FAR 36.603—Collecting data on and appraising firms qualifications.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 36.603 explains how agencies collect, maintain, update, and use qualifications data for architect-engineer (A-E) firms. It covers the establishment of agency offices or permanent evaluation boards, assignment of jurisdiction, submission of Standard Form 330 (SF 330) qualifications data, classification of firms by location, specialized experience, professional capabilities, and capacity, and consideration of computer-assisted design capability when relevant. It also requires annual review and updating of the qualifications file, including encouraging firms to resubmit current data, revising classifications as needed, recording contract awards, retaining pertinent performance evaluations, discarding stale nonpertinent material, and documenting the review date. Finally, it directs evaluation boards and other appropriate Government employees, including contracting officers, to use these data files. In practice, this section creates the administrative backbone for fair, current, and informed A-E source selection by ensuring agencies have organized, comparable information about firms before selecting them for contracts.
Key Rules
Maintain A-E data offices
Agencies must maintain offices or permanent evaluation boards, or use those of another agency, to receive and keep data on firms interested in Government contracts. Each office or board must have a defined jurisdiction, either geographic or by specialized type of construction.
Submit SF 330 qualifications
To be considered for architect-engineer contracts, a firm must file SF 330 Part II with the proper office or board, and Part I when applicable. This is the required qualifications package for A-E consideration.
Classify firms consistently
The office or board must maintain an A-E qualifications data file and classify each firm based on location, specialized experience, professional capabilities, and capacity for the scope of work. When appropriate, the firm’s computer-assisted design ability must also be considered.
Update files annually
Qualifications files must be reviewed and updated at least once a year. The annual review should encourage updated SF 330 submissions, refresh classifications if needed, record recent contract awards, include pertinent performance evaluations, remove stale material older than three years if no longer relevant, and note the review date.
Use the files in selection
Evaluation boards and other appropriate Government employees, including contracting officers, must use the qualifications data files when evaluating firms. The files are intended to support informed, documented A-E selection decisions.
Responsibilities
Agency
Establish and maintain offices or permanent evaluation boards, or arrange to use another agency’s office or board, to collect and maintain qualifications data. The agency must also assign each office or board a jurisdiction and ensure the files are kept current.
Office or Permanent Evaluation Board
Receive and maintain firm data, review SF 330 submissions, classify firms, conduct annual file updates, record awards and performance evaluations, discard outdated nonpertinent material, and document the date of each review.
Architect-Engineer Firm
Submit the required SF 330 qualifications information to the appropriate office or board, and provide updated qualifications and performance data annually when encouraged or requested to keep the file current.
Evaluation Board
Use the qualifications data files when evaluating firms for A-E work and rely on the classified, current information in the file as part of the selection process.
Contracting Officer
Use the qualifications data files in source selection and other appropriate procurement actions involving A-E firms, ensuring decisions are informed by the maintained qualifications records.
Other Appropriate Government Employees
Consult and use the qualifications data files when their duties involve evaluating or selecting A-E firms, so that Government decisions are based on current firm data.
Practical Implications
This section is about building and maintaining the Government’s A-E “bench” of qualified firms, so agencies should treat the file as a living source-selection tool rather than a one-time intake record.
Firms that fail to keep SF 330 information current may be disadvantaged because outdated experience, staffing, or capacity data can lead to an incomplete or inaccurate evaluation.
Annual review is not optional; missing the yearly update can create stale files, weaken source-selection documentation, and increase protest risk if the Government relies on outdated information.
Contracting officers and evaluators should verify that the file reflects recent awards and performance evaluations, because those items can materially affect responsibility, capability, and comparative ranking.
A common pitfall is overreliance on old qualifications data or failure to consider relevant computer-assisted design capability when the project requires it; both can distort the selection outcome.
Official Regulatory Text
(a) Establishing offices. Agencies shall maintain offices or permanent evaluation boards, or arrange to use the offices or boards of other agencies, to receive and maintain data on firms wishing to be considered for Government contracts. Each office or board shall be assigned a jurisdiction by its parent agency, making it responsible for a geographical region or area, or a specialized type of construction. (b) Qualifications data. To be considered for architect-engineer contracts, a firm must file with the appropriate office or board the Standard Form 330 , "Architect-Engineer Qualifications," Part II, and when applicable, SF 330 , Part I. (c) Data files and the classification of firms. Under the direction of the parent agency, offices or permanent evaluation boards shall maintain an architect-engineer qualifications data file. These offices or boards shall review the SF 330 filed, and shall classify each firm with respect to- (1) Location; (2) Specialized experience; (3) Professional capabilities; and (4) Capacity, with respect to the scope of work that can be undertaken. A firm’s ability and experience in computer-assisted design should be considered, when appropriate. (d) Currency of files. Any office or board maintaining qualifications data files shall review and update each file at least once a year. This process should include: (1) Encouraging firms to submit annually an updated statement of qualifications and performance data on a SF 330 , Part II. (2) Reviewing the SF 330 , Part II, and, if necessary, updating the firm’s classification (see 36.603 (c)). (3) Recording any contract awards made to the firm in the past year. (4) Assuring that the file contains a copy of each pertinent performance evaluation (see 42.1502 (f)). (5) Discarding any material that has not been updated within the past three years, if it is no longer pertinent, see 42.1502 (f). (6) Posting the date of the review in the file. (e) Use of data files. Evaluation boards and other appropriate Government employees, including contracting officers, shall use data files on firms.