Overview
FAR 7.105 mandates the specific technical, business, and management content that must be included in a written acquisition plan to ensure procurement objectives are met. It establishes a comprehensive framework divided into the acquisition background/objectives and a detailed plan of action to guide the procurement from inception through contract administration.
Key Rules
- Mandatory Milestones: Plans must identify specific decision milestones, ranging from the statement of work and solicitation issuance to final contract award.
- Performance-Based Strategy: For service contracts, the plan must describe strategies for performance-based acquisition or provide a formal rationale for not using them.
- Risk and Trade-off Analysis: Planners are required to discuss technical, cost, and schedule risks, along with the consequences of trade-offs between these factors.
- Source Consideration: The plan must document market research results, address small business participation, and identify any potential impacts from bundling or consolidation of requirements.
- Contract Type Justification: Specific rationale must be provided for the selected contract type; if any type other than firm-fixed-price is chosen, additional findings and documentation are required.
- IT-Specific Requirements: Information technology acquisitions must address ICT accessibility standards (Section 508), internet protocol compliance, and capital planning requirements.
- Life-Cycle Costing: Planners must discuss how life-cycle costs were considered or explain why they were not employed in the cost goal established for the acquisition.
Practical Implications
- Blueprint for Compliance: This section serves as a checklist for Program Managers and Contracting Officers to ensure an acquisition strategy is defensible, funded, and aligned with socio-economic goals before a solicitation is released.
- Risk Mitigation: By forcing early identification of "concurrency" (simultaneous development and production) and "should-cost" analyses, the regulation helps prevent budget overruns and schedule slips in complex government programs.