CFCM Source Selection 3 ā Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under FAR 15.306(b), what is the purpose of 'clarifications' in a competitive acquisition?
- To allow offerors to revise their entire proposals
- To resolve minor or clerical errors without opening discussions (Correct answer)
- To negotiate price reductions before award
- To permit late proposals to be considered
Correct answer: To resolve minor or clerical errors without opening discussions
Clarifications are limited exchanges used to resolve minor ambiguities, clerical errors, or apparent clerical mistakes without opening formal discussions.
Question 2: A Source Selection Authority (SSA) who is not the contracting officer must be at what minimum level for acquisitions above the threshold specified in the SSP?
- Program manager
- Appropriate level above the contracting officer as designated by agency procedures (Correct answer)
- Senior Executive Service (SES) member only
- Contracting Officer's Representative (COR)
Correct answer: Appropriate level above the contracting officer as designated by agency procedures
FAR 15.303(a) requires the SSA to be at the appropriate level above the contracting officer as established by agency acquisition procedures.
Question 3: What action must the contracting officer take before excluding an offeror from the competitive range?
- Obtain SBA approval if the offeror is a small business
- Provide written notice of the exclusion and, upon request, a pre-award debriefing (Correct answer)
- Issue a cure notice allowing 10 days to correct deficiencies
- Seek written concurrence from the program manager
Correct answer: Provide written notice of the exclusion and, upon request, a pre-award debriefing
FAR 15.505 requires the contracting officer to promptly notify excluded offerors and offer pre-award debriefings upon request.
Question 4: In the context of source selection, what does 'technical leveling' mean and why is it prohibited?
- Adjusting prices so all offerors are at the same level; prohibited to ensure fair competition
- Helping offerors raise their technical proposals to a higher level through successive rounds of discussions; prohibited because it gives unfair advantage (Correct answer)
- Normalizing technical scores across evaluators; prohibited to preserve individual judgment
- Removing technical factors from evaluation; prohibited without agency approval
Correct answer: Helping offerors raise their technical proposals to a higher level through successive rounds of discussions; prohibited because it gives unfair advantage
Technical levelingācoaching offerors to bring weak proposals up to the level of better proposalsāis prohibited by FAR 15.306(e) because it disadvantages offerors who submitted superior initial proposals.
Question 5: Which evaluation approach requires the government to select the lowest-priced technically acceptable offer rather than conducting a tradeoff?
- Best-value continuum tradeoff
- Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) (Correct answer)
- Competitive Range Elimination
- Price Realism Analysis
Correct answer: Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA)
LPTA source selection, authorized by FAR 15.101-2, awards to the lowest-priced offeror whose proposal meets all technical acceptability standards.
Question 6: What is required when an agency uses numerical scoring to evaluate proposals under FAR Part 15?
- Numerical scoring is the only permitted method under FAR Part 15
- Numerical scores may be used but must be supported by narrative rationale (Correct answer)
- Numerical scores alone are sufficient to document the source selection decision
- Numerical scoring requires OMB approval before use
Correct answer: Numerical scores may be used but must be supported by narrative rationale
Courts and the GAO consistently hold that numerical scores without supporting narrative fail to provide a rational basis for the source selection decision.
Question 7: Under the Competition in Contracting Act (CICA), what is the minimum number of sources that must be solicited in a full and open competition?
- At least two responsible sources
- No minimum; the solicitation must be publicly posted so all responsible sources can compete (Correct answer)
- At least three sources unless a sole-source justification exists
- Five sources for acquisitions above $250,000
Correct answer: No minimum; the solicitation must be publicly posted so all responsible sources can compete
CICA and FAR 6.101 require full and open competition by publicizing requirements so all responsible sources may submit offers, with no prescribed minimum number.
CFCM Source Selection 3
Under FAR 15.306(b), what is the purpose of 'clarifications' in a competitive acquisition?