Tips to PR content
- Describe your needs
Type of product descriptions
- Voluntary standards
- Commercial items
- Specifications
- Standards
- Statement of work
- Preference (in descending order)
- Use commercial products and services whenever available
- Essential content
- Describe, in detail, requirements and specifications
- Identify sources of supply
- Provide realistic delivery date
- Provide independent cost estimate
- Providing funding data
- List any Government property
- List items to be provided with delivery
- Identify inspection requirements
- Describe security clearance for contractor, if required
- Indicate Federal standards to be met
- Indicate if samples required
- Indicate if literature is required
- If sole source, provide justification
- Provide all necessary approvals
- Description of content:
- A detailed description or specification of the system to be developed or the items to be purchased.
- Supplies or equipment - should cover a wide range of commercially available and proven products as possible.
- Services - address the following
- What do you want the contractor to do
- When do you want the service to be performed
- Who should perform the tasks
- Where do you want the service performed
- General - minimum requirements of the agency.
- Required quantity. The Government's need. Quantity discounts and transportation costs must be considered.
- ID/IQ contracts - identify realistic minimum and maximum quantities.
- Funding and estimate - identify the total estimated cost of the action.
- Independent Cost Estimate (ICE)- An ICE should be developed for all procurements.
- Appropriation data. Show complete appropriation data and include certification of funds availability.
- Specifications - Describe technical requirements for materials or products. May be coupled with Statement of Work to define need.
- Statement of Work
- General - critical for agency to communicate and acquire what it needs, describing the objectives, purpose, detailed work requirements for the work objectives to be accomplished.
- Service Contracts must incorporate performance based contracting methods to encourage contractor innovation and efficiency.
- Incorporate what work will be done, when work is to be performed, who should perform the work, where the work will be performed.
- Redundancy - Do not repeat material included in other parts of the contract.
- Style - write in a clear, direct style with no ambiguity, using simple words, phrases and sentences.
- Active vs. passive - Use direct active sentence structure. Do not use passive voice sentences.
- Terms/Abbreviations - Always spell out the first occurrence of a word.
- Word selection
- Shall is used to specify an action the contractor must take. Will expresses declaration of future action on the part of the agency.
- Any/Either/Or - Avoid these words, which imply a choice either party may make.
- Use pronouns. Use or repeat a noun rather than substitute with a pronoun.
- Special considerations for Service Contracts
- Perfomance based contracting is the preferred method for acquiring services except for
- Architect/Engineer services
- Construction
- Utility Services
- Services incidental to supply purchases.
- Describe requirements in terms of results rather than method of performance
- Use measurable performance standards and quality assurance plans
- Specify procedures for reductions of fee or for reductions to the price of a fixed-price contract
- Include performance incentives where appropriate.
- Statements of work
- Describe work in terms of what is to be required output rather than how work is to be accomplished
- Enable assessment of work performance against measurable performance standards
- Rely on use of measurable performance standards and financial incentives in a competitive environment
- Develop quality assurance surveillance plans when acquiring services
