FAR 13.106—Soliciting competition, evaluation of quotations or offers, award and documentation.

Soliciting competition.

FAR 13.106-1 explains how contracting officers should solicit competition when using simplified acquisition procedures. It covers the factors the contracting officer must consider before requesting quotations or offers, how to tell vendors the basis for award, when best value and lowest-price technically acceptable approaches may be used, and special DoD/NASA/Coast Guard rules on excluding price or cost in certain multiple-award solicitations. It also addresses when a contracting officer may solicit from a single source, including brand-name and sole-source situations, and distinguishes between purchases at or below the simplified acquisition threshold and those above it. In addition, the section covers oral solicitations, when written or paper solicitations are required, the use of options, and how agencies should handle inquiries from vendors. In practice, this section is meant to help agencies get competition efficiently while still documenting the basis for limiting competition, choosing an award method, and using the most practical solicitation method for the dollar value and urgency of the buy.

Evaluation of quotations or offers.

FAR 13.106-2 explains how contracting officers must evaluate quotations or offers under simplified acquisition procedures. It covers the core evaluation standards—impartiality, inclusion of transportation charges, and evaluation strictly on the basis stated in the solicitation—as well as the requirement to consider all quotations or offers. It also gives contracting officers broad discretion to use streamlined evaluation methods instead of the more formal procedures in FAR parts 14 and 15, including comparative evaluations, limited use of price and non-price factors, and practical approaches for assessing past performance without a formal database. The section also addresses telecommuting-related evaluation restrictions and permits efficient screening methods for electronically submitted quotations or offers. In practice, this rule is designed to keep simplified acquisitions fast and flexible while still preserving fairness, transparency, and a rational basis for award.

Award and documentation.

FAR 13.106-3 explains how a contracting officer must make and document award decisions under simplified acquisition procedures. It covers the core requirement to determine that the price is fair and reasonable, how to support that determination when competition is limited or absent, and what sources may be used to justify price reasonableness such as market research, prior prices, catalogs, related-industry comparisons, personal knowledge, independent Government estimates, or other reasonable bases. It also addresses special situations like minimum order quantities or prices that exceed the Government’s actual need, and requires the contracting officer to coordinate with the requiring activity and document the final action taken. In addition, the section sets out the minimum necessary file documentation and retention expectations, including how to record oral and written solicitations, what extra statements are needed in special cases, when unsuccessful suppliers must be notified, how to respond to requests for award information when non-price factors were used, and how to handle Taxpayer Identification Number information on award documents. In practice, this section is about making sure simplified acquisitions are awarded quickly but still supported by a defensible record that shows the Government got a fair deal and that the file contains only the documentation needed for management review and accountability.