09/11/14 Program Meeting

Contract Review Guidance

Recruitment Phase (RSS)

  • Confidentiality and lobbyist statements will be included in the invitation letter.
  • Reviewers will complete the COI web form in RSS to identify potential COIs with involved personnel.

Pre- and Post-COI Formsfor Non-Federal Reviewers (RSS)

Face-to-Face Review Meetings

  • Before the review meeting, reviewers will sign a pre-meeting COI form (available in the Meeting Documents in RSS) to confirm no additional COIs were identified during the initial review of assigned contract proposals and submit the document to the SRO by email or fax. Alternatively, the SRO may distribute a paper copy of the pre-meeting COI form for reviewers to complete and submit at the beginning of the review meeting.
  • Reviewers will also be asked to electronically sign a post-meeting COI form (available in the Meeting Documents in RSS) at the end of the review meeting to confirm no additional COIs were identified during the review meeting and submit the document to the SRO by email or fax. Alternatively, the SRO may distribute a paper copy of the post-meeting COI form for reviewers to complete and submit at the end of the review meeting.

NOTE: In the event a reviewer has identified a conflict but is permitted to participate on the review panel (via an approved waiver), the reviewer will note the name of the offeror for the conflicted proposal on the pre- and post-meeting COI forms or the SRO will provide pre-populated COI documents in the meeting folder.

Teleconference Review Meetings

  • Before the review meeting, reviewers will sign a pre-meeting COI form (available in the Meeting Documents in RSS) to confirm no additional COIs were identified during the initial review of assigned contract proposals and submit the document to the SRO by email or fax.
  • Reviewers will also be asked to electronically sign a post-meeting COI form (available in the Meeting Documents in RSS) at the end of the review meeting to confirm no additional COIs were identified during the review meeting and submit the document to the SRO by email or fax.

NOTE: In the event a reviewer has identified a conflict but is permitted to participate on the review panel (via an approved waiver), the reviewer will note the name of the offeror for the conflicted proposal on the pre- and post-meeting COI forms.

Tied Panels (Acceptable/Unacceptable)

  • In the event of a tie vote on a proposal’s Acceptability/Unacceptability, the SRO will ask for reconsideration. After reasonable further discussion, if the tie remains, the proposal shall be considered acceptable.

TECs and Subcriteria

  • Comments for a TEC should be based only on the review criteria under that particular TEC.
  • Subcriteria (or subs of the subcriteria) within an individual TEC are weighted equally when determining the overall TEC score unless the RFP/BAA states the subcriteria are in the descending order of importance.
  • Reviewers and SROs will list strengths and weaknesses for the subcriteria in the order they are listed in the TEC and RFP/BAA.
  • If there are individually-scored subcriteria, strengths and weaknessesshould be noted for each subcriterion.

Scoring Calibration Charts

  • At any time prior to the conclusion of the meeting, reviewers can change their scores of a previously completed TESS if they feel that they have not been applying uniform stringency across proposals; individual stringency levels must be applied to the evaluation of each proposal.
  • The SRO will provide reviewers with a chart to track their individual scores at the review meeting to facilitate calibrating their individual scoring stringency (i.e., evaluating the proposals consistently throughout the meeting).
  • If a reviewer changes any score after the review of that proposal is complete, the reviewer must notify the SRO. If applicable, the reviewer will be asked to update his/her critique to reflect the change in score.