Contract Process - US Federal Government

Karen
Mar 20, 2023
2 min read

US federal Government Contracts generally follows these steps:

Step 1: Project Design

To understand challenges and the resources available to address them, Missions develop an overarching requriements with substantial input from partner governments and from industry, civil society, and development partners. From the requirements, we design projects and activities to create an Acquisition and Assistance (A&A) plan.

Step 2: Activity Requirement

KO defines the expected results for distinct activities, which may be funded through an A&A award. Organizations interested in working with us submit a proposal in response to a solicitation that describes the program and explains the Contractors work.

Step 3: Market Research

Government conducts market research to explore different ways to achieve our development objectives and to gather information about the participation of local business, and the feasibility of our anticipated requirements. One way we do this is through a Request for Information (RFI)/Sources Sought Notice.

Step 4: Solicitation

Solicitations describe the requirement or program and explain how government will evaluate submissions. They can take different forms, such as a Request for Proposal (RFP), You can find them through:

SAM.gov (for contracts opportunities).
jccs.gov (for contracts opportunities in Middle East and African countries.)

Step 5: Evaluation

As a part of the technical proposal review, typical evaluation criteria include the following:

Past performance (does not have to be US Government past performance).
Technical approach.
Personnel.
Corporate capability.
Management plans.

In each solicitation, Government provides the criteria it will use to make an award decision (including technical and cost/price factors) and specifies each factor’s relative importance.

Step 6: Negotiation

Your organization may be contacted by a Contracting Officer (KO) if your proposal or application is being considered for an award. The KO will be your organization's key point of contact for doing business with US Government.

Step 7: Award

Once these steps are completed, Government will make the award to the selected organization. In most cases, the organization will be invited to a post-award conference to discuss the project and review the terms and conditions of the award. In addition, throughout the implementation period, the organization may contact the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) designated in the award for technical guidance. All matters concerning the award itself must be directed to the Contracting Officer.

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