CFCM Contract Planning & Formation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under FAR Part 6, which authority allows an agency to limit competition to a single source when only one responsible source can satisfy agency needs?
- FAR 6.302-1 (Correct answer)
- FAR 6.302-2
- FAR 6.302-4
- FAR 6.302-6
Correct answer: FAR 6.302-1
FAR 6.302-1 authorizes other-than-full-and-open competition when only one responsible source exists and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.
Question 2: A Justification and Approval (J&A) for other than full and open competition above $750,000 but not exceeding $15 million must be approved by whom?
- Contracting Officer
- Competition Advocate
- Head of the Contracting Activity (Correct answer)
- Agency Senior Procurement Executive
Correct answer: Head of the Contracting Activity
FAR 6.304(a)(2) requires J&As exceeding $750,000 but not exceeding $15 million to be approved by the Head of the Contracting Activity (HCA).
Question 3: The Market Research reporting requirement under FAR 10.002 is triggered when the acquisition exceeds what simplified acquisition threshold for supplies and services?
- $10,000
- $25,000 (Correct answer)
- $250,000
- $750,000
Correct answer: $25,000
FAR 10.002(b)(1) requires agencies to perform market research for acquisitions exceeding the micro-purchase threshold ($10,000) but the documentation requirement specifically applies above $25,000 per FAR 10.002(e).
Question 4: Which acquisition planning document establishes the overall strategy and timeline for procuring a major system and must be updated at each acquisition milestone?
- Statement of Work
- Acquisition Plan (Correct answer)
- Performance Work Statement
- Independent Government Cost Estimate
Correct answer: Acquisition Plan
The Acquisition Plan (AP) required by FAR 7.1 documents the overall strategy, milestones, and method of procurement and must be updated at significant decision points.
Question 5: When using Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) source selection, the government evaluates offerors by:
- Conducting a best-value tradeoff between price and non-price factors
- Awarding to the lowest priced offeror that meets all technical requirements (Correct answer)
- Ranking all offerors by technical merit first, then selecting the lowest price among top-ranked
- Evaluating price only after technical factors are scored numerically
Correct answer: Awarding to the lowest priced offeror that meets all technical requirements
Under LPTA, award goes to the lowest priced offeror whose proposal meets or exceeds all stated technical acceptability standards without a tradeoff.
Question 6: A Brand Name or Equal purchase description must identify the salient characteristics of the brand name item so that:
- Only the named brand supplier can respond
- Offerors can propose equal products meeting those characteristics (Correct answer)
- The contracting officer can sole-source the brand name item
- The acquisition can bypass competitive procedures
Correct answer: Offerors can propose equal products meeting those characteristics
FAR 11.104 requires brand name or equal descriptions to list salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics so that competitors can offer equal products.
Question 7: Which FAR provision must be included in solicitations to notify offerors that the government intends to evaluate proposals and award without discussions?
- FAR 52.215-1 (Correct answer)
- FAR 52.212-1
- FAR 52.214-10
- FAR 52.216-1
Correct answer: FAR 52.215-1
FAR 52.215-1 (Instructions to Offerors—Competitive Acquisition) notifies offerors that the government may award based on initial proposals without conducting discussions.
CFCM Contract Planning & Formation 2
Under FAR Part 6, which authority allows an agency to limit competition to a single source when only one responsible source can satisfy agency needs?