Source Selection Training ACC Integrated Source Selection Training Organization, Roles, and Responsibilities Instructor: Name S3COE ACC-XXX Module 3

Organization, Roles and Responsibilities Regulations, Procedures, Authorities and Concepts Organization, Roles and Responsibilities Ethics and Procurement Integrity Acquisition Planning LPTA Best Value Approach Developing the RFP and SSP Peer Review Process Conducting the Evaluation Competitive Range and Discussions Documenting the Source Selection Decision Notifications Debriefings Managing Protest Issues Learning Objectives Students will gain a knowledge and understanding of: Why the acquisition team is important Who is on the source selection team What are the roles and responsibilities of the: > SSA > PCO > SSAC > SSEB > Non-Government Advisors > Program Management/ Requirements Office

The Acquisition Team

Building The Acquisition Team Make the up-front investment in the team! Involve personnel who understand what works well on the existing contract(s) The team should be made up of an integrated, multi- functional personnel effort that covers the full breadth of the acquisition process from establishing the requirements through contract award Identify stakeholders that are impacted by the outcomes of the effort – they have “skin in the game” Not all participants will be fully engaged at all phases

Get The Right People On The Bus! The key to a successful source selection is selecting personnel with the requisite acquisition skills, experience and training necessary to execute the source selection and ensure the highest level of team membership consistency for the duration of the selection process. Make sure you have a driver of the bus.

Acquisition Team Members Contracting DCMA/DCAA Property Administration*** Program Management Technical and End-User Organizations Budget/Logistics/IT Office of Counsel Small Business Cost/Pricing Advisors (Government and Non-Government) Direct and Indirect Stakeholders Have class provide examples of direct/indirect stakeholders.

ACC-RSA Property Administrators The following individuals are GS-1103 Property Administrators within the ACC-RSA who can assist Contracting Personnel in preparing solicitations and contract documents. Ronald Dugger ronald.dugger.civ@mail.mil (256) 955-5969 John Marsh john.r.marsh1.civ@mail.mil (256) 955-5862 Have class provide examples of direct/indirect stakeholders.

A Successful Acquisition Team Has buy-in and support from Senior Leadership Establishes ground rules to include communication plan Documents major decisions throughout the process Makes the acquisition a workload priority Every member is fully accountable for their part of the process and supports others as needed Consistent team membership throughout the process Members willing to lead or follow as needed The communication Plan will keep stakeholders and others informed of the status and direction of what you are doing. Create a project library to maintain your knowledge base.

The Role of Industry Engage and communicate with industry early and often Request for Information (RFIs) One-on-Ones Comments to DRAFT RFPs Questions and answers on released RFPs *Industry is a stakeholder in the process

Source Selection Team

Components Of The SST Source Selection Team (SST) Model Source Selection Authority (SSA) Source Selection Advisory Council (SSAC) Source Selection Evaluation Board (SSEB) Advisors and Others Selects/Total Responsibility Compares/Supports SSA Evaluates/Supports SSA

Personnel Considerations Order of preference for source selection expertise: Look within own organization for expertise Identify and appoint Government personnel outside own organization with the requisite expertise Identify junior personnel to grow expertise and experience in source selection by allowing them to participate on non-technical factors If expertise does not exist then move acquisition elsewhere Consider establishing and/or hiring, on an ad hoc basis, qualified retired annuitants to supplement source selection teams Establish an advance pool of experts to supplement on an ad hoc and rotational basis Hire contractor experts to augment the SSEB assuring there is no organizational conflict of interest (least preferred)

Formal vs. Informal Source Selection process may be “formal” or “informal” Formal source selection: > $100 M Can be used for complex acquisitions below $100M Source Selection Authority (SSA) other than the Contracting Officer Requires use of a Source Selection Advisory Council (SSAC) Informal source selection: Generally less complex Not less “structured” SSA is generally the Contracting Officer, or whomever has the authority to sign the POM/PNM per the ACC-RSA SOP Formal: when SSA is other than the Contracting Officer. Explain Structured approach!! Both informal and informal needs a structured approach. Don’t let the term “informal” fool you!!

Typical SST >$100M Formal (Complex) SSA *SSAC Not Required For LPTA SSEB SSA Contracting Officer (Business Advisor) Other Advisors (e.g., Legal Counsel, SB Advisor, Technical Experts) SSAC Chairperson Technical Factor Team Evaluates Technical Requirements/Risk Cost/Price Factor Team Evaluates Cost/Price Past Performance Factor Team Evaluates Past Performance SB Participation Team Evaluates Small Business Participation *SSAC Not Required For LPTA

Typical SST <$100M Informal (Non-Complex) SSEB SSA = Contracting Officer Other Advisors (e.g., Legal Counsel, SB Advisor, Technical Experts) Chairperson Technical Factor Team Evaluates Technical Requirements/Risk Cost/Price Factor Team Evaluates Cost/Price Past Performance Factor Team Evaluates Past Performance SB Participation Team Evaluates Small Business Participation *All Factors evaluated may not use separate teams Good question to ask the class: Is it inappropriate to have a SSAC under $100M? Let team discuss when it could be appropriate.

The Source Selection Authority (SSA) For acquisitions <$100M, the Contracting Officer is usually the SSA unless the agency head delegates this authority to another individual for a particular acquisition or group of acquisitions. As of 2/11/15, the PARC is Rebecca E Weirick, the DASA(P) is Harry Hallock and the ASA(ALT) is Heidi Shyu. For acquisitions ≥ $100M, the SSA is appointed by the PARC, DASA(P) or ASA(ALT) and is other than the PCO.

The SSA’s Identity is Procurement Sensitive The identity of the SSA shall be considered procurement sensitive until contract award and shall not be disclosed to anyone who has not signed a non-disclosure agreement for that procurement. Recommend bringing up that the AFARS states that the SSA should be in the contracting chain. IAW AS3 Roles and Responsibilities (1.4)

SSA Responsibilities Right experience Training Team Consistency Security Safety Conflict of Interest Proper conduct of the process Appoint SSEB Chair and SSAC Ensure milestones are realistic Are discussions needed Make the source selection decision Document the rationale in the Source Selection Decision Document If discussions are necessary, SSA will approve the Competitive Range Determination SSEB Chair will then appoint the SSEB members …and kept!!!

The Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) In source selections greater than or equal to $100M, the PCO serves as the business advisor and principal guidance source for the entire Source Selection. The PCO also serves as the focal point for inquiries from industry, controls all exchanges with Offerors, and executes the contract award.

PCO Responsibilities Serve as Business Advisor to SSEB Prepare/staff Documents for and maintain the official contract file Safeguard SSI and Offeror Proposal Information Single Point of Contact for Industry Keep the SSAC/SSA informed Advise/Assist the SSA Assist SSEB Chair to ensure the evaluation is conducted IAW the stated evaluation criteria Brief as requested Respond to questions Use of non- Government personnel SSA approval of SSP Competitive Range Determination Non-disclosure statements Questions Exchanges with Offerors Chair Debriefings

The Source Selection Advisory Council (SSAC) Establishment and Role The SSA will establish the SSAC to gain access to functional area expertise to provide required support throughout the source selection process The SSAC is composed of a Chairperson and Members; membership should represent the specific functional areas from which the SSA may require expertise; typically senior Government personnel including a person from the cognizant Contracting Office. When established, it will provide oversight to the SSEB The SSAC is required at a dollar value of ≥ $100M and optional for lesser values. SSAC is not required for LPTA

SSAC Responsibilities SSAC Chair appoints SSAC members with SSA’s approval Review the evaluation results of the SSEB to ensure the evaluation process follows the evaluation criteria and the ratings are appropriately and consistently applied Before the PCO issues the request for Final Proposal Revisions, meet with the SSA to determine if meaningful discussions with Offerors have been concluded Provide a written comparative analysis and award recommendation to the SSA Review the Source Selection Decision Document (SSDD) for the SSA’s signature, if requested by the SSA

The Source Selection Evaluation Board The SSEB will consist of a Chairperson and Evaluators and should be organized into functional teams corresponding to the specific evaluation criteria or factors (e.g., Technical, Past Performance, Small Business Participation, and Cost/Price). In those instances a functional team lead or “Factor Chair” may be utilized to consolidate the evaluation findings of the team and serve as the primary team representative to the SSEB Chair. Use of non-Government personnel as voting members of the SSEB is prohibited. (See FAR 7.503(c)(12)(ii), FAR 37.201 and FAR 37.204)

SSEB Duties Take Priority Over Other Work Government personnel assigned to the SSEB shall consider this duty as their primary responsibility. Their source selection assignment shall take priority over other work assignments. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that other work assignments do not adversely impact the source selection process.

SSEB Chairperson Responsibilities Be responsible for the overall management of the SSEB and act as the SSEB’s interface to the SSAC (if utilized) and the SSA Establish functional evaluation teams and appoint chairpersons and members to those teams, subject to the approval of the SSA Ensure members of the SSEB are trained and knowledgeable on how an evaluation is conducted prior to reviewing any proposals Ensure the skills of the personnel, the available resources, and time assigned are commensurate with the complexity of the acquisition

More SSEB Chairperson Responsibilities Responsible for the conduct of a comprehensive and integrated evaluation of competitive proposals in an impartial and equitable manner Ensure the evaluation process follows the evaluation criteria and ratings are being consistently applied Review all aspects of proposals and fully participate in all ratings and ensure preparation by the SSEB of narrative support substantiating evaluation ratings Provide consolidated evaluation results to the SSA or the SSAC, as required Support all post award activities such as debriefings and reviews/meetings as required

Still More SSEB Chairperson Responsibilities Be responsible for the overall management of the SSEB and act as the SSEB’s interface to the SSAC (if utilized) and the SSA Require the assigned members’ attendance at the meetings and conferences of the board and assign work necessary for the accomplishment of the mission Relieve and replace members from assignment only in the event of a demonstrated emergency or other appropriate cause Arrange for the needed administrative staff at the work site Arrange for members to work overtime, when necessary, authorized, and approved Establish the agenda and the schedule for SSEB meetings

SSEB Member Responsibilities Conduct a comprehensive review and evaluation of proposals against the solicitation requirements and the approved evaluation criteria Ensure the evaluation is based solely on the evaluation criteria outlined in the solicitation Assist the SSEB Chairperson in documenting the SSEB evaluation results Support all post award activities such as debriefings and reviews/meetings as required Prepare the necessary evaluation notices (ENs)

What the SSEB WILL NOT DO Neither the SSEB Chairperson nor the SSEB members shall perform comparative analysis of proposals or make source selection recommendations unless requested by the SSA.

The Role of Advisors in Source Selection

Use of Government Advisors When an SSAC is not used, consider using advisors to assist the SSA. These advisors can provide expertise within specific functional areas, similar to the involvement of the SSAC, but need not provide formal written comparative analysis required of an SSAC. They may also be used to provide assistance to the SSEB as Subject Matter Experts.

Use of Non-Government Advisors May be authorized but should be minimized Must be supported by a written determination approved by the PARC based on FAR 37.203, FAR 37.204 and AFARS 5137.204 Must submit non-disclosure agreement and financial holdings as required of Government employees Non-Government SSEB Advisors are non-voting Should only be exposed to specified portions of proposal where review input is required Want to discuss the AS3 requirement here as well.

What Non-Government Advisors May/May Not Do, or, what does non-voting mean? May provide input regarding evaluation but may not determine ratings or rankings of Offerors’ proposals May not participate in the review and evaluation of past performance - Disclosure of past performance information is strictly prohibited *See FAR 42.1503

Program Management/Requirements Office Roles and Responsibilities Ensure technical requirements are approved and stable Allocate necessary resources Assist in establishing the SSEB Assist in development of the evaluation criteria Consistent with the technical requirements Develop PWS/SOO or SOW To include serving as an advisor and/or SSEB member as necessary Personnel Funding Facilities

Here’s Your Pop Quiz

Question #1 Who are the stakeholders on the bus? Acquisition Team KO Advisors Contracting Property Admin Technical/End User Legal Program Mgmt Cost/Pricing DCMA/DCAA Budget/Logistics/IT Small Business Acquisition Team

Question #2— For acquisitions ≥ $100M, who is the source selection authority and how are they appointed? Other than the PCO Appointed by the Principal Assistant Responsible for Contracting (PARC) – up to $500M Over $500M – Appointed by DASA(P) ACAT I Programs- Appointed by the AAE

Question #3— What is the difference between the SSEB and the SSAC? The SSEB’s primary role is to conduct a comprehensive review and evaluation of proposals against the solicitation requirements and the approved evaluation criteria The SSAC’s primary role is to provide a written comparative analysis and award recommendation to the SSA.

Discussion #4— Explain the role of advisors (Government and non-government) in the source selection process. Provide assistance to the SSEB as subject matter experts (within specific functional areas) Non-Government advisors are non-voting members Non-Government advisors may not participate in the review and evaluation of past performance