(c) Section M, Evaluation factors for award.
(1) General.
(i) The Project Officer shall develop technical evaluation factors and submit them to the Contracting Officer as part of the acquisition plan or other acquisition request documentation for inclusion in a solicitation. The Project Officer shall indicate the relative importance or weight of the evaluation factors based on the requirements of an individual acquisition. Since the evaluation factors will serve as the standard for proposal evaluation, they require careful selection.
(ii) Only a formal amendment to a solicitation can change the evaluation factors. Evaluation of proposals shall include only those factors set forth in a solicitation.
(2) Review of evaluation factors.
(i) The Contracting Officer shall review evaluation factors to ensure they are consistent with the SOW/PWS. This review is not intended to dictate technical requirements to the program office or Project Officer, but rather to ensure that the evaluation factors are clear, concise, and fair, so that all potential offerors are fully aware of the bases for proposal evaluation and are given an equal opportunity to compete.
(ii) The Project Officer and the Contracting Officer shall review the evaluation factors to ascertain the following:
(A) The factors address the key programmatic concerns which the offerors must be aware of in preparing proposals.
(B) The factors are specifically applicable to the current acquisition and are not restatements of factors from previous acquisitions which are not relevant.
(C) The factors represent only the significant areas of importance, rather than a multitude of factors. ( Note: All factors tend to lose importance, if too many are included; and using too many factors may prove as detrimental as using too few.)
(3) Examples of topics that form a basis for evaluation factors. Typical examples of topics that form a basis for the development of evaluation factors are listed in the following paragraphs. These examples may assist in the development of actual evaluation factors for a specific acquisition, as appropriate.
(i) Understanding of the SOW/PWS.
(ii) Method of accomplishing the objectives and intent of the SOW/PWS.
(iii) Soundness of the scientific or technical approach for executing the requirements of the SOW/PWS, including, when applicable, preliminary layouts, sketches, diagrams, other graphic representations, calculations, curves, and other data necessary for presentation, substantiation, justification, or understanding of the approach.
(iv) Special technical factors, such as experience or pertinent novel ideas in the specific branch of science or technology involved.
(v) Feasibility or practicality of successfully accomplishing the requirements (including a statement and discussion of anticipated major difficulties and problem areas, and recommended approaches for their resolution).
(vi) Availability of required special research, test, and other equipment or facilities.
(vii) Managerial capability (ability to achieve delivery or performance requirements as demonstrated by the proposed use of management and other personnel resources, and to successfully manage the project, including subcontractor and/or consultant efforts, if applicable, as evidenced by the management plan and demonstrated by previous experience).
(viii) Availability, qualifications, experience, education, and competence of professional, technical, and other personnel, including proposed subcontractors and consultants (as evidenced by resumes, endorsements, and explanations of previous efforts).
(ix) Soundness of the proposed staff time or labor hours, propriety of personnel classifications (professional, technical, others), necessity for type and quantity of material and facilities proposed, validity of proposed subcontracting, and necessity of proposed travel.
(x) Quality of offeror's past performance on recent projects of similar size and scope.
(xi) Extent of proposed participation of small disadvantaged business concerns in performance of the contract.
