CONTRACTING OFFICER
WARRANT BOARD WITH
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS [ACTUAL 100%]
GRADED A+
You are the PCO for a major competitive negotiated
... [Show More] source selection. The RFP,
which reflects the user's requirements and is based on the user's budget, has a
requirement for 220 cargo loaders to be delivered at 55 per year over the next
four years. One offeror proposes to deliver all 220 loaders in the first year at a
dramatically reduced price. Can you accept the offeror's proposal? What factors
should you consider in your decision? - ANS---You can accept the offeror's
proposal under certain circumstances. Firstly, what did the RFP say about
alternate proposals? Is this a situation where requirements are changed and the
other offerors should be allowed to propose on the basis of the changed
requirements? You need to ask the user if he wants all 220 in the first year and
are the operating locations physically able to accommodate their loaders in the
first year. Finally, the offeror could be taken into discussions and asked to
conform to the RFP with there being the possibility of not being selected for
award or elimination from the competitive range if the proposal is not made
compliant with the RFP.
You are the PCO on a new $2B aircraft development program. The program is
in contract negotiations for a Fixed Price Incentive (Firm Target) System
Development and Demonstration contract award to a sole source contractor.
The program director, a fast-burning young colonel, e-mails you that she is very
concerned with the aircraft's ultimate speed at the full specification payload. She
would like the contractor to achieve the faster, desired objective speed rather
than the mandatory threshold speed, and thinks that an objective performance
incentive would be the way to go to achieve her goal. You are asked to go to her
office and discuss the matter and the issues involved in using such an incentive.
What do you tell the colonel? - ANS---There are a number of considerations for
the colonel:
The desired additional speed should provide benefit to the Government in order
to justify the expenditure of funds to achieve it. The colonel should be able to
articulate the justification.
The situation is very amenable to a classic performance incentive that would
allow the contractor to earn profit for achieving the desired speed above and
beyond what the final FPIF profit would be for achieving threshold speed. If the
contractor perceives this can't happen, he will either not sign up to the incentive
or will ignore it from Day One.
The incentive and resulting payment have to be structured so as to be based on
observable, measurable results that would determine how much is earned by
the contractor. Subjectivity is not allowable under current AF policy without HCA
approval.
We have to be very careful to understand what possible unintended
consequences could be caused by the existence of this feature in the contract.
For example, will the contractor reduce aircraft weight beyond safe limits in
order to help achieve the payment? Also, will the contractor consume excessive
schedule to get the extra speed?
There has to be a cost incentive in place so that the contractor doesn't spend an
unconstrained amount of money to win the payment, such as under a CPFF
contract. The FPIF share line serves this purpose when balanced against the
incentive.
The incentive has to be balanced with the FPIF share line so that the contractor
doesn't spend more money to achieve the desired speed than he has potential
to earn by receiving the payment. Similarly, the contractor can't be allowed to
spend an excessive amount of money with little cost penalty to achieve success.
In some cases, Contracting Officers are also Grants Officers. They can award
Grants and Assistance Instruments as well as contracts. What is Assistance?
How does it differ from Acquisition? What gives the Grants Officers [Show Less]