FAR 15.303—Responsibilities.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 15.303 assigns responsibility for source selection in negotiated procurements and explains how that responsibility is divided between the agency head, the source selection authority (SSA), and the contracting officer. It covers who is legally accountable for source selection, when the contracting officer is the default SSA, when another person may be appointed, and what the SSA must do before and during the evaluation process. The section also addresses the need to build an evaluation team with the right mix of contracting, legal, logistics, technical, and other expertise; approve the source selection strategy or acquisition plan before solicitation release; and ensure the solicitation package is internally consistent. It further requires that proposals be evaluated only against the stated factors and subfactors, that advisory board or panel recommendations be considered if used, and that the SSA select the proposal offering the best value to the Government. Finally, it defines the contracting officer’s post-solicitation role as the focal point for offeror inquiries, the manager of exchanges with offerors under FAR 15.306 after proposals are received, and the official who awards the contract(s). In practice, this section is about accountability, fairness, and disciplined source selection: it helps ensure the evaluation process is properly planned, legally defensible, and tied to the solicitation so offerors are treated consistently and the Government can support its award decision.
Key Rules
Agency head owns source selection
The agency head is responsible for source selection overall. The contracting officer is the default source selection authority unless the agency head appoints another individual for a specific acquisition or group of acquisitions.
SSA builds the evaluation team
The source selection authority must establish an evaluation team tailored to the acquisition and staffed with appropriate contracting, legal, logistics, technical, and other expertise. The goal is a complete and balanced evaluation of offers.
Strategy approved before release
Before the solicitation is released, the SSA must approve the source selection strategy or acquisition plan, if one is used. This ensures the evaluation approach is set before offerors see the solicitation.
Solicitation must be internally consistent
The SSA must ensure the solicitation requirements, notices to offerors, proposal instructions, evaluation factors and subfactors, provisions or clauses, and data requirements all align. Inconsistencies can create confusion, protests, or evaluation errors.
Evaluate only stated factors
Proposals may be evaluated only on the factors and subfactors stated in the solicitation. Unstated criteria cannot be used, and the evaluation must stay within the announced framework required by statute.
Advisory input must be considered
If advisory boards or panels are used, the SSA must consider their recommendations. The SSA is not required to follow them, but must take them into account as part of the decision-making process.
Best-value selection required
The SSA must select the source or sources whose proposal is the best value to the Government. This means the award decision must reflect the solicitation’s evaluation scheme and the Government’s overall needs, not just the lowest price.
CO manages post-solicitation communications
After solicitation release, the contracting officer serves as the focal point for inquiries from actual or prospective offerors. After proposals are received, the contracting officer controls exchanges with offerors under FAR 15.306 and is responsible for awarding the contract(s).
Responsibilities
Agency Head
Retains overall responsibility for source selection and may appoint someone other than the contracting officer as the source selection authority for a particular acquisition or group of acquisitions.
Source Selection Authority (SSA)
Establish the evaluation team; approve the source selection strategy or acquisition plan before solicitation release; ensure the solicitation package is consistent; ensure proposals are evaluated only on stated factors and subfactors; consider advisory board or panel recommendations; and select the proposal or proposals that represent the best value to the Government.
Contracting Officer
Serve as the default source selection authority unless another person is appointed; after solicitation release, act as the focal point for inquiries from actual or prospective offerors; after receipt of proposals, control exchanges with offerors in accordance with FAR 15.306; and award the contract(s).
Evaluation Team
Provide the technical, contracting, legal, logistics, and other expertise needed to evaluate proposals comprehensively and in accordance with the solicitation.
Advisory Boards or Panels
If used, provide recommendations for the SSA to consider during source selection.
Practical Implications
This section is a major protest-risk control point: if the evaluation uses unstated criteria, inconsistent instructions, or a poorly documented process, the award is vulnerable to challenge.
The SSA must be involved early, before solicitation release, so the evaluation approach, team composition, and solicitation language all match the intended source selection method.
Contracting officers must tightly manage communications after proposal receipt; informal discussions or exchanges outside FAR 15.306 can compromise the procurement.
A strong evaluation team matters because source selection often depends on integrating technical, price, legal, and contractual considerations, not just scoring proposals.
Best-value decisions must be supportable in the record; the SSA should be able to explain why the selected proposal is the best value under the stated evaluation scheme, especially when tradeoffs are involved.
Official Regulatory Text
(a) Agency heads are responsible for source selection. The contracting officer is designated as the source selection authority, unless the agency head appoints another individual for a particular acquisition or group of acquisitions. (b) The source selection authority shall- (1) Establish an evaluation team, tailored for the particular acquisition, that includes appropriate contracting, legal, logistics, technical, and other expertise to ensure a comprehensive evaluation of offers; (2) Approve the source selection strategy or acquisition plan, if applicable, before solicitation release; (3) Ensure consistency among the solicitation requirements, notices to offerors, proposal preparation instructions, evaluation factors and subfactors, solicitation provisions or contract clauses, and data requirements; (4) Ensure that proposals are evaluated based solely on the factors and subfactors contained in the solicitation ( 10 U.S.C. 3303(c) and 41 U.S.C. 3703(c) ); (5) Consider the recommendations of advisory boards or panels (if any); and (6) Select the source or sources whose proposal is the best value to the Government ( 10 U.S.C. 3303(c) and 41 U.S.C. 3703(c) ). (c) The contracting officer shall- (1) After release of a solicitation, serve as the focal point for inquiries from actual or prospective offerors; (2) After receipt of proposals, control exchanges with offerors in accordance with 15.306 ; and (3) Award the contract(s).