The competition results in the selection of the technically acceptable lowest cost source (public or private) to perform the work (commercial activity). Only certain activities are deemed appropriate for competition with the private sector. For example, inherently governmental work cannot be performed by the private sector and thus is not competed.
The government plans for the competition in “preliminary planning,” which may be followed by a public announcement that the government will hold a public-private competition. This ensures transparency in the government’s actions by making the public aware of the government’s intentions. The next major step is development of the government’s requirements which are formally identified in a solicitation. This solicitation process is part of the established competitive process under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). Once this solicitation is issued, the public and private sectors begin development of their responses to the solicitation, which must be submitted by a specific due date. The government’s response is called an agency tender, which is developed by an “Agency Tender Official (ATO)” and a most efficient organization (MEO) team. The agency tender is based upon the government’s MEO, which may or may not resemble the organization currently performing the work. Once all responses from the private sector and the agency tender are received by the due date, the contracting officer begins evaluation of these responses to ensure they are technically capable of performing the work and that all costs are calculated properly. This is a formalized process called “source selection” under the FAR. The result of source selection is a performance decision of the competition. This decision is announced, implemented, and performance and costs of the selected provider are tracked and reported, as a part of Circular A-76’s post competition accountability requirements, for all of the performance periods stated in the solicitation.
For more specific details about how ThinkQ’s highly qualified personnel can support your OMB Circular A-76 efforts in each stage of the process, please see the tabs for Preliminary Planning, Performance Work Statement (PWS), Most Efficient Organization (MEO), Agency Cost Estimate Development, and Post Competition Accountability. Members of our team participated in developing OMB Circular A-76 (May 29, 2003) as well as the Department of Defense (DoD), and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) implementing directives, guidebooks and handbooks. Our public sector client list includes the DoD, DLA, Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of the Army, and the Department of the Air Force. Private sector clients and partners include Groton Utilities, SAIC, Calibre Systems, BAE, and General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT). We are regular presenters at the A-76 Institute Conference proceedings, which are DoD and DOE-sponsored conferences to promote knowledge and understanding of the intricacies and challenges associated with public-private competitions. We know we can leverage the same skills and expertise with these clients to optimize your A-76 competition experience.
