Case Study
Acquisition and Policy Support
Project Summary
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) provides support and resources for agricultural producers, rural communities, and conservation efforts.
FPAC administers a wide variety of farm loans, disaster assistance, safety net, risk management, and conservation programs and plays a pivotal role in addressing the challenges of climate change, inequity, and the pandemic. The Acquisition Division (AD) provides a full range of acquisition/contracting support and policy guidance to USDA’s FPAC mission-area. OCT is supporting the FPAC AD with cradle-to-grave acquisition lifecycle phases (pre-award, award, post award) for services, commodities, construction, and other requirements. The support includes policy development, review, contract oversight, and accountability support for FPAC AD, including the FPAC Government Purchase Card (GPC) program.
OCT’s Approach
Acquisition Support
OCT’s support to USDA encompasses the entire acquisition lifecycle. Pre-award procurement support includes publicizing contract actions, soliciting requirements, and development of pre-award documents. At the award phase, OCT prepares contract award documentation, facilitates execution of awards and distributes official copies to appropriate parties; prepares and distributes unsuccessful offeror letters; publishes appropriate notices of award; and prepares written debriefings and participates in debriefings for unsuccessful offerors. Post Award support includes conducting post-award orientation/kickoff meetings; maintaining official contract documentation within the appropriate files and drives; assisting with tracking, reviewing, and processing invoices to verify that goods and services have been received and that invoices meet contract terms and are proper to make appropriate recommendations for payment; preparing all documentation associated with modifications and other contract changes; reviewing and making recommendations regarding any contractor claims.
Policy Support
OCT personnel serve as a business advisor to management, program officials, and other personnel on matters pertaining to programs and/or procurement policies and procedures. OCT provides contract policy reviews on contracts, conducts briefings on contracting topics and provides training material as required. OCT assists contracting professionals in the review and preparation of contract documents to ensure they are executed in accordance with regulations such as FAR, Procurement Notices (PNs), and Procurement Class Deviations (PCDs).
Results
OCT contract specialists are responsible for performing acquisition planning, solicitation, evaluation, award, and post-award support for more than 1,000 new contracts and 2,500 modifications covering services, commodities/supplies, construction, architect-engineering, IT, and other procurements. The support also includes policy development, review, contract oversight, and accountability support for FPAC AD.