What’s in the Contract File?

The contracting office maintains a comprehensive file, containing all documents related to the acquisition decision-making process and contract award. This file serves as the primary record of the government’s acquisition actions and rationale. Every procurement has an associated contract file.

This information although not published is available to the public through FOIA or requesting a bid abstract.

If you’re losing bids and want to know why, obtaining information about the procurement can help. Especially #10 below which includes the other quoted prices.

Example documentation that may be included in the contract file, as appropriate:

1. Purchase request, acquisition planning information, and other presolicitation documents
2. Justifications and approvals, determinations and findings, and associated documents
3. Evidence of availability of funds
4. Copy of or reference to posting notice of proposed acquisition
5. The list of sources solicited, and a list of any firms or persons whose requests for copies of the solicitation were denied, together with the reasons for denial
6. Set-aside decision including the type and extent of market research conducted
7. Government estimate of contract price
8. A copy of the solicitation and all amendments
9. Security requirements and evidence of required clearances
10. A copy of each offer or quotation and records of determinations concerning late offers or quotations. Unsuccessful offers or quotations may be maintained separately if cross-referenced to the contract file. The only portions of the unsuccessful offer or quotation that should be maintained are the completed solicitation (e.g., sections A, B, K and any other part the offeror or quoter has altered or annotated), technical and management proposals, and cost/price proposals.
11. Preaward survey reports or reference to previous preaward survey reports relied upon
12. Source selection or evaluation documentation
13. Contracting officer’s determination of the contractor’s responsibility
14. Small Business Administration Certificate of Competency
15. Records of contractor’s compliance with labor policies including equal employment opportunity policies
16. Data and information related to the contracting officer’s determination of a fair and reasonable price
17. Packaging and transportation data
18. Cost or price analysis
19. Audit reports or reasons for waiver
20. Record of negotiation
21. Justification for type of contract
22. Authority for deviations from regulation, statutory requirements, or other restrictions
23. Required approvals of award
24. Notice of award
25. The original signed contract or award, all contract modifications, and supporting documents
26. Copy of or reference to posting notice of award
27. Notice to unsuccessful quoters or offerors and record of any debriefing
28. Acquisition management reports
29. Bid, performance, payment, or other bond documents, or a reference thereto, and notices to sureties
30. Postaward conference documentation
31. Notice to proceed, stop orders, and any overtime premium approvals granted at the time of award
32. Documents requesting and authorizing modification in the normal assignment of contract administration functions and responsibility
33. Approvals or disapprovals of requests for waivers or deviations from contract requirements
34. Rejected engineering change proposals
35. Royalty, invention, and copyright reports or reference thereto
36. Contract completion documents
37. Documentation regarding termination actions for which the contracting office is responsible
38. Any additional documents on which action was taken or that reflect actions by the contracting office pertinent to the contract
39. A current chronological list identifying the awarding and successor contracting officers,with inclusive dates of responsibility
40. When limiting competition or awarding on a sole source basis to small business concerns, documentation of the type and extent of market research and that the NAICS code assigned to the acquisition is for an industry that SBA has designated