Overview
FAR 15.210 establishes that the use of prescribed forms is discretionary rather than mandatory when preparing solicitations for negotiated acquisitions.
Key Rules
- Discretionary Use: Contracting officers are not required to use specific prescribed forms to prepare solicitations under FAR Part 15.
- Solicitation Forms: Standard Form (SF) 33 (Solicitation, Offer and Award) and Optional Form (OF) 308 (Solicitation and Offer-Negotiated Acquisition) are authorized for issuing Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Requests for Information (RFIs).
- Amendment Forms: SF 30 (Amendment of Solicitation/Modification of Contract) and OF 309 (Amendment of Solicitation) may be used to document changes to negotiated solicitations.
- Labeling: OF 17 (Offer Label) may be provided to offerors to facilitate the identification and handling of proposals.
Practical Implications
- This section provides Contracting Officers with the flexibility to use agency-specific templates or automated system-generated documents instead of traditional standard forms.
- Contractors should be prepared to encounter various document formats but should remain familiar with SF 33 and SF 30, as they remain the industry standards for formalizing offers and amendments.