§3306. Planning and solicitation requirements
(a)
(1)
(A) specify its needs and solicit bids or proposals in a manner designed to achieve full and open competition for the procurement;
(B) use advance procurement planning and market research; and
(C) develop specifications in the manner necessary to obtain full and open competition with due regard to the nature of the property or services to be acquired.
(2)
(A) consistent with this division, permit full and open competition; and
(B) include restrictive provisions or conditions only to the extent necessary to satisfy the needs of the executive agency or as authorized by law.
(3)
(A) function, so that a variety of products or services may qualify;
(B) performance, including specifications of the range of acceptable characteristics or of the minimum acceptable standards; or
(C) design requirements.
(b)
(1) a statement of-
(A) all significant factors and significant subfactors that the executive agency reasonably expects to consider in evaluating sealed bids (including price) or competitive proposals (including cost or price, cost-related or price-related factors and subfactors, and noncost-related or nonprice-related factors and subfactors); and
(B) the relative importance assigned to each of those factors and subfactors; and
(2)(A) in the case of sealed bids-
(i) a statement that sealed bids will be evaluated without discussions with the bidders; and
(ii) the time and place for the opening of the sealed bids; or
(B) in the case of competitive proposals-
(i) either a statement that the proposals are intended to be evaluated with, and the award made after, discussions with the offerors, or a statement that the proposals are intended to be evaluated, and the award made, without discussions with the offerors (other than discussions conducted for the purpose of minor clarification) unless discussions are determined to be necessary; and
(ii) the time and place for submission of proposals.
(c)
(1)
(A) establish clearly the relative importance assigned to the evaluation factors and subfactors, including the quality of the product or services to be provided (including technical capability, management capability, prior experience, and past performance of the offeror);
(B) except as provided in paragraph (3), include cost or price to the Federal Government as an evaluation factor that must be considered in the evaluation of proposals; and
(C) except as provided in paragraph (3), disclose to offerors whether all evaluation factors other than cost or price, when combined, are-
(i) significantly more important than cost or price;
(ii) approximately equal in importance to cost or price; or
(iii) significantly less important than cost or price.
(2)
(3)
(A) the contracting officer need not consider price as an evaluation factor for contract award; and
(B) if, pursuant to subparagraph (A), price is not considered as an evaluation factor for contract award, cost or price to the Federal Government shall be considered in conjunction with the issuance pursuant to sections 4106(c) and 152(3) of this title of any task or delivery order under any contract resulting from the solicitation.
(4)
(A) is determined to be a responsible source;
(B) submits a proposal that conforms to the requirements of the solicitation;
(C) meets all technical requirements; and
(D) is otherwise eligible for award.
(d)
(1) providing additional information in a solicitation, including numeric weights for all evaluation factors and subfactors on a case-by-case basis; or
(2) stating in a solicitation that award will be made to the offeror that meets the solicitation's mandatory requirements at the lowest cost or price.
(e)
(f)
(1)
(2)
(3)
(A) render an offeror ineligible to enter into a contract on the basis of the inclusion of a plan of the offeror to allow the offeror's employees to telecommute, unless the contracting officer concerned first determines that the requirements of the agency, including security requirements, cannot be met if telecommuting is allowed and documents in writing the basis for the determination; or
(B) reduce the scoring of an offer on the basis of the inclusion in the offer of a plan of the offeror to allow the offeror's employees to telecommute, unless the contracting officer concerned first determines that the requirements of the agency, including security requirements, would be adversely impacted if telecommuting is allowed and documents in writing the basis for the determination.
(
Revised Section | Source (U.S. Code) | Source (Statutes at Large) |
---|---|---|
3306(a)–(e) | 41:253a. | June 30, 1949, ch. 288, title III, §303A, as added
|
3306(f) | 41:253a note. |
|
In subsection (f)(2), the words "Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council shall amend" are omitted as obsolete.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2018-Subsec. (b).
Subsec. (c)(1)(B), (C).
Subsec. (c)(3), (4).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date of 2018 Amendment
Amendment by section 836(b)(9) of