DATE:         February 12, 2015

TO:              Procurement Directors/Contracting Officers

FROM:        Director

                    Contract and Financial Assistance Policy Division

                    Office of Policy

                   Office of Acquisition and Project Management

SUBJECT:  Implementation of Steps Outlined in OFPP Memorandum dated July 10, 2014, "Making Better Use of Contractor Performance Information"

SUMMARY: The purpose of this policy flash is to advise the DOE Acquisition Workforce of the instructions provided in the subject memorandum related to making better use of contractor performance information contained in the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Memorandum dated July 10, 2014, "Making Better Use of Contractor Performance Information."

The Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) issued a memorandum July 10, 2014 with some new requirements for the acquisition workforce on the collection and use of contractor past performance information. There has also been two other important changes worth noting:

1. OFPP added some additional steps in gathering, evaluating, and sharing past performance. Specifically, OFPP is requiring each agency to "regularly share contractor performance information with senior leaders" by ensuring respective agency past performance points of contact provide a list of the annual past performance assessments in PPIRS for the contractors performing on the highest risk, complex projects, as identified in DOE Acquisition Guide Chapter 42.15, to senior leaders. The DOE Department Point of Contact (Agency Coordinator) is the Office of Systems and Professional Development, Systems Division MA-662 (HQProcurementSystems@hq.doe.gov).

2. The Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) has been updated with improved tools for sorting, filtering and viewing reports.

3. Effective July 1, 2014, the CPARS, ACASS, and CCASS modules were merged into a single application under the CPARS name to standardize the contractor performance evaluation process across the federal government. There is currently a proposed rule would revise the language at FAR 42.1502, "Policy," to remove references to the ACASS and CCASS modules.

The attached Acquisition Guide Chapter 42.15, Contractor Performance Information, has been updated to include the new requirements for the acquisition workforce on the collection and use of contractor past performance information key points contained in the OFPP-issued a memo July 10, 2014 and information on the recent PPIRS updates.

Questions concerning this policy flash should be directed to Carol Jenkins at (202) 287-1827 or Carol.Jenkins@hq.doe.gov.

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