FAR Part 5

Question 1

FAR Part 5 - Publicizing Contract Actions:

Ensuring Transparency

Purpose:

Answer 1

Establishes policies and procedures for publicizing contract opportunities and award information (FAR 5.000).

Question 2

FAR Part 5 - Publicizing Contract Actions:

Ensuring Transparency

Key Objectives

Answer 2

Increase competition (FAR 5.002(a)).

Broaden industry participation (FAR 5.002(b)).

Assist small businesses in obtaining contracts (FAR 5.002(c)).

Question 3

FAR Part 5 - Publicizing Contract Actions:

Ensuring Transparency

Transparency

Answer 3

Vital for ensuring fair and open competition, promoting accountability, and providing equal opportunities for all potential contractors.

Question 4

Governmentwide Point of Entry (GPE):

Centralizing Information

Answer 4

Role of GPE: Central platform for publishing notices of contract actions (FAR 5.003).

Benefits:
* Centralized access to contracting information (FAR 5.101(a)).
* Enhances transparency and accessibility (FAR 5.102).

Requirement: All notices must be transmitted to the GPE to ensure consistent and broad dissemination of information (FAR 5.003).

Question 5

Subpart 5.3 - Synopses of Contract Awards:

Promoting Transparency Post-Award

Answer 5

Purpose: Requires publicizing contract awards to ensure transparency (FAR 5.301).

Criteria for Synopses:
* Awards exceeding $25,000 (FAR 5.301(a)(1)).
* Task or delivery orders exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold (FAR 5.301(a)(2)).

Transparency Impact: Ensures the public is informed about the use of federal funds and the awarding of contracts.

Question 6

Preparing and Transmitting Synopses

Answer 6

Steps:
* Include essential details such as contract value, awardee, and contract performance
location (FAR 5.302).
* Use GPE for dissemination (FAR 5.207).

PublicAnnouncement:
* For awards over $4.5 million, information must be made available by 5 p.m. on the
award date (FAR 5.303(a)).

Goal: Maintain a transparent and open federal procurement process.

Question 7

Subpart 5.4 - Release of Information:

Ensuring Integrity and Transparency

Answer 7

Content:
Policy: Maximizing public access to information while protecting sensitive
data (FAR 5.401(b)).

KeyPoints:
* Information must not provide undue advantage (FAR 5.401(b)(1)).
* Protect confidential information from offerors (FAR 5.401(b)(2)).
* Adhere to FOIA and Privacy Act requirements (FAR 5.401(b)(3-4)).

Question 8

Subpart 5.4 - Specific Release Situations:

Handling Specific Information Requests

Answer 8

GeneralPublicRequests:
* Process in accordance with FOIA and Privacy Act (FAR 5.402).

Congressional Requests:
* Provide detailed contract information unless classified or confidential (FAR 5.403).

Long-Range Acquisition Estimates:
* Publicize estimates to assist industry planning and locate additional sources (FAR 5.404-1).

Public Disclosure of Justification Documents:
*FAR5.406mandatesthepublicdisclosureofjustificationdocumentsforspecificcontract
actions. This includes:
* Justifications for other than full and open competition.
* Limited-source justifications for Federal Supply Schedule orders.
* Justifications for task or delivery orders awarded without providing fair opportunity.

Question 9

Subpart 5.5 - Paid Advertisements: Authority and Procedures

Subpart 5.5 - Paid Advertisements: Enhancing Public Awareness

Answer 9

Authority: Agency heads can approve paid advertisements (FAR 5.502(a)).

Procedure:
* Place advertisements to ensure competition (FAR 5.503(a)).
* Use advertisements when effective competition cannot be obtained otherwise (FAR 5.503(b)).

Question 10

Utilizing Advertising Agencies:

Using Advertising Agencies for Effective Communication

Answer 10

Purpose: To assist in producing and placing advertisements (FAR 5.504(a)).

Benefits:
* Reach a wider audience (FAR 5.504(a)(1)).
* Professional assistance in media selection and advertisement creation (FAR 5.504(a)(2)).

Transparency: Ensures broad dissemination of contracting opportunities to the public.

Question 11

Subpart 5.6 - Publicizing Multi-Agency Use Contracts

Answer 11

Multi-Agency Use Contracts
* Subpart5.6-PublicizingMulti-AgencyUseContracts:StreamliningAccess

Purpose: Establish a governmentwide database for multi-agency contracts (FAR 5.601(a)).

Requirement: Agencies must enter contract details into the database (FAR 5.601(b)).

Transparency Impact: Provides a centralized resource for identifying existing contracts and reducing redundant contracts.

Question 12

Database Utilization:

Utilizing the Governmentwide Contract Database

Answer 12

Access: Available via the internet at the designated website (FAR 5.601(a)).

Content: Includes details of GWACs, multi-agency contracts, and Federal
Supply Schedule contracts (FAR 5.601(b)(1)).

Benefit: Enhances transparency by providing comprehensive information on available contracting opportunities.

Question 13

Subpart 5.7 - Publicizing Requirements Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

Answer 13

RecoveryActTransparency
* Subpart 5.7 - Publicizing Requirements Under the Recovery Act: Ensuring
Accountability

Scope: Posting requirements for actions funded by the Recovery Act (FAR 5.701).

KeyElements:
* Publicize both preaward and postaward notices (FAR 5.704(a)).
* Additional requirements for orders and non-fixed-price or non-competitive actions (FAR 5.705(b)).

Question 14

Publicizing Postaward Actions: Postaward Transparency for Recovery Act Actions

Answer 14

Requirement: Publicize awards exceeding $500,000 (FAR 5.705(a)).

Rationale: Include justification for non-fixed-price or non-competitive
awards (FAR 5.705(b)).

Goal: Enhance transparency and accountability for Recovery Act-funded projects.

Question 15

Contract

Answer 15

A mutually binding legal relationship obligating the seller to furnish the supplies or services (including construction) and the buyer to pay for them

Question 16

Contract action

Answer 16

An action resulting ni a contract, including actions for additional supplies or services outside the existing contract scope, but not including actions that are within the scope and under the terms of the existing contracts, such as contract modifications issued pursuant to the Changes clause, or funding and other administrative changes.

Question 17

Contracting officers must publicize contract actions in order to:

Answer 17

Increase competition

Broaden industry participation ni meeting government requirements

Assist small business concerns, veteran-owned small business concerns, service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns,
HUBZone small business concerns, small disadvantaged business
concerns, and women-owned small business concerns in obtaining contracts and subcontracts

Question 18

When Must Notices of Proposed Contract Actions be Posted?

Answer 18

For proposed contract actions expected to exceed $25,000, by synopsizing in the GPE

For proposed contract actions expected to exceed $15,000, but not expected to exceed $25,000, by displaying in a public place, or by any appropriate electronic means, an unclassified notice of the solicitation or a copy of the solicitation

Question 19

Whati st h e GovernmentPointofEntry?

Answer 19

https://sam.gov

SAM.GOV is the single government point of entry (GPE) for federal government procurement opportunities over $25,000.

Government buyers are able to publicize their business opportunities by posting information directly to SAM.GOV via the internet.

Through one portal, SAM.GOV commercial vendors seeking federal markets for their products and services can search, monitor, and retrieve opportunities solicited by the entire federal contracting community.

Question 20

When Must Notices of Proposed Contract Actions be Posted?

Answer 20

A notice of proposed contract action, when required, must be published at least 15 days before issuance of a solicitation.

For acquisitions of commercial items, the contracting officer
may establish a shorter period for issuance of the solicitation, or use the combined synopsis and solicitation procedure.

Contracting officers should consider the circumstances of the
individual acquisition, such as the complexity, commerciality, availability, and urgency when establishing solicitation response times for either contract actions estimated to be
greater than $25,000, but less than the Simplified Acquisition Threshold, or contract actions for the acquisition of
commercial items in an amount estimated to be greater than $25,000.

Except for the acquisition of commercial items, agencies shall
alow at least a 30-day response time for receipt of bids or proposals from the date of issuance of a solicitation, if the proposed contract action is expected to exceed the Simplified
Acquisition Threshold.

All publicizing and response times are calculated on the date
of publication, which is the date the notice appears on the GPE.

Contracting officers may, unless they have evidence to the
contrary, presume the notice was published one day after transmission to the GPE.

Question 21

Publicizing Subcontracting Opportunities

A contractor awarded a contract exceeding $150,000 that is likely to result in the award of any subcontract, or a subcontractor or supplier at any tier under a contract exceeding $150,000, that has a subcontracting opportunity exceeding $15,000, may seek competition by posting a notice of the subcontracting opportunity on the GPE.

This notice must describe:

Answer 21

The business opportunity

Any prequalification requirements

Where to obtain technical data needed to respond to the requirement

Question 22

Exemptionst to Requirements to PublicizeContractActions

The contracting officer is not required to submit notice of a contract action when conditions listed at FAR 5.202(a) apply. Examples:

Answer 22

The synopsis cannot be worded to preclude disclosure of an agency’s needs and such disclosure would compromise the national security

The proposed contract action is made under conditions of unusual and compelling urgency

Acquisition is being made from specified sources at the direction of a foreign government or international treaty

The proposed contract action is expressly authorized or required by a statute to be made through another government agency

The proposed contract action is made for perishable subsistence supplies

Question 23

Why P o s t Proposed Contract Actions?

The primary purposes of the notice are to

Answer 23

improve small business access to acquisition
information, and enhance competition by identifying contracting and subcontracting opportunities.

Question 24

When Must Synopses of Contract Awards be Posted?

Contracting officers must synopsize,

Answer 24

through the GPE, awards exceeding $25,000 that are covered by the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement
or a Free Trade Agreement, or likely to result in the award of any subcontracts.

The dollar threshold is not a prohibition against publicizing an award of a smaller amount when publicizing would be advantageous toward industry or to the government.

Justifications for other than full and open competition must be
posted. Contracting officers shall release to the public and make information available on awards over $4 million.

Question 25

What Information Shall Be Released to the Public?

Answer 25

To assist industry planning and to locate additional sources of
supply, estimates of unclassified long-range acquisition requirements may be publicized fi the information will assist
industry in its planning and facilitate meeting the acquisition
requirements, wil not encourage undesirable practices, and will not indicate the existing or potential mobilization of the
industry as a whole.

Question 26

The Governmentwide Database of Contracts and Other Procurement Instruments

Answer 26

Interagency Contract Directory

https://www.contractdirectory.gov

A searchable database used to identify existing contracts and
other procurement instruments intended for use by multiple agencies (GWACs, GSA, VA schedules)

Question 27

The Governmentwide Database of Contracts and Other Procurement Instruments

Answer 27

FederalProcurementDataSystem

https://www.fpds.gov/

Provides data on procurement activities of federal agencies, and contains reporting tools for searching through that
information

Question 28

FAR PART 5. PUBLICIZING
CONTRACT ACTIONS

A. POLICY (FAR 5.001)

Contracts actions are to be publicized in order to

Answer 28

increase competition,

broaden industry participation in meeting requirements,

and assist small business concerns, small disadvantaged business concerns, and women-owned small business concerns in obtaining contracts and subcontracts.

Question 29

Primary purposes of the GPE notice are to

Answer 29

to improve small business access to acquisition information

and to enhance competition by identifying contracting and subcontracting opportunities. Refer to FAR 201(d) for correct site.

Question 30

An agency must transmit a notice of proposed contract action to the GPE. All publicizing and response times are calculated based on the date of publication. The publication date is the date the notice appears on the GPE. The notice must be published

Answer 30

at least 15 days before issuance of a solicitation except that, for acquisitions of commercial items, the contracting officer may

Establish a shorter period for issuance of the solicitation;

Use the combined synopsis and solicitation procedure. (FAR

Question 31

The contracting officer must establish solicitation response times as prescribed in FAR 5.203(b).

Answer 31

Except for the acquisition of commercial items, agencies shall allow at least 30 days response time for receipt of bids or proposals from the date of issuance of a solicitation, if the contract action is expected to exceed the SAT.

Contracting officers may, unless they have evidence to the contrary, presume the notice was published one day after transmission to the GPE.

Question 32

Contracting officers must synopsize, through the GPE, awards in the amount indicated in FAR 5.301(a)(1) that are

Answer 32

Covered by the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agree-ment or a Free Trade Agreement (subpart 25.4); or

Likely to result in the award of any subcontracts.However, the dollar threshold is not a prohibition against publicizing an award of a smaller amount when publicizing would be advantageous to industry or to the