Federal Acquisition

Name

Institution

Federal Acquisition

Question 1

A number of procurement methods are usually employed in public procurement. In this case, the procurement method used is the Full and Open Competition. In this case, due to the small nature of the project, the procuring office simply invited quotations from suppliers already selected by the end user, or office for which the tables are meant. As opposed to inviting public bidding and therefore engaging in a competitive process prior to the determination of a supplier. The office simply opted to carry out market research and identify companies that are capable and eligible to provide the products required. Once a select few companies had been identified, the end user then proceeded to select a few individual companies from whom quotes were requested. Based on the quotes, the company that best satisfies the product requirements and has bid the lowest was selected.

The figure of $150,000 is slightly above the maximum threshold allowed for simple acquisitions, the Contracting Officer has opted for a modified form of the Full and Open Competition method, as evidenced by the fact that the task of carrying out research and selecting prospective supplies was delegated to the end user and not done competitively. Furthermore, the office has not employed the standard steps and procedures usually employed in Full and Open acquisitions. The most appropriate procurement method as defined by the Federal Acquisition Regulation, is indeed the Full and open competition, as the figures involved go above the small purchase threshold of $100,000 as stipulated in FAR 2.101.

Question 2

The method of competition most likely used in this case, must have been the two step sealed bidding process, in which the end user through the procurement office, invited competitive proposals, before inviting quotations from suppliers who qualified for the next step. It is likely that the list of selected potential supplies was made from the competitive bids received, such that the proposals that the end user selected from the proposals received, were the ones that best captured what the office was looking for.

This is most likely the case because in the case of sealed bidding, selection is not done prior to the bidding. In the case of negotiated procurement, selection would have been done without the need for any bidding. In both cases above, the process of selection is only done once. In this case however, the quotations were received after a few suppliers had already been identified. This therefore means that the process itself was done in two stages, a methodology consistent with the two step sealed bidding method

Reference

O’Connor, J. & Wangemann, P. (2009). Federal Contracting Answer Book, 2nd Edition.Management Concepts.