Overview
This section outlines the duties of contracting officers to ensure specific service reporting clauses are included in solicitations and contracts and defines the enforcement actions required for contractor non-compliance.
Key Rules
- Clause Selection: Contracting officers must include FAR 52.204-14 in standard contracts and orders, while FAR 52.204-15 must be used for indefinite-delivery contracts.
- Order-Level Verification: For indefinite-delivery vehicles, the contracting officer at the order level is specifically tasked with verifying that the reporting clause was included in the base contract.
- Mandatory Enforcement: If a contractor fails to submit reports timely, the contracting officer is required to exercise appropriate contractual remedies.
- Past Performance Documentation: Compliance failures must be recorded in the contractor’s past performance evaluation under FAR subpart 42.15.
Practical Implications
- Service reporting is treated as a material requirement; failure to comply will lead to negative CPARS entries, which can jeopardize a contractor's ability to win future government work.
- Contracting officers must actively monitor reporting deadlines in the System for Award Management (SAM) to ensure they fulfill their oversight and documentation obligations.