Source: https://myfar.io/subpart/14.2/14.203-3
Timestamp: 2019-09-20 16:17:17
Document Index: 793272480

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 11', 'art 25', 'art 5', 'art 5', 'art 9', 'art 7']

14.2 Solicitation of Bids - myFAR
14.2 Solicitation of Bids
(c) Solicitations to which the uniform contract format applies shall include Parts I, II, III, and IV. If any section of the uniform contract format does not apply, the contracting officer should so mark that section in the solicitation. Upon award, the contracting officer shall not physically include Part IV in the resulting contract, but shall retain it in the contract file. (See 14.201(c).) Award by acceptance of a bid on the award portion of Standard Form 33, Solicitation, Offer and Award (SF 33), Standard Form 26, Award/Contract (SF 26), or Standard Form 1447, Solicitation/Contract (SF 1447), incorporates Section K, Representations, certifications, and other statements of bidders, in the resultant contract even though not physically attached. The representations and certifications shall be incorporated by reference in the contract by using 52.204-19 (see 4.1202(b)) or for acquisitions of commercial items see 52.212-4(v).
Table 14-1.Uniform Contract Format
Supplies or services and prices
List of documents, exhibits, and other attachments
Representations, certifications, and other statements of bidders
Instructions, conditions, and notices to bidders
14.201-2 Part I.The Schedule.
(1) Prepare the invitation for bids on SF 33, unless otherwise permitted by this regulation. The SF 33 is the first page of the solicitation and includes Section A of the uniform contract format. When the SF 1447 is used as the solicitation document, the information in subdivisions (a)(2)(i) and (a)(2)(iv) of this subsection shall be inserted in block 9 of the SF 1447.
(b) Section B, Supplies or services and prices. Include a brief description of the supplies or services; e.g., line item number, national stock number/part number if applicable, title or name identifying the supplies or services, and quantities (see Part 11). The SF 33 and the SF 1447 may be supplemented as necessary by the Optional Form 336 (OF 336), Continuation Sheet (53.302-336).
14.201-3 Part II.Contract clauses.
14.201-4 Part III.Documents, exhibits, and other attachments.
14.201-5 Part IV.Representations and instructions.
(b) Insert in all invitations for bids the provisions at.
(1) 52.214-3, Amendments to Invitations For Bids; and
(2) 52.214-4, False Statements in Bids.
(3) 52.214-7, Late Submissions, Modifications, and Withdrawals of Bids.
(e) Insert in all invitations for bids, except those for construction, the provisions at 52.214-10, Contract Award.Sealed Bidding.
(h) Insert the provision at 52.214-14, Place of Performance.Sealed Bidding, in invitations for bids except those in which the place of performance is specified by the government.
(i) Insert the provision at 52.214-15, Period for Acceptance of Bids, in invitations for bids (IFB’s) that are not issued on SF 33 or SF 1447 except IFB’s.
(1) For construction work; or
(2) In which the government specifies a minimum acceptance period.
(l) Insert the provision at 52.214-18, Preparation of Bids.Construction, in invitations for bids for construction work.
(m) Insert the provision at 52.214-19, Contract Award.Sealed Bidding.Construction, in all invitations for bids for construction work.
(o)(1) Insert the provision at 52.214-20, Bid Samples, in invitations for bids if bid samples are required.
(2) If it appears that the conditions in 14.202-4(e)(1) will apply and the contracting officer anticipates granting waivers and.
(p)(1) Insert the provision at 52.214-21, Descriptive Literature, in invitations for bids if.
(i) Descriptive literature is required to evaluate the technical acceptability of an offered product; and
(ii) The required information will not be readily available unless it is submitted by bidders.
(a) When contracting by sealed bidding, the contracting officer shall insert the clause at 52.214-26, Audit and Records.Sealed Bidding, in solicitations and contracts as follows:
(1) Use the basic clause if.
(i) The acquisition will not use funds appropriated or otherwise made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-5); and
(ii) The contract amount is expected to exceed the threshold at 15.403-4(a)(1) for submission of certified cost or pricing data.
(2)(i) If the acquisition will use funds appropriated or otherwise made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, use the clause with its Alternate I in all solicitations and contracts.
(b)(1) When contracting by sealed bidding, the contracting officer shall insert the clause at 52.214-27, Price Reduction for Defective Certified Cost or Pricing Data.Modifications.Sealed Bidding, in solicitations and contracts if the contract amount is expected to exceed the threshold for submission of certified cost or pricing data at 15.403-4(a)(1).
(c)(1) When contracting by sealed bidding, the contracting officer shall insert the clause at 52.214-28, Subcontractor Certified Cost or Pricing Data.Modifications.Sealed Bidding, in solicitations and contracts if the contract amount is expected to exceed the threshold for submission of certified cost or pricing data at 15.403-4(a)(1).
(d) When contracting by sealed bidding the contracting officer shall insert the clause at 52.214-29, Order of Precedence.Sealed Bidding, in solicitations and contracts to which the uniform contract format applies.
(e) Origin of supplies, and, if foreign, the application of the Buy American statute or any other prohibition on foreign purchases (see Part 25).
(b) Contract schedule. Include the following for each line item:
(1) Line item number.
(3) Evaluation factors for award. Insert all evaluation factors and any significant subfactors for award.
(4) Upon award, the contracting officer need not physically include the provisions in paragraphs (e)(1), (2), and (3) of this subsection in the resulting contract, but shall retain them in the contract file. Award by acceptance of a bid on the award portion of SF 1447 incorporates the representations, certifications, and other statements of bidders in the resultant contract even though not physically attached.
(a) Policy. A reasonable time for prospective bidders to prepare and submit bids shall be allowed in all invitations, consistent with the needs of the Government. (For construction contracts, see 36.213-3(a).) A bidding time (i.e., the time between issuance of the solicitation and opening of bids) of at least 30 calendar days shall be provided, when synopsis is required by Subpart 5.2.
(b) Factors to be considered. Because of unduly limited bidding time, some potential sources may be precluded from bidding and others may be forced to include amounts for contingencies that, with additional time, could be eliminated. To avoid unduly restricting competition or paying higher-than-necessary prices, consideration shall be given to such factors as the following in establishing a reasonable bidding time:
(1) Degree of urgency;
(2) Complexity of requirement;
(3) Anticipated extent of subcontracting;
(4) Whether use was made of presolicitation notices;
(5) Geographic distribution of bidders; and
(6) Normal transmittal time for both invitations and bids.
14.202-2 Reserved.
14.202-3 Bid envelopes.
(a) Postage or envelopes bearing “Postage and Fees Paid” indicia shall not be distributed with the invitation for bids or otherwise supplied to prospective bidders.
(b) To provide for ready identification and proper handling of bids, Optional Form 17, Offer Label, may be furnished with each bid set. The form may be obtained from the General Services Administration (see 53.107).
14.202-4 Bid samples.
(1) Bidders shall not be required to furnish bid samples unless there are characteristics of the product that cannot be described adequately in the specification or purchase description.
(2) Bid samples will be used only to determine the responsiveness of the bid and will not be used to determine a bidder’s ability to produce the required items.
(3) Bid samples may be examined for any required characteristic, whether or not such characteristic is adequately described in the specification, if listed in accordance with paragraph (d)(1)(ii) of this section.
(4) Bids will be rejected as nonresponsive if the sample fails to conform to each of the characteristics listed in the invitation.
(b) When to use. The use of bid samples would be appropriate for products that must be suitable from the standpoint of balance, facility of use, general “feel,” color, pattern, or other characteristics that cannot be described adequately in the specification. However, when more than a minor portion of the characteristics of the product cannot be adequately described in the specification, products should be acquired by two-step sealed bidding or negotiation, as appropriate.
(c) Justification. The reasons why acceptable products cannot be acquired without the submission of bid samples shall be set forth in the contract file, except where the submission is required by the formal specifications (Federal, Military, or other) applicable to the acquisition.
(d) Requirements for samples in invitations for bids.
(1) Invitations for bids shall.
(2) If bid samples are required, see 14.201-6(o).
(e) Waiver of requirement for bid samples.
(1) The requirement for furnishing bid samples may be waived when a bidder offers a product previously or currently being contracted for or tested by the Government and found to comply with specification requirements conforming in every material respect with those in the current invitation for bids. When the requirement may be waived, see 14.201-6(o)(2).
(2) Where samples required by a Federal, Military, or other formal specification are not considered necessary and a waiver of the sample requirements of the specification has been authorized, a statement shall be included in the invitation that notwithstanding the requirements of the specification, samples will not be required.
(f) Unsolicited samples. Bid samples furnished with a bid that are not required by the invitation generally will not be considered as qualifying the bid and will be disregarded. However, the bid sample will not be disregarded if it is clear from the bid or accompanying papers that the bidder’s intention was to qualify the bid. (See 14.404-2(d) if the qualification does not conform to the solicitation.)
(1) Samples that are not destroyed in testing shall be returned to bidders at their request and expense, unless otherwise specified in the invitation.
14.202-5 Descriptive literature.
(a) Policy. Contracting officers must not require bidders to furnish descriptive literature unless it is needed before award to determine whether the products offered meet the specification and to establish exactly what the bidder proposes to furnish.
(b) Justification. The contracting officer must document in the contract file the reasons why product acceptability cannot be determined without the submission of descriptive literature, except when the contract specifications require submission.
(c) Requirements of invitation for bids.
(1) The invitation must clearly state.
(i) What descriptive literature the bidders must furnish;
(ii) The purpose for requiring the literature;
(iii) The extent of its consideration in the evaluation of bids; and
(iv) The rules that will apply if a bidder fails to furnish the literature before bid opening or if the literature provided does not comply with the requirements of the invitation.
(2) If bidders must furnish descriptive literature, see 14.201-6(p).
(d) Waiver of requirement for descriptive literature.
(1) The contracting officer may waive the requirement for descriptive literature if.
(ii) The contracting officer determines that the product offered by the bidder complies with the specification requirements of the current invitation for bids. When the contracting officer waives the requirement, see 14.201-6(p)(2).
(2) When descriptive literature is not necessary and a waiver of literature requirements of a specification has been authorized, the contracting officer must include a statement in the invitation that, despite the requirements of the specifications, descriptive literature will not be required.
(3) If the solicitation provides for a waiver, a bidder may submit a bid on the basis of either the descriptive literature furnished with the bid or a previously furnished product. If the bid is submitted on one basis, the bidder may not have it considered on the other basis after bids are opened.
(e) Unsolicited descriptive literature. If descriptive literature is furnished when it is not required by the invitation for bids, the procedures set forth in 14.202-4(f) must be followed.
14.202-6 Final review of invitations for bids.
Each invitation for bids shall be thoroughly reviewed before issuance to detect and correct discrepancies or ambiguities that could limit competition or result in the receipt of nonresponsive bids. Contracting officers are responsible for the reviews.
(a) Unless prohibited or otherwise restricted by agency procedures, contracting officers may authorize facsimile bids (see 14.201-6(v)). In determining whether or not to authorize facsimile bids, the contracting officer shall consider factors such as.
14.203 Methods of soliciting bids.
14.203-1 Transmittal to prospective bidders.
Invitations for bids or presolicitation notices must be provided in accordance with 5.102. When a contracting office is located in the United States, any solicitation sent to a prospective bidder located outside the United States shall be sent by electronic data interchange or air mail if security classification permits.
14.203-2 Dissemination of information concerning invitations for bids.
Procedures concerning display of invitations for bids in a public place, information releases to newspapers and trade journals, paid advertisements, and synopsizing through the Governmentwide point of entry (GPE) are set forth in 5.101 and Subpart 5.2.
14.203-3 Master solicitation.
The master solicitation is provided to potential sources who are requested to retain it for continued and repetitive use. Individual solicitations must reference the date of the current master solicitation and identify any changes. The contracting officer must.
(a) Make available copies of the master solicitation on request; and
(b) Provide the cognizant contract administration activity a current copy of the master solicitation.
14.204 Records of invitations for bids and records of bids.
(a) Each contracting office shall retain a record of each invitation that it issues and each abstract or record of bids. Contracting officers shall review and utilize the information available in connection with subsequent acquisitions of the same or similar items.
(b) The file for each invitation shall show the distribution that was made and the date the invitation was issued. The names and addresses of prospective bidders who requested the invitation and were not included on the original solicitation list shall be added to the list and made a part of the record.
14.205 Presolicitation notices.
In lieu of initially forwarding complete bid sets, the contracting officer may send presolicitation notices to concerns. The notice shall.
(a) Specify the final date for receipt of requests for a complete bid set;
(b) Briefly describe the requirement and furnish other essential information to enable concerns to determine whether they have an interest in the invitation; and
(c) Normally not include drawings, plans, and specifications. The return date of the notice must be sufficiently in advance of the mailing date of the invitation for bids to permit an accurate estimate of the number of bid sets required. Bid sets shall be sent to concerns that request them in response to the notice.
14.206 [Reserved]
14.207 Pre-bid conference.
A pre-bid conference may be used, generally in a complex acquisition, as a means of briefing prospective bidders and explaining complicated specifications and requirements to them as early as possible after the invitation has been issued and before the bids are opened. It shall never be used as a substitute for amending a defective or ambiguous invitation. The conference shall be conducted in accordance with the procedure prescribed in 15.201.
14.208 Amendment of invitation for bids.
(a) If it becomes necessary to make changes in quantity, specifications, delivery schedules, opening dates, etc., or to correct a defective or ambiguous invitation, such changes shall be accomplished by amendment of the invitation for bids using Standard Form 30, Amendment of Solicitation/ Modification of Contract. The fact that a change was mentioned at a pre-bid conference does not relieve the necessity for issuing an amendment. Amendments shall be sent, before the time for bid opening, to everyone to whom invitations have been furnished and shall be displayed in the bid room.
(b) Before amending an invitation for bids, the contracting officer shall consider the period of time remaining until bid opening and the need to extend this period.
(c) Any information given to a prospective bidder concerning an invitation for bids shall be furnished promptly to all other prospective bidders as an amendment to the invitation (1) if such information is necessary for bidders to submit bids or (2) if the lack of such information would be prejudicial to uninformed bidders. The information shall be furnished even though a pre-bid conference is held. No award shall be made on the invitation unless such amendment has been issued in sufficient time to permit all prospective bidders to consider such information in submitting or modifying their bids.
14.209 Cancellation of invitations before opening.
(a) The cancellation of an invitation for bids usually involves a loss of time, effort, and money spent by the Government and bidders. Invitations should not be cancelled unless cancellation is clearly in the public interest; e.g.,
(1) Where there is no longer a requirement for the supplies or services; or
(2) Where amendments to the invitation would be of such magnitude that a new invitation is desirable.
(b) When an invitation issued other than electronically is cancelled, bids that have been received shall be returned unopened to the bidders and notice of cancellation shall be sent to all prospective bidders to whom invitations were issued. When an invitation issued electronically is cancelled, a general notice of cancellation shall be posted electronically, the bids received shall not be viewed, and the bids shall be purged from primary and backup data storage systems.
(c) The notice of cancellation shall.(1) identify the invitation for bids by number and short title or subject matter, (2) briefly explain the reason the invitation is being cancelled, and (3) where appropriate, assure prospective bidders that they will be given an opportunity to bid on any resolicitation of bids or any future requirements for the type of supplies or services involved. Cancellations shall be recorded in accordance with 14.403(d).
14.210 Qualified products.
(See Subpart 9.2.)
14.211 Release of acquisition information.
(a) Before solicitation. Information concerning proposed acquisitions shall not be released outside the Government before solicitation except for presolicitation notices in accordance with 14.205 or 36.213-2, or long-range acquisition estimates in accordance with 5.404, or synopses in accordance with 5.201. Within the Government, such information shall be restricted to those having a legitimate interest. Releases of information shall be made (1) to all prospective bidders, and (2) as nearly as possible at the same time, so that one prospective bidder shall not be given unfair advantage over another. See 3.104 regarding requirements for proprietary and source selection information including access to and disclosure thereof.
(b) After solicitation. Discussions with prospective bidders regarding a solicitation shall be conducted and technical or other information shall be transmitted only by the contracting officer or superiors having contractual authority or by others specifically authorized. Such personnel shall not furnish any information to a prospective bidder that alone or together with other information may afford an advantage over others. However, general information that would not be prejudicial to other prospective bidders may be furnished upon request; e.g., explanation of a particular contract clause or a particular condition of the schedule in the invitation for bids, and more specific information or clarifications may be furnished by amending the solicitation (see 14.208).
14.212 Economic purchase quantities (supplies).
Contracting officers shall comply with the economic purchase quantity planning requirements for supplies in Subpart 7.2. See 7.203 for instructions regarding use of the provision at 52.207-4, Economic Purchase Quantity.Supplies, and 7.204 for guidance on handling responses to that provision.