(S-90) In using the best value approach, the Army seeks to award to an offeror who gives the greatest confidence that it will best meet the requirements affordably. This may result in an award being made to a higher rated, higher priced offeror where the decision is consistent with the solicitation’s evaluation factors and the Source Selection Authority (SSA) reasonably determines that the technical superiority and/or overall business approach and/or superior past performance of the higher priced offeror outweighs the cost difference. The SSA, independently exercising prudent business judgment, arrives at a Source Selection Decision based on the offeror(s) who proffers the best value to the Government. The SSA shall not receive a recommendation from any individual or body as to whom shall receive the award and additionally shall not receive a rank order or order of merit list pertaining to the offers being evaluated.
If threshold and objective performance requirements are identified in the Request for Proposals (RFP), the Army must communicate to offerors (a) how evaluation of objective performance requirements will be accomplished and (b) to the extent that performance above the threshold requirement is achieved, how the offeror will be credited for such performance. The Source Selection Evaluation Board, in conjunction with the SSA, and consistent with the solicitation’s hierarchy of Factors, Subfactors, and Elements, will review each offeror’s proposed achievement of objective requirements and make as informed a judgment as possible, based on the data available, as to whether the proposal to meet objective requirements is worth the Government’s approximation of the delta price/cost to achieve the objective requirement. The SSA, in the Source Selection Decision Memorandum, and consistent with the solicitation’s hierarchy of Factors, Subfactors, and Elements, shall recognize and appropriately consider, in the Source Selection Decision Memorandum, the extent of the performance benefits afforded the Department of the Army by the level of objective performance expected to be achieved by the offeror. [AFARS Revision #21, dated May 22, 2007]
