CHAPTER 6 THE ACQUISITION PLAN AND SOURCE SELECTION PLAN

FAR Part 7 requires that planning take place for all procurements and provides a format for written acquisition plans. Agency regulations, in turn, stipulate the size and character of procurements that require a written acquisition plan. For example, one agency may require written plans for all procurements in excess of $1 million, while another agency may establish only $100,000 as the threshold for a written plan.

The FAR also requires that the head of the agency (or a designee) designate planners for acquisition. As a practical matter, planning normally begins with the identification of a requirement and the assignment of program responsibility to a specific program official. That program official must—in view of the matters that have to be addressed—quickly enlist the participation of a contracting officer.

The acquisition plan format prescribed in FAR 7.105 provides that the acquisition team address a significant number of issues, including some that pertain especially to source selection. For example, one part of the plan is devoted exclusively to source selection procedures, while other parts, such as the treatment of contract cost and the consideration of streamlining techniques, also pertain to source selection matters. An outline of the FAR-prescribed format for the acquisition plan is shown in Exhibit 6-1.

THE ACQUISITION TEAM

Planning for an acquisition is the joint responsibility of all members of the acquisition team and should begin as soon as a requirement (a government need) is identified. FAR 1.102 states that an acquisition team consists of “all participants in Government acquisition[,] including not only representatives of the technical, supply, and procurement communities[,] but also the customers they serve, and the contractors who provide the products and services.” In some agencies, the government multidisciplinary team that is established to guide a requirement through the source selection process is known as an integrated product team (IPT).

Note that FAR 1.102 includes contractors as a part of the team. It recognizes that the government should have input from the private sector if it is to be a smart buyer.

FAR Part 1 goes on to state that the role of each acquisition team member is to exercise “personal initiative” and “sound business judgment” in providing the best value to the customer. It further makes it clear at FAR 1.102(d) that acquisition planners have a great deal of discretion by providing that any acquisition strategy that is not prohibited by law (including case law), regulation, or executive order is a permissible exercise of authority. This discretion permits and encourages the use of creative acquisition techniques, including techniques designed to streamline the acquisition process.

The FAR also makes it abundantly clear that contractor participation should not be limited to simply proposal preparation and contract performance. In FAR Part 15—which deals principally with LPTA and tradeoff acquisition—officials are encouraged to “exchange information among all interested parties from the identification of a requirement.” Those “interested parties” include potential offerors (contractors), government contracting and program personnel, and end users (FAR 15.201).

THE SOURCE SELECTION STRATEGY

Both FAR and agency regulations require that acquisition planning address the source selection strategy. Most often, agencies create a separate document known as the source selection plan (SSP), which formalizes the strategy. The SSP may be referenced in, repeated in, or attached to the acquisition plan. See Exhibit 6-2 for a sample SSP from the Department of the Army Contracting Center for Excellence.

Typically, an SSP will address such matters as:

• The assignment of source selection authority

• The process to be used—LPTA or tradeoff

• Evaluation factors and any significant subfactors

• The relative importance of the factors and subfactors (for tradeoff)

• Socioeconomic considerations, such as the use of small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, and women-owned businesses

• The source selection organization and the people or types of people who will act as evaluators or advisors

• The information that will be required in proposals and the manner in which the information is to be conveyed by competing contractors

• Any special considerations—for example, whether multiphase selection or streamlining techniques will be used, licenses will be needed, or coordination with other agencies will be required

• Schedules and milestones

• Forms to be used, such as evaluation forms and nondisclosure forms.

Each individual agency establishes internal responsibilities for preparing the plan and specifies plan review procedures and approval levels.

As may be seen in Exhibits 6-1 and 6-2, the written acquisition plan provided for in FAR Part 7 includes information required in the SSP plus a great deal more.

CHANGING THE PLAN

In many agencies, there are various levels for review and approval of both acquisition plans and source selection plans. In some cases, obtaining those reviews and approvals can be an exceptionally tedious, bureaucratic process. Thus, there is a tendency to treat an approved plan as if it were written in stone. However, as time progresses, government planners typically learn more and more about market conditions and capabilities. If there is a benefit to be derived from changing a plan, then it should be changed. Sticking with a game plan that calls for long passes doesn’t make much sense when a dense fog has settled over the playing field.

EXHIBIT 6-1 Outline of the Contents of a Written Acquisition Plan (FAR 7.105)

EXHIBIT 6-2 Sample Best Value (Tradeoff) Source Selection Plan