FAR 34.202—Integrated Baseline Reviews.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 34.202 explains when and how the Government uses an Integrated Baseline Review (IBR) in contracts that require an Earned Value Management System (EVMS). It covers the purpose of the IBR, what the Government and contractor jointly assess, and the specific elements of the project baseline that are examined: technical content, performance budgets, resources, schedules, risk, management control systems, the project’s technical plan, schedule realism, the Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB), personnel/facilities/equipment availability, and the effectiveness of integrated technical/schedule/cost planning and baseline control. It also addresses timing and conduct under agency procedures, and special requirements for pre-award IBRs, including solicitation instructions and whether offerors may be reimbursed for their costs. In practice, this section is meant to ensure the baseline is realistic and executable before performance gets too far along, so both sides understand risks, assumptions, and control mechanisms early enough to manage them. For contractors, it is a readiness and credibility checkpoint; for contracting officers and program teams, it is a tool to validate that the proposed plan can support cost, schedule, and technical objectives.
Key Rules
IBR required with EVMS
When an EVMS is required, the Government will conduct an Integrated Baseline Review. This makes the IBR a standard companion review to EVMS-based contracts, not an optional event.
Verify baseline realism
The IBR’s purpose is to verify the technical content and realism of performance budgets, resources, and schedules. The review is intended to test whether the baseline is credible and executable, not merely compliant on paper.
Assess risks and controls
The IBR should create a mutual understanding of performance risks and the management control systems behind the plan. It should also help formulate a plan for handling those risks.
Joint assessment of execution factors
The IBR is a joint Government-contractor assessment of the technical plan, schedule adequacy, PMB sufficiency, resource availability, and the effectiveness of integrated technical/schedule/cost planning and baseline control. Each of these areas must support successful contract execution.
PMB must support cost objectives
The review specifically examines whether the Performance Measurement Baseline can execute the project and attain cost objectives, while recognizing the relationship among budget resources, funding, schedule, and scope. This ties the baseline directly to affordability and performance realism.
Agency procedures control timing
The timing and conduct of the IBR must follow agency procedures. Agencies may set their own process requirements for when the review occurs and how it is performed.
Pre-award IBRs need solicitation terms
If a pre-award IBR will be conducted, the solicitation must state the procedures for the review and say whether offerors will be reimbursed for associated costs. This gives offerors notice of the process and any cost treatment before they participate.
Reimbursement follows FAR Part 31
If reimbursement of pre-award IBR costs is allowed, it is governed by FAR Part 31. That means allowability, allocability, and reasonableness rules apply to any claimed costs.
Responsibilities
Contracting Officer
Ensure an IBR is conducted when an EVMS is required, include pre-award IBR procedures in the solicitation when applicable, and state whether offerors will be reimbursed for associated costs. The contracting officer must also follow agency procedures governing timing and conduct.
Agency
Establish procedures for the timing and conduct of IBRs. The agency’s rules control how the review is organized, scheduled, and executed.
Offeror
If participating in a pre-award IBR, present a technical plan, budgets, resources, schedules, and baseline information that can be jointly assessed for realism and risk. The offeror must also comply with the solicitation’s IBR procedures.
Contractor
Participate in the joint assessment, support verification of the baseline, and work with the Government to identify risks and develop a plan to manage them. The contractor must ensure the PMB, resources, schedule, and management controls are aligned and executable.
Government Program/Technical Team
Work with the contractor or offeror to evaluate the technical plan, schedule realism, PMB adequacy, resource availability, and management control effectiveness. The team helps identify risks and determine whether the baseline is credible.
Practical Implications
An IBR is not just a paperwork review; it is a reality check on whether the proposed or established baseline can actually be executed. Contractors should expect detailed questions about logic, staffing, schedule margins, funding, and how the work will be controlled.
A weak or overly optimistic baseline is a common pitfall. If the technical plan, schedule, and budget do not align, the IBR will likely expose the mismatch early, before it becomes a performance problem.
For pre-award IBRs, the solicitation must clearly tell offerors what to expect and whether they will be paid for the effort. Contractors should not assume reimbursement unless the solicitation says so and the costs are allowable under FAR Part 31.
The PMB is a focal point because it ties scope, schedule, funding, and cost objectives together. If the PMB is not realistic, EVMS reporting will be unreliable and performance problems may be harder to detect or correct.
Both sides should use the IBR to identify risks and agree on mitigation actions. The practical value of the review is highest when it results in a shared understanding of assumptions, constraints, and control measures rather than a one-time compliance event.
Official Regulatory Text
(a) When an EVMS is required, the Government will conduct an Integrated Baseline Review (IBR). (b) The purpose of the IBR is to verify the technical content and the realism of the related performance budgets, resources, and schedules. It should provide a mutual understanding of the inherent risks in offerors’/ contractors’ performance plans and the underlying management control systems, and it should formulate a plan to handle these risks. (c) The IBR is a joint assessment by the offeror or contractor, and the Government, of the- (1) Ability of the project’s technical plan to achieve the objectives of the scope of work; (2) Adequacy of the time allocated for performing the defined tasks to successfully achieve the project schedule objectives; (3) Ability of the Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB) to successfully execute the project and attain cost objectives, recognizing the relationship between budget resources, funding, schedule, and scope of work; (4) Availability of personnel, facilities, and equipment when required, to perform the defined tasks needed to execute the program successfully; and (5) The degree to which the management process provides effective and integrated technical/schedule/cost planning and baseline control. (d) The timing and conduct of the IBR shall be in accordance with agency procedures. If a pre-award IBR will be conducted, the solicitation must include the procedures for conducting the IBR and address whether offerors will be reimbursed for the associated costs. If permitted, reimbursement of offerors’ pre-award IBR costs is governed by the provisions of FAR part 31 .