Overview
This section mandates that Contracting Officers coordinate with requesting activities to establish realistic procurement timelines for transportation services, specifically focusing on labor compliance and physical inspection requirements.
Key Rules
- Wage Determinations: For transportation contracts exceeding $2,500 subject to the Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS) statute, the Contracting Officer must obtain a wage determination via SAM.gov or the e98 process prior to issuing a solicitation or beginning negotiations.
- Offeror Site Inspections: The planning phase must account for lead time during the solicitation period to allow prospective contractors to inspect the specific origin and destination locations.
- Government Facility Inspections: Procurement schedules must include time for agency personnel to conduct physical inspections of a prospective contractor's facilities and equipment to ensure they meet requirements.
Practical Implications
- Timeline Management: Requesting activities must build "buffer" time into their acquisition lead times to account for Department of Labor processing and the logistical coordination of site visits.
- Risk Mitigation: Ensuring offerors have access to origin and destination locations helps prevent post-award claims or performance issues resulting from a contractor's misunderstanding of the physical environment.