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FIND | Acquisition Planning

The Quintessential PR Package for an Extra Crazy Buying Season

Read Time 4 mins | Written by: Patrick Shields

This year, Government acquisition teams only have 6 months to award contracts in a financially responsible way before the end of the FY if they have 1-year funds. 6 months to do 12 months of work.  Smartly, many agencies have been performing market research and planning their acquisitions while they waited for the budget to pass March 15th. 

How do you as a Requirement Owner pull together your on-going efforts into a Purchase Requisition (PR) package that your boss will review and approve with ease for submission to your contracting office?  What is your Contracting Officer looking for that will cause your PR Package to rise to the top above jumbled, incomplete PR packages submitted by others? 

Here are the components of your PR Package with notes about the process that informs these components: 

  1. Market Research Report shares the findings from your Market Research. Check out our blog on The Streamlined Market Research Report (enlightenedsolutionssuite.com) that has a MRR template available 
  2. Source Restriction Justification, if applicable, following the conclusion of your Market Research.  Our use of the term, Source Restriction Justification, includes:   
    3.  
    • Brand-name justifications (FAR 6.305, 13.105, and 13.501) 
    • Justifications limiting competition (FAR 6.305, 13.501, and 19.808) 
    • Limited Sources Justifications (FAR 8.405)
    •  Exceptions to the Fair Opportunity Process (FAR 16.505) 
     
  3. Statement of Need which can be in the form of a Statement of Objectives (SOO), Performance Work Statement (PWS), or Statement of Work (SOW) 
  4. Finalized Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) which is informed by conducting Market Research that makes you aware of what is available in the market and pricing considerations   
  5. Source Selection Plan (Draft)
  6. Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) Nomination   
  7. Small Business Coordination Document within your agency, if applicable  
  8. Acquisition Plan – using agency-prescribed format based on dollar value or other criteria
  9. SBA Offering Letter if you are electing to do an 8(a) sole source as part of your Acquisition Planning. Per Kiya Perrin of the SBA, the SBA has a five-day working acceptance, so if an agency does not hear back within that time, they “have the right to move forward”.

Be sure to check with your agencies’ Acquisition Manual to see if other documents are required for PR packages within agency.  Hope this helps your PR packages smoothly sail through the procurement process during this especially crazy EOY.   

 

If your agency would like to see a demo of our Facilitated Intelligent Needs Development (FIND) App that helps PMs develop their PR packages from the beginning, contact us at demo@seventhsenseconsulting.com

 

 

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Patrick Shields

Mr. Patrick Shields has over 45 years of experience as an acquisition and contracting professional and innovative leader. Since 2016 Mr. Shields has served as the Seventh Sense Consulting LLC (SSC) Director of Acquisition Practice in which his extensive knowledge pf Federal Government acquisition and contracting, plus his passion for innovation and enlightened efficiency enable him to serve SSC’s clients, both directly through consulting engagements and indirectly, both as a “reachback” resource for all SSC personnel and by providing subject matter expertise (SME) for the development and support of SSC’s suite of Enlightened Solutions intelligent products. Prior to joining SSC, Mr. Shields was the Senior Manager for Research Services for ASI Government (ASI) (2012-2016), where he led a team of acquisition experts within ASI’s Virtual Acquisition Office (VAO) who researched and developed responses to inquiries on acquisition/ contracting topics that spanned the acquisition lifecycle plus various acquisition organization and policy-related topics. Also, Mr. Shields authored, co-authored or contributed content to dozens of VAO educational/advisory publications. Inquiry responses and VAO’s publications were provided to over 25,000 acquisition professionals within the numerous VAO subscriber agencies. Prior to joining the VAO, Mr. Shields served as a senior subject matter expert within ASI’s consulting division, providing expertise to various clients, including DoD and Intelligence Community agencies, GSA, and numerous other civilian agencies. Mr. Shields’ consulting efforts included development of acquisition-specific documents, agency-specific policies, and requested topical training materials and presentations. While at ASI, he earned ASI’s Masters Certificate in Performance Based Acquisition and was selected as an ASI Research Fellow. After a short time as a high school and collegiate level mathematics teacher, Mr. Shields began his acquisition and contracting career at the Naval Air Systems Command (1987-2004), advancing to serve in various Division Head level assignments for over 10 years before retiring from civil service. During this tenure, he executed and/or oversaw over $10B in contracts spanning the full major systems acquisition cycle for some of the most consequential major weapon systems programs in Naval Aviation. Mr. Shields earned numerous certifications, awards and recognitions, including DAWIA Level III in both Contracting and Program Management, was a Charter Member of the Navy Acquisition Corps, and a Meritorious Civilian Service Medal. Mr. Shields holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics Education from Virginia Tech, plus master’s degrees in Mathematics from Virginia Commonwealth University, and in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.