The contracting officer shall insert clause (HSAR) 48 CFR 3052.215–70, Key Personnel or Facilities, in solicitations and contracts when the selection for award is substantially based on the offeror's possession of special capabilities regarding personnel or facilities.

(b) Proposals and information may be released outside the Government for evaluation and similar purposes if qualified personnel are not available to thoroughly evaluate or analyze proposals or information. The contracting officer shall document the file in such cases.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) encourages new and innovative proposals and ideas that will sustain or enhance the DHS mission.

(a) The DHS does not have a central clearinghouse for distributing information or assistance regarding unsolicited proposals. Each HCA is responsible for disseminating the information required at (FAR) 48 CFR 15.604(a). General information concerning DHS's scope of responsibilities and functions is available at http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/.

(a) The agency authority to establish procedures for receiving, reviewing and evaluating, and timely disposing of unsolicited proposals, consistent with the requirements of (FAR) 48 CFR 15.6 and this subpart, is delegated to each HCA.

(b) The agency authority to establish points of contact (see (FAR) 48 CFR 15.604) to coordinate the receipt and handling of unsolicited proposals is delegated to each HCA. Contracting offices are designated as the receiving point for unsolicited proposals. Persons within DHS (e.g., technical personnel) who receive proposals shall forward them to their cognizant contracting office.

(a) The agency contact point shall make an initial review determination within seven calendar days after receiving a proposal.

(b) If the proposal meets the requirements at (FAR) 48 CFR 15.606–1(a), the agency contact point shall acknowledge receipt within three calendar days after making the initial review determination and advise the offeror of the general timeframe for completing the evaluation.

(c) If the proposal does not meet the requirements of (FAR) 48 CFR 15.606–1(a), the agency contact point shall return the proposal within three calendar days after making the determination. The offeror shall be informed, in writing, of the reasons for returning the proposal.

(a) Comprehensive evaluations should be completed within sixty calendar days after making the initial review determination. If additional time is needed, then the agency contact point shall advise the offeror accordingly and provide a new evaluation completion date. The evaluating office shall neither reproduce nor disseminate the proposal to other offices without the consent of the contracting office from which the proposal was received for evaluation. If the evaluating office requires additional information from the offeror, the evaluator shall convey this request to the responsible contracting office. The evaluator shall not directly contact the proposal originator.

(b) If the evaluators recommend accepting the proposal, the responsible contracting officer shall ensure compliance with all of the requirements of (FAR) 48 CFR 15.607.