Course Curriculum

• The ABCs of Contractor Selection
  1. Types of competition and their differences
     • Full and open
     • Other than full and open
     • Maximum practicable
     • Fair opportunity
  2. The selection methods
     • Orders against GSA schedule contracts
     • Orders against GWACs and MACs
     • Orders against other multiple award, delivery order, and task order contracts
     • Simplified acquisitions
     • Source selections under FAR Part 15
  3. The rules
     • The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)
     • Agency FAR supplements
     • Agency policies and procedures
     • Case Law
  4. The fairness and impartiality principle
• The Essential Steps of Contractor Selection
  1. Identifying objectives
  2. Choosing selection criteria
  3. Gathering information about prospective choices
  4. Evaluating the choices
  5. Comparing the choices
  6. Selecting the contractor
• The Standard Process Model
  1. The FAR Part 15 Process Model
  2. What's wrong with the model?
• The Most Common Mistakes
  1. Cutting and pasting instead of thinking
  2. Using meaningless selection criteria
  3. Using FAR Part 15 as a process model when you don't have to
  4. The team syndrome: involving too many people
  5. Premature draft solicitations
  6. Proceeding before you're ready
  7. Failing to follow the rules
  8. Not doing what you said you'd do
  9. Making an irrational choice
  10. Failing to document your process
• Breaking the Mold
  1. Choose meaningful evaluation criteria
  2. When you use the FAR Part 15 process model, make sure you understand it
  3. Don't use the FAR Part 15 process model when you don't have to
  4. Don't use more people than necessary
  5. Don't negotiate with everybody
  6. Use informality to speed things up
• Making Sound Decisions
  1. Understanding tradeoffs
  2. Tradeoff procedures
• Documenting the Process
  1. What to document
  2. The first secret of good documentation: quality, not quantity
  3. The second secret of good documentation: clear writing