(a) In the case of proposed direct ordering using vehicles other than those listed in 317.7002(b), the HHS contracting officer shall comply with the D & F requirement in 317.7003(b) .
(b) If a proposed assisted contract, using a servicing organization outside HHS, was not approved during preparation and review of the annual acquisition plan, including updates, then the program/project office or other requiring activity shall prepare an Assisted Contracting D & F, similar to the D & F specified in FAR 17.503, but augmented with the information specified in 317.503 . The Project Officer or other requiring official shall be responsible for preparing and staffing this Assisted Contracting D & F.
(1) For assisted contracts greater than or equal to $500,000 (including the value of the base contract and all options and, for indefinite delivery vehicles, the value of the vehicle and all potential orders), the assigned HHS Contracting Officer shall review and approve or reject the Assisted Contracting D & F, annotated with the SBS' recommendation. The Contracting Officer's signature on the Assisted Contracting D&F signifies his/her concurrence that assisted contracting through the proposed servicing contracting office is in the best interest of the government. The Project Officer must retain a copy of the approved Assisted Contracting D & F.
(2) For assisted contracts less than $500,000, the HCA may delegate authority to the Project Officer or other requiring official to approve the required Assisted Contracting D & F. The $500,000 threshold includes the value of the base contract and all options and, for indefinite delivery vehicles, the value of the vehicle and all potential orders.
(3) During a declared (Presidential or HHS Secretarial) emergency, funding and requirements documentation may be transferred to a servicing organization without an Assisted Contracting D & F. The Project Officer shall document his/her file, explaining the exigent circumstances.
(c) Assisted contracts require supporting interagency agreements, as described in OFPP's memorandum, “Interagency Acquisitions,” dated June 2008. Note that Part A of an interagency agreement can support multiple assisted contracts. Each interagency agreement shall address all the elements identified in OFPP's model interagency agreement (Appendix 2 of OFPP's “Interagency Acquisitions”). The level of detail in HHS interagency agreements should be commensurate with the dollar value and complexity of the assisted contract. HHS requesting organizations shall not forward funding or requirements documentation outside HHS without a properly executed interagency agreement; and servicing activities within HHS (e.g., PSC and the NIH Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center), shall not contract on behalf of non-HHS requesting organizations without properly executed interagency agreements.
