection.

(1) Competition shall be sought among eligible Title XII institutions to the maximum practicable

extent; this requirement shall be deemed satisfied when a contractor is selected under the

procedures of this section.

(2) The evaluation panel shall:

(i) Prepare evaluation and selection criteria;

(ii) Prepare an initial source list of eligible institutions considered qualified to perform the proposed

project; and

(iii) Evaluate the list, using the evaluation criteria previously determined, for the purpose of making

a written determination of the sources considered most capable of performing the project.

(3) The chairman of the evaluation panel will prepare a memorandum requesting the contracting

officer to prepare a request for expressions of interest from qualified sources and setting forth:

(i) The formal determinations required by paragraph (c) of this section;

(ii) The evaluation criteria which have been determined; and

(iii) The recommended source list and the rationale therefor.

(4) The contracting officer will prepare a request for an expression of interest (REI), containing

sufficient information to permit an offeror to determine its interest in the project, and to discuss the

project with USAID representatives, if appropriate. The REI should include a concise statement of

the purpose of the activity, any special conditions or qualifications considered important, a brief

description of the selection procedure and evaluation criteria which will be used, the proposed

contract format, and any other information considered appropriate. The REI will be issued to the

sources recommended by the panel, and to others, as appropriate; it will be synopsized, as required

by (48 CFR) FAR 5.201, and it will normally allow a minimum of 60 days for preparation of an

expression of interest. Guidelines for preparation of expressions of interest are contained in

attachment 1 to (48 CFR) AIDAR appendix F.

(5) The contracting officer will transmit all expressions of interest to the evaluation panel for

evaluation and selection recommendation. The panel may conduct on site evaluations at its

discretion, as part of the evaluation process.

(6) The chairman of the evaluation panel will prepare a written selection recommendation with

supporting justification, recommending that negotiations be conducted with the prospective

contractor(s) selected by the evaluation panel. The selection recommendation shall be transmitted to

the contracting officer together with the complete official file on the project which was being

maintained by the evaluation panel.

(7) The contracting officer will review the selection recommendation, obtain necessary cost and

other data, and proceed to negotiate with the recommended sources.
Subpart 715.70—Partner Vetting

715.70 Partner vetting.

If an acquisition is identified as subject to vetting, see (48 CFR) AIDAR 704.70 for the applicable

procedures and requirements.

Subpart 715.6—Unsolicited Proposals

715.602 Policy.

Link to an amendment published at 89 FR 4205, Jan. 23, 2024.

(a) USAID encourages the submission of unsolicited proposals which contribute new ideas consistent

with and contributing to the accomplishment of the Agency's objectives. However, the requirements

for contractor resources are normally quite program specific, and thus widely varied, and must be

responsive to host country needs. Further, USAID's projects are usually designed in collaboration

with the cooperating country. These factors can limit both the need for, and USAID's ability to use

unsolicited proposals. Therefore, prospective offerors are encouraged to contact USAID to

determine the Agency's technical and geographical requirements as related to the offeror's interests

before preparing and submitting a formal unsolicited proposal.

(b) USAID's basic policies and procedures regarding unsolicited proposals are those established in

FAR subpart 15.6 and this subpart.

(c) For detailed information on unsolicited proposals including point of contact information see (48

CFR) AIDAR 715.604.

715.604 Agency points of contact.

Link to an amendment published at 89 FR 4206, Jan. 23, 2024.

(a) Information on USAID's policies for unsolicited proposals is available from the U.S. Agency for

International Development, Bureau for Management, Office of Acquisition and Assistance,

Evaluation Division (M/OAA/E), SA–44, Room 858–E, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC

20523 or by email to UnsolicitedProposals@usaid.gov. Initial inquiries and subsequent unsolicited

proposals must be submitted to the address specified above.

(b) The information available includes:

(1) Contact points within USAID;

(2) Definitions;

(3) Information source on USAID objectives and areas of potential interest;

(4) Characteristics of a suitable proposal;
(5) Determination of contractor responsibility;

(6) Organizational conflicts of interest;

(7) Cost sharing; and

(8) Procedures for submission and evaluation of proposals;

(9) Guidance on preferred methods for submitting ideas/concepts to the Government;

(10) Instructions for identifying and marking proprietary information so that it is projected and

restrictive legends conform to (48 CFR) FAR 15.609.