1. Contracting Officer Podcast Slides
Knowledge & Insights From Contracting Officers

2. What is the Source Selection Zone (Zone 4)
Episode 015
What is the Source Selection Zone (Zone 4)
Original Air Date: February 22, 2015
Hosts: Kevin Jans & Paul Schauer

3. Formatting notes
Hyperlinks: Blue font indicates hyperlinks – presentation must be in ‘Slide Show’ mode to activate the link
Red bold font indicates a point of emphasis
Green bold font indicates CO’s personal comment or perspective

4. What is the Source Selection Zone (Zone 4)?
Proposal submittal to contract award (FAR 15.3 “procedures to select source(s) in competitive negotiated acquisitions”)
What types of communication are allowed?
What is the Government team doing during this zone?
What is Industry doing during this zone?
Spoiler alert:
We are covering what and when – NOT how!

5. When does the Source Selection happen?
Acquisition Time Zones
(from Podcast Episode 003)
Requirements Zone
Market Research Zone
RFP Zone (proposal zone)
Source Selection Zone
Execution Time Zones
(from Podcast Episode 084)
Kick Off Zone
Performance Zone
Re-compete Zone (well, sort of… )
Wrap-up Zone

6. What is the Source Selection Zone?
RFP is closed
Proposals are in
“Pens down” for both sides
No more changes to RFP, factors, etc.
“In source selection”

7. What is the Source Selection Zone?
Make the Contract Award
CO is designated as SSA unless “agency head appoints another individual for a specific acquisition or group of acquisitions” (FAR (a))
Execute contract through Contract Writing System
BOTH SIDES PAUSE TO ENJOY….
Kick Off meeting
Contract admin begins

8. The Source Selection Zone – A Closer Look
Evaluation Time (see Episode 058)
“March to the beat of Section M”
Time it takes to evaluate is shaped by Lowest Price, Technically Acceptable (LPTA) to Best Value (BV) continuum
Document, document, document…

9. The Source Selection Zone – A Closer Look
Decision Time
Based on RFP, who made the Competitive Range Determination?
Based on RFP, who is Best Value or LPTA?
Explanation Time
Be ready to explain the decision. Explain it once, explain it well. “Do you have time to do it twice?”
Protest Time (See Episode 23)

10. Communication Managing Communication
Clarifications (normally used without discussions) – No Final Proposal Revision (FPR)
Communications - Prior to Competitive Range Determination (CRD)
For those “on the bubble”
Competitive Range - CO makes it based on “most highly rated.”
Can be based on “most efficient number” rule (!)

11. Communication Exchanges or negotiations - Result in a FPR
Tailor to each offer, done by CO with EACH offer in CR
Does NOT favor an offeror, reveal an offeror’s advantage, or give away SPECIFIC price
Proposal Revisions MAY be requested to:
Document final agreed upon details, or…
Get offeror’s “final” offer – FAR

12. Communication SSA’s Decision (FAR 15.308):
Made on a “comparative assessment of proposals against all source selection criteria in the solicitation.”
The “SSA’s independent judgment.”
Documented, including rationale for business judgments or trade-offs (see Episode 063)
“Need not quantify the tradeoffs that led to the decision.”

13. What is Industry Doing? Waiting Wondering Worrying Probably sleeping
Still wondering what is taking so long…

14. What is the Government Team Doing?
SSA shall – FAR (b)…
(4) Ensure that proposals are evaluated based solely on the factors and subfactors contained in the solicitation
(6) Select the source or sources whose proposal is the “best value to the Government”
The contracting officer shall – FAR (c)
(2) control exchanges with offerors after receipt of proposals

15. What is the Government Team Doing?
Time to evaluate all the stuff
NOTE: Really hard to estimate how long this will take
Underpromise
Communicate early and often

16. Proposal Evaluation Cost or Price
Fixed Price: Competition establishes price reasonableness
Cost-reimbursable: Evaluation must include cost REALISM – may include a Most Probable Cost analysis
Past Performance Evaluations
Generally considered “gold standard” for whether contractor can perform
Takes recency and relevancy into account

17. Proposal Evaluation Technical
Evaluation of their technical ability to perform the work

18. Summary
Source Selection culminates the RFP process and encompasses proposal evaluation, negotiations, and contract award
Communications between Government and Industry are very careful, and completely impartial
Government team must be at the top of their game
Industry can relax, re-charge, respond to communications as necessary, and get ready for contract award and performance

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