The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DARS) establishes uniform DISA policies implementing and supplementing the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the Defense FAR Supplement (DFARS), Title 10 of the United States Code (U.S.C.) and other statutory authority, and applicable Department of Defense (DoD) directives and instructions. The DARS is not a “stand alone” document and must be read in conjunction with the preceding guidance.

1.103 Authority.

The Procurement Services Executive issues the DARS by authority of the Director, DISA, (DISAI 260-5-1).

201.104 Applicability.

The DARS applies to all acquisitions processed or managed by DISA, except where expressly excluded.

Policies/procedures of non-DISA customers are acceptable as long as they comply with applicable laws and regulations. For example:

Requirements office generated documents (acquisition plans, justifications and approvals, etc.)

need not be in the DISA format, contain DISA supplemental information, etc.

DARS policies requiring DISA requirements offices to report to the Director would not be enforced on external customers.

1.105-3 Copies.

Copies of the DARS and associated acquisition policies and procedures are available electronically via the DISA Acquisition Policy and Guidance web site: http://www.ditco.disa.mil/hq/aqinfo.asp.

201.170 Peer Reviews.

(a/k/a Independent Management Reviews per DoDI 5000.2, 07 January 2015)

(b) Component (DISA) peer reviews.

(1) Acquisitions valued at $1 billion or more. Peer Review of DISA procurements valued at $1 billion or more (including optional contract periods and optional CLINs) shall be conducted in accordance with DFARS 201.170(a). See http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/cpic/cp/peer_reviews.html for additional information on the OSD/DPAP (Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy (Contract Policy and International Contracting)) Peer Review program. Peer reviews and team members will be appointed by DPAP. All peer review documentation prepared for DPAP-level reviews shall be coordinated with the cognizant Head of the Contracting Office (HCO) and Chief of Contracting Organization (COCO), and forwarded to PL22 for transmission to DPAP.

(i) Acquisitions valued at $500 million or more (sole source). Peer Review of DISA sole source procurements valued at $500 million or more (including optional contract periods and optional CLINs) shall also be conducted in accordance with DFARS 201.170(a) via the same process as identified in subparagraph (a) above.

(ii) The DISA HCA shall provide a rolling annual forecast of (pre and post-award) acquisitions with an anticipated value of $1 billion or more (including all options) for competitive procurements, and $500M (including all options) for sole source procurements at the end of each quarter (i.e., March 31; June 30; September 30; December 31), to the Deputy Director, DPAP, 3060 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-3060 via email.

(2) Acquisitions valued at less than $1 billion. The DISA Contracting Peer Review Program (CPRP) for Supplies and Services establishes policy and procedures for conducting Peer Reviews of all solicitations, contracts, and task orders/delivery orders with a total estimated contract value (including options) of $250 million or more, but less than $1 billion for competitive acquisitions and $250 million or more, but less than $500 million for sole source acquisitions. Communication Service Authorizations (CSAs) issued using the DISA streamlined Inquiry/Quote/ Order (IQO) process or issued against an indefinite delivery contract are excluded.

(S-90) Peer Review Timelines/PALTs. During the development of an acquisition plan, contracting officers (COs) shall take into account the requirement for scheduling and conducting a Peer Review in accordance with this section. The additional time required for each DISA Peer Review is reflected in the approved PALT times for each contract vehicle and evaluation type (https://www.ditco.disa.mil/contracts/IT_instruct.asp). DISA level peer reviews, where applicable, shall be conducted in conjunction with compliance and legal reviews IAW DARS 1.9000.

(S-91) Objective. The objective of the DISA CPRP is to (1) ensure that COs across the Procurement Services Directorate (PSD) are implementing law, policy and regulations in a consistent and accurate manner; (2) improve the quality of acquisition and contracting processes across DISA; and (3) share best practices and lessons learned. The findings and recommendations of the peer reviews are advisory in nature, providing supplemental information to the CO regarding acquisition strategy, contract structure, format, content and compliance. DISA CPRP procedures are established in accordance with OSD Memorandum, Peer Reviews of Contracts for Supplies and Services, dated 28 Sep 08, at http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/cpic/cp/peer_reviews.html.

(1) Pre-award Peer Reviews of solicitations shall be conducted at the following decision points:

a. Competitive Services ($250M or above, but less than $1B)

i. Prior to issuance of the solicitation (pre-solicitation);

ii. Prior to Request for Final Proposal revision (FPR) (pre-FPR); and*

iii. Prior to contract award (pre-award)*

* Note: if the CO will make award without discussions, pre-FPR/pre-award peer reviews can be combined into one (1) single, ‘pre-award’ review.

b. Non-Competitive Services ($250M and above, but less than $500M)

i. Prior to negotiation (pre-negotiation); and

ii. Prior to contract award (pre-award)

* Note: if a procurement is solicited as competitive and only one (1) proposal is received, for peer reviews, the procurement moves to a single source environment, and shall follow subparagraph (b) above, peer reviews ‘prior to negotiations’ and ‘prior to contract award’.

(2) Post-award Peer Reviews of contracts for services shall be conducted at the following decision points, and shall be focused primarily on contract administration, an assessment of actual contract reporting, contract terms/conditions, overall compliance, contract obligations/invoicing/payment, adequacy of Government surveillance of contract performance, best practices, trends, and lessons learned.

a. Mid-point of the initial (base) performance period if in excess of one year and annually thereafter; and

b. Prior to exercising each option period of performance.

All peer review documentation shall be marked as “Source Selection Information – see FAR 2.101 and 3.104”.

(S-92) Procedures. The DISA Peer Review procedures are located at https://www.ditco.disa.mil/hq/aqinfo.asp under DISA Peer Review.

(S-93) Waivers. If critical mission performance circumstances necessitate the request of a waiver from the entire acquisition or one or more of the peer review decision points, a “Request for Peer Review Waiver” (https://www.ditco.disa.mil/DITCOContractingTemplates/Default.asp) memorandum shall be prepared by the cognizant Contracting Officer, coordinated thru the COCO and HCO, with copies to PL2 Chief, the PL22 PRPC, CO/CS. Waivers shall be in the same format as the Request for Peer Review, with subject line modified to read, “Request for Waiver of Peer Review for (name of program/project/service)”, and shall include a brief explanation as to why a waiver is necessary. Waiver requests shall be approved prior to proceeding with a procurement action without a peer review, and may only be requested to the HCA for competitive procurements valued under $1 billion and sole source procurements valued under $500 million. For actions over those dollar thresholds, waivers must be coordinated thru the HCA, and forwarded to OSD/DPAP for approval.

SUBPART 1.2 — ADMINISTRATION

201.201-70 Maintenance of Procedures, Guidance, and Information.

(S-90) PL21 Policy and Procedures Branch is responsible for maintenance of the DISA Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DARS), DARS Procedures, Deskbooks, Guides, and Templates.

1.201-1 The two councils.

(S-90) Submit proposed revisions to the FAR, DFARS, and DARS to DISA PL2 via the “DISA Ft Meade PLD Mailbox PL21 Policy Branch” Outlook mailbox.

(S-91) All DARS policy and procedures change requests to include template, checklist, and corporate library shall be requested through the PL21 Policy and Procedures Mailbox, disa.meade.PLD.mbx.pl21-policy-branch@mail.mil. The subject of the email shall provide the DARS Part, Template Name, Checklist Name, or Corporate Library and it needs to state if the change is Major, Significant, or Administrative.

SUBPART 1.3 — AGENCY ACQUISITION REGULATIONS

201.301 Policy.

The DISA Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DARS) will be numbered in accordance with the method prescribed in DFARS Subpart 201.3-Agency Acquisition Regulations. All revisions to the DARS will be implemented by a DISA Acquisition Circular (DISA AC) and numbered consecutively beginning with the fiscal year of the latest edition of the DARS and number “01” (e.g., DISA AC 09-01).

201.303 Publication and codification.

(a)(i) In accordance with FAR 1.301 and DFARS 201.304, the DARS is not required to be codified in Title 48, Code of Federal Regulations nor approved by USD (AT&L) DPAP. Any revisions to the DARS that would require codification shall comply with aforementioned FAR and DFARS cites.

(ii) To the extent practical all DARS text (whether implemental or supplemental) will be numbered as if it were implemented in accordance with DFARS Subpart 201.303-Publication and Codification. Supplemental numbering will only be used when the text cannot be integrated intelligibly with its FAR or DFARS counterpart. DARS supplements must parallel the FAR and DFARS, with the exception that supplemental sections are numbered using 90 or (S-90). Parts, subparts, sections, or subsections are supplemented by the addition of a number of 90 and up. Lower divisions are supplemented by the addition of a number of (S-90) and up. DARS provisions or clauses use a four digit sequential number in the 9000 series, e.g., -9000, -9001, -

9002.

(iii) The table shown in DFARS Subpart 201.303(D), DFARS Numbering provides an example of the numbering system. Sample Table with DARS Numbering below

FAR	DFARS Implements FAR As	DFARS Supplements FAR As	DARS Supplements DFARS As
19	219	219.70	219.70-90
19.5	219.5	219.570	219.570-90
19.501	219.501	219.501-70	219.501-70-90
19.501-1	219.501-1	219.501-1-70	219.501-1-70-90
19.501-1(a)	219.501-1(a)	219.501-1(a)(S-70)	219.501-19(a)(S-70)(S-90)
19.501-1(a)(1)	219.501-1(a)(1)	219.501-1(a)(1)(S-70)	219.501-1(a)(1)(S-70)(S-90)

(S-90) Subparts will be enumerated using the numbering convention used by the FAR. Sections under subparts will be enumerated using FAR or DFAR numbering conventions, depending on whether the FAR or DFAR is being implemented or supplemented.

201.304 Agency control and compliance procedures.

(S-90) DISA PL2 shall review all DISA acquisition-related procedures (both mandatory/non- mandatory) that impact the Agency prior to implementation. The procedures are generally implemented as DISA Acquisition Templates, Samples, Guides, and Deskbooks and referenced in the appropriate part in the DARS. Appendix A contains a listing of all current templates, samples, guides, and deskbooks. DISA PL2 facilitates implementation of all DISA Acquisition Documents. DISA procurement -- acquisition policy and guidance can be found at http://www.ditco.disa.mil/hq/aqinfo.asp.

SUBPART 201.4 -- DEVIATIONS FROM THE FAR

201.402 Policy.

(1) The HCA is the approval authority for individual deviations from FAR, DFARS, or DARS except those listed in DFARS 201.402(1)(i-vi). If the deviation is for a classified program, the Senior Procurement Executive is the approval authority for individual deviations.

(S-90) Appendix B contains the approved DISA Clause Control Plan and shall be followed for approval of clauses other than those prescribed in the FAR and DFARS.

SUBPART 1.5 — AGENCY AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

1.501-2 Opportunity for public comments.

(S-90) Comments on proposed or interim rules published for public comment in the

Federal Register shall be submitted through DISA PL2.

SUBPART 1.6 — CAREER DEVELOPMENT, CONTRACTING AUTHORITY, AND RESPONSIBILITIES

201.602-2 Responsibilities.

(S-90) Policy

(1) Before designation and subsequently as required, the Contracting Officer must review nominations and all certifications of completed training. No individual should assume or commence COR functional responsibilities in support of any DISA or non-DISA contract unless they have completed the required training, provided the required certifications, and received and acknowledged in writing their COR designation letter from the DISA Contracting Officer.

The Contracting Officer shall designate a COR in writing upon review of the nominee’s completeness and acceptance of all required initial and refresher training and certification requirements. The authority to designate CORs shall not be further delegated.

(2) All prospective DISA and non-DISA CORs shall be identified in writing along with their appropriate training, qualifications, experience and other considerations through Contracting Officer’s Representative Tracking (CORT) Tool. All CORs shall possess the training and technical skills required to monitor and administer the specific, assigned duties.

Supervisors of personnel nominated or designated as CORs shall ensure, as part of their annual performance plan review and IDP preparation and approval, that all initial and annual refresher training, mandatory, optional, alternative, and supplemental, requirements are discussed with the COR and the appropriate DISA Contracting Officer. CORs shall be registered in the CORT Tool in conjunction with development of their IDPs.

(3) At the time of award, the Contracting Officer shall use the DISA COR Designation Letter located at: https://www.ditco.disa.mil/hq/deskbooks.asp or in the CORT Tool located at: https://wawf.eb.mil.

(4) Contracting Officer responsibilities:

(i) Contracting Officer Surveillance of COR and Annual Inspection of COR file -

The contracting officer shall maintain adequate surveillance of COR activities to ensure that the COR is complying with his/her responsibilities. The surveillance shall include an annual inspection the COR file. The results of the inspection shall be shared with the COR indicating

any corrective action needed as necessary. The Contracting Officer shall upload a completed copy of the inspection checklist to the CORT Tool. The inspection checklist can be found in Appendix E of the DISA COR Handbook located at: https://www.ditco.disa.mil/hq/cor/index.asp and within the local forms section of the CORT Tool.

Negative surveillance results shall be documented in the contract file and a copy sent to the COR’s supervisor. If the contracting officer determines that a COR is not performing in a satisfactory manner regarding contract administration, contract management or task order management, the contracting officer may remove the COR, revoke their designation in writing, and request that the requirements office nominate a suitable replacement COR.

(ii) Monthly Status Reports -

The Contracting Officer shall accept or reject the monthly status reports submitted by the COR.

(iii) EDMS Tab 52 shall contain the following documents: screen shot of completed CORT Tool

Nomination Process, and the CORT Tool Designation Letter.

(iv) The title Task Monitor (TM) is no longer valid because the title conflicts with policies and instructions within DFARS 201.602 and PGI 201.602-2. Therefore, the new task order technical monitor will be called Task or Site COR.

NOTE: Task Monitor Designations issued prior to October 1, 2011 will remain in effect until the task order expires or until the Task Monitor is terminated. No new Task Monitor Designations will be issued after October 1, 2011.

(v) A Technical Representative (TR) is distinctly different from a COR. A TR is not authorized to perform contract administration functions and is generally located at a contractor’s facility to provide program technical oversight. The acquisition manager (see DARS Part 7 for definition) appoints the TR. See DFARS 242.74 for TR procedures.

1.602-3 Ratification of unauthorized commitments.

(a) Definitions.

“Ratifying Official,” as used herein means the individual who has the authority to enter into a contractual commitment on behalf of the Agency, or the Contracting Officer.

“Ratification Approving Official,” as used here means the Senior Procurement Executive, (SPE)

or the Head of the Contracting Activity (HCA), as specified in (b) (2) below.

(b)(2) The ratification approving official for all DISA unauthorized commitments of any dollar value and non-DISA unauthorized commitments valued at or above $1M is the SPE. The ratification approving official for all Non-DISA unauthorized commitments valued below $1M is the HCA. Coordination of the ratification request shall flow from the individual that made the unauthorized commitment as follows: 1) Cognizant Contracting Officer to prepare the Determination and Findings, 2) DITCO COCO, 3) General Counsel for a legal opinion, and 4)

DITCO HCO, prior to submitting to PL22 for review and processing. PL22 will log the request, assign a tracking number, review the complete package and coordinate for HCA/SPE approval.

(S-90) The individual that made the unauthorized commitment prepares the ratification request package using the standardized “Request for Approval of Unauthorized Commitment” format, includes the documents specified in the “Ratification Form of Required Documentation” and prepares a DISA Form 9 in accordance with the DISA Form 9 Instructions. The ratification request package and DISA Form 9 shall be submitted to PL22 for tracking. If the unauthorized commitment was made by a non-DISA employee, then the Form 9 will be prepared by the contract specialist or contracting officer.

The Ratification Form of Required Documentation, Request for Approval of Unauthorized Commitment, and DISA Form 9 Instructions are located at https://www.ditco.disa.mil/DitcoContractingTemplates/doku.php?id=ratification_templates .

(S-91) Ratification packages shall be submitted within 15 business days after initial notification to the contracting officer of the unauthorized commitment. The contracting officer shall complete the processing of the ratification determination and findings within 14 business days after the receipt of an accurate and complete package in accordance with the “Ratification Form of Required Documents” referenced above.

(S-92) The ratification approving official reviews the ratification request package and approves or disapproves the ratification request. Final approval of the ratification action resides with the appropriate ratification-approving official.

(S-93) After submission of a ratification request, the individual that made the unauthorized commitment and an appropriate management official from the individual’s organization may be required to brief the ratification approving official on the circumstances and corrective actions taken to prevent recurrence of unauthorized commitments. The ratification approval official will determine if a briefing is required and the method of the briefing via in person, by telephone, or by video-teleconference (VTC).

(S-94) The Quality Assurance and Compliance Branch, PL22 will maintain a database of all unauthorized commitments and ratification requests. The database, at a minimum, shall include the following information:

(1) Ratification Control Number– A unique control number assigned for each ratification request package. The first two numbers correspond to the last two numbers of the fiscal year in which the ratification request is received, followed by a dash and two numbers corresponding to the sequence in which the ratification request is received (i.e., 10-01, 10-02, 10-03, etc.). Ratification control numbers will be assigned upon receipt of a complete ratification package.

(2) Contract Number and/or Order Number– The pertinent contract/order number against which the individual made an unauthorized commitment. If no contract existed at the time that an unauthorized commitment was made, so indicate. If the ratification request was approved and implemented, indicate the resulting, applicable contract number, with appropriate notation to that effect.

(3) Contracting officer/Organization Code/Phone – Enter the appropriate name, organization code, and telephone number of the contracting officer for the pertinent contract involved. If no contract exists, the information should be that of the contracting officer involved in the ratification action.

(4) Date Received – This is the date on which the ratification request package was received.

(5) Customer DISA or Non-DISA – This is self-explanatory. Indicate whether the customer is

from DISA or a non-DISA source.

(6) Contractor – Identify the pertinent contractor’s name and location (city and state).

(7) Organization/Office Code/Phone Number – This information identifies the organization to which the individual that made the unauthorized commitment belongs, as well as the office code and phone number.

(8) Date of Unauthorized Commitment – The actual date on which the unauthorized commitment was made.

(9) Dollar Value – The dollar value of the unauthorized commitment.

(10) Date of Ratification – The date on which the pertinent contract was ratified or the date on which the approved ratification request was implemented.

(11) Description of the Unauthorized Commitment and Ratification Requirement – Self- explanatory.

(12) Reason(s) for Ratification – A simple statement is all that is needed. This is a statement of why the unauthorized commitment was made. For example, expired contract; failure of the requirements office to communicate with the business management office and the contracting officer prior to making arrangements with the contractor to start work or provide a product/service.”

(13) If Not Ratified, Why Not? – Self-explanatory. If the ratification request was not approved, explain why it was not approved. If the ratification request was approved, leave this field blank.

(14) Type of Preventive Action Taken – Describe the actions taken regarding the individual that made the unauthorized commitment to guard against or prevent recurring unauthorized commitments. For example, indicate what action was taken to prevent this situation from occurring in the future (e.g. directed to attend purchase card training and re-certification as a Government Purchase Card holder, received a written letter of reprimand from immediate supervisor, was placed on leave without pay for a five-day period by the head of their organization. Include the organizational title of who directed the action to be taken.

(15) Referral to Investigative Authorities (Yes/No) – Self-explanatory.

(16) Previous Occurrences (Yes/No) – To the knowledge of the contracting officer, has there been any previous occurrence of an unauthorized commitment by this individual or organization?

(17) Ratification Approval Level (HCA or SPE)/Phone Number/Approval Date/Ratifying Official/Phone – Identify the appropriate approval level for the submitted ratification request; the applicable telephone number, and the date on which the ratification was approved.

(18) Contracting Officer /Phone Number – Identify the contracting officer responsible for implementing the ratification action on contract, and the contracting officer’s telephone number.

1.603 Selection, appointment, and termination of appointment for contracting officers.

1.603-1 General.

(a) Authority for selection, appointment and termination of appointment for contracting officers is delegated to the DISA Head of the Contracting Activity (HCA), reference FAR 1.603-1.

(S-90) The types of contracting officer appointments is described in Table 1-1:

Table 1-1 Contracting Officer Appointments and Requirements

Type of Appointment	Amount	Training Qualifications	Assessment Requirements	SF 1402 Statement
Communications Management & Control Activity (CMCA)	$25K	CON 237	None	Contract authority is limited to $25,000 for any contract action for information technology services and equipment in support of the US Secret Service, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Office of Special Events. Termination authority is limited to the amount of contract authority.
FTS2001/ Networx	$150K	DAWIA Level I - Purchasing or Contracting	None	Contract authority is limited to$150,000 for placing orders for pre-priced items under the FTS2001 and Networx contracts. No authority for termination is included.
White House Communications Agency (WHCA)	Varies up to $5M	DAWIA Level II Contracting	Passing of 30 question “Contracting Officer Appointment Test”	Contract authority is limited to $xxx,xxx for any contract action; except, contract authority is $xxx,xxx for orders issued against existing Government contracts or contracts established under FAR Part 8 procedures. No authority to contract for telecommunications services that are usage based, including monthly recurring charges, or are subject to regulatory tariffs is included. Termination authority is limited to the amount of contract authority.
Limited	$150K, $1M, $5M, $10M, $50M,	DAWIA Level II - Contracting	Passing of 30 question “Contracting Officer Appointment Test”	Contract authority is limited to $xxx,xxx for any contract action. Termination authority is limited to the amount of contract authority.
Limited	$100M, $250M or $500M	DAWIA Level II - Contracting	Passing of 50 question “Contracting Officer Appointment Test” and Oral Presentation “Delivery of a Procurement Topic to HCA”	Contract authority is limited to $xxx,xxx for any contract action. Termination authority is limited to the amount of contract authority.
Unlimited	Unlimited	DAWIA Level III - Contracting	Passing a “Contracting Officer Appointment Review Board” and have already passed a “Contracting Officer Appointment Test” (either 30, 40 or 50 questions; on the rare occasion where the applicant has never taken this test, passing of a 50 question test will be required).	No limitations.
Tariff Changes	Limited	DAWIA Level III - Contracting	None (no test requirement)	Authority is limited to authorizing automatic contract file conversions to revise tariff rates. Termination authority is limited to the amount of contract authority.

(S-91) Waivers. The HCA may waive the assessment requirement in Table 1-1 for a candidate after reviewing the candidate’s “DISA Application for Appointment as a Contracting Officer” and discussing with the Head of the Contracting Office (HCO). Typically, a test waiver is granted if the candidate already passed a contracting officer warrant test at a previous DoD agency.

(S-92) Type of Assessments. The types of assessments are described in Table 1-2 and below. It is the responsibility of a candidate’s immediate supervisor and HCO to prepare a candidate for each of the three types of test requirements.

Table 1-2 Contracting Officer Assessment Requirements

Type of Assessment	Required For:
1. Contracting Officer Appointment Test	Almost all warrants, see Table 1-1 for number of questions and exceptions
2. Oral Presentation/Delivery of a Procurement Topic to HCA/Team	Limited warrants for $100M, $250M or $500M
3. Contracting Officer Appointment Review Board	Unlimited warrants

(S-93) Contracting Officer Appointment Procedures. The procedures for this section can be found at https://www.ditco.disa.mil/DITCOContractingTemplates/.

1.604 Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

(S-90) Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) is an authorized representative of the DISA Contracting Officer who assists with the technical monitoring and/or administration of a contract. The COR is the technical/administrative liaison between the contractor and the Contracting Officer. (see DARS Subpart 201.602-2)

(1) COR is the only approved functional title for individuals performing the designated duties and responsibilities under this subpart in support of DISA contract management. Regardless of previous titles used, if an individual is performing the functions of a COR in support of a DISA or non-DISA contract, their appropriate functional title is DISA COR (primary or alternate). Contracting Officers shall only use the title COR in their designation letters.

(2) DISA Requirements Office shall use the DoD CORT Tool to initiate the Contracting Officer

Representative (COR) nomination.

(3) All COR questions, issues, and concerns should be sent to the COR email address DISA Ft

Meade DITCO Mailbox CORTM.

(S-91) CORT Tool and DISA and DoD Handbook

(1) All candidates and active CORs shall refer to the approved Department of Defense (DoD) Contracting Officer Representative Tracking Tool (CORT Tool) available at https://wawf.eb.mil.

(2) DISA COR Handbook is located at https://www.ditco.disa.mil/hq/deskbooks.asp or https://wawf.eb.mil.

(3) DoD COR Handbook is currently located at https://wawf.eb.mil.

SUBPART 1.90 — PROCUREMENT OVERSIGHT

1.9000 Review and Approval of Contract Actions.

(a) Definitions.

Approval to definitize an undefinitized contract action (UCA) or an unpriced change order (UCO). The Approval Authority for all UCAs and UCOs is the HCA. An action that creates a UCA or an UCO (Note: The Contracting Officer is required to seek HCA approval before entering into a UCA IAW DFARS 217.7404-1 and before final definitization of a UCA (IAW DARS 217.7405(S-91)) or UCO (IAW DARS 243.204-70-7(S-91));

Approval Authority (AA) means the individuals delegated the authority to review and approve contract actions and contract approvals (reference 1.9000(c)(2)).

“Begin negotiations” means, for the purpose of non-competitive contract actions, starting discussions with an offeror for the purpose of reaching agreement on all aspects of the proposal. Initiation of audits and fact-finding necessary to evaluate the proposal and develop the Government’s negotiation objective do not constitute negotiations

“Contract Approval” means: For competitive acquisitions conducted with or without discussions, approval by the Approval Authority to authorize the contracting officer to award a contract or order. For non-competitive contract actions approval by the Approval Authority is required to award a contract, order or contract modification.

(b) Exclusions.

(1) An extension modification or contract award as a result of a protest.

(2) An order issued against an existing contract, BOA or BPA if:

(i) Prices have been established in the basic indefinite delivery contract, BOA or BPA;

(ii) All other terms and conditions have been established in the basic indefinite delivery contract, BOA or BPA;

(iii) The basic contract, BOA or BPA was reviewed and considered legally sufficient by the supporting legal office; and

(iv) There are no negotiations (i.e., no proposal, formal or informal, is necessary for the order to be issued) involved in the award of the proposed order under the indefinite delivery contract, BOA or BPA.

(3) Inquiries issued in accordance with the Inquiry/Quote/Order (IQO) Acquisition Deskbook. However, Orders issued in accordance with the IQO process are not excluded from the contract review and approval;

(4) Contract actions that solely provide incremental funding, incentive fee funding, award fee funding or other administrative contract modifications.

(5) Priced options that were previously established in the basic contract/order and that are exercised in accordance with the established prices and terms and conditions of the contract/order.

Procurement actions are subject to various review levels and thresholds as set forth below.

Heads of Contracting Office (HCO) and Chiefs of Contracting Office (CoCO) are accountable for procurement quality. HCOs and CoCOs will establish an internal review system to review contract files not less than annually to ensure quality standards are maintained for all procurement actions within their respective offices, including simplified acquisitions. The HCO and/or CoCO is responsible for identifying the quality control measures that are put in place within the DITCO in the Manager's Internal Control Program. The results of the quality inspections will be provided to PL2 for trend analysis, training purposes, and future PMRs.

(1) The objectives of the review and approval process are to ensure that:

(i) Contract actions effectively implement approved acquisition strategies;

(ii) Negotiations and contract actions result in fair and reasonable business arrangements;

(iii) Negotiations and contract actions are consistent with laws, regulations, and policies; and, (iv) An independent review and assessment for the proposed contract action is accomplished.

(2) Contract actions meeting the contract value thresholds set within the SSA/AA Delegation Briefing Procedures located at https://www.ditco.disa.mil/DITCOContractingTemplates/ shall not be awarded without obtaining the required review approvals and contract approvals. The Approval Authority for all UCAs and UCOs is the HCA. Competitive acquisitions and non-competitive contract actions processed in accordance with FAR Subpart 8.4, Part 12, Part 13, and Subpart 16.5 shall follow the SSA/AA Delegation Briefing Procedures.

(d) General Counsel (GC)/Legal and Policy Compliance Reviews.

(1) Legal (GC) and Policy Compliance (PL22) reviews shall be obtained prior to submission to the AA/SSA.

(i) Legal and Policy Compliance review thresholds. PL83: $10M for task orders, $10M for supplies / hardware, and $6.5 for all other procurement actions; PLA, PL5, PL6, PL7 and PL82: $6.5M for all procurement actions.

(ii) Legal and Policy reviews of contracts and task orders using the trade-off evaluation method, regardless of dollar value, are highly encouraged.

(iii) Legal and Policy reviews can be requested by a contracting officer, CoCO, HCO, or HCA at lower dollar thresholds or for special interest procurements.

(2) At a minimum, the contracting officer must review the contract file/documentation prior to requesting a legal and policy compliance review. Also, the contract file must be reviewed at least one level above the contracting officer prior to requesting a Legal and Policy compliance review for contract actions greater than or equal to $50M. The contract specialist or contracting officer may submit the request for Legal and Policy compliance review only after all reviewer comments, if any, are resolved.

(3) Legal and Policy compliance reviews may be requested concurrently. Legal and Policy reviews will be accomplished in four (4) business days. Additional business days may be required to review substantial/numerous documents.

(i) When Legal or Policy reviews indicate non-compliance with laws, regulations or policies (e.g. a policy critical finding or a GC legally insufficient finding), the contracting officer will revise the procurement documents in collaboration with the assigned attorney-advisor and/or procurement analyst. Legal will copy the CoCO on e-mails which notify a contracting officer of legally insufficient findings, and Policy will copy CoCOs on e-mails which notify a contracting officer of critical findings. A procurement document shall not be released until legally insufficient or critical findings are adjudicated. While changes are expected to be professionally resolved at the lowest possible level, disagreements may be elevated above the contracting officer, through Section and Branch Chiefs to the CoCO, the HCO, and ultimately to the HCA and legal issues may be elevated to the General Counsel; elevation of issues above the Branch Chief-level are expected to be very rare.

(ii) Legal or Policy business advice will be resolved by the contracting officer. Disagreements may be elevated one level above the contracting officer but no lower than a Section or Branch Chief. The assigned attorney-advisor or procurement analyst may request CoCO adjudication. In rare instances, adjudication above the COCO may be necessary. Legal may elevate disagreements to the General Counsel if necessary.

(4) Policy compliance (PL22) reviews ---

(i) Requests for Policy compliance review shall be sent via email to the “DISA Ft Meade PLD Mailbox PL22 Policy Compliance Review” group mailbox. The following standard subject line format shall be used: “[insert Office Code (i.e., PLX)], [insert “Pre-Solicitation”, “Pre-Award” or “Post-Award,” as appropriate] Policy Compliance Review Request, [insert solicitation, contract/modification, or order/modification number] and [*insert EDMS folder ID number].” Urgent requests for review must also include “Expedite” in the subject line and shall be forwarded to the PL22 group mailbox by the CoCO. Pertinent information needed to assist the PL22 policy compliance reviewers should be included in the body of the e-mail. For example, provide the EDMS folder ID number, document identifier/description, indicate if a policy compliance review was accomplished at a previous stage of the procurement (and if so, the solicitation number), provide the estimated dollar value of the procurement, etc. See Table 1-3 for a list of required documents. Documents may be submitted as attachments to the email if not available in EDMS.

*Note: Regardless of the type of review, the EDMS folder identifier used in EDMS at the time of the review request must be included to allow the automatic storing of the review results.

(ii) In circumstances where the contracting officer finds it necessary to proceed with issuing a solicitation or awarding a contract action prior to obtaining PL22 policy compliance review as required by the DARS, the contracting officer shall obtain a written waiver from the CoCO. The waiver shall be retained in the official contract file. Policy will review solicitations after-the-fact ((i.e., after the solicitation has been issued).

(iii) Each Policy review comment will be listed under one of the following categories: Administrative, Critical or Recommendation. Below is the definition of each category:

(A) Administrative is grammar, punctuation, style, etc.

(B) Critical is when the procurement is non-compliant with the FAR, DFARS, DARS, or DISA prescribed policy or procedure. The reference will be cited and the comment shall be resolved within two business days and/or prior to release of a procurement document. The critical comment(s) and disposition are to be filed as part of the contract file.

(5) Legal (GC) reviews ---

(i) Definitions.

Legally Sufficient: Complies with the applicable laws, regulations and policy.

Legally Insufficient: Does not comply with the applicable laws, regulations and policy. Generally, these will be accompanied by specific findings and potential alternatives to correct legal deficiencies.

In addition, Legal may also express its business opinion/advice in support of its reviews beyond the base legal sufficiency determinations above, to include advice on legal and business risks relative to the best interests of the Agency. These opinions constitute advice for consideration of the DISA acquisition team in which the GC is a partner.

(ii) Legal review comments or a statement that the procurement document has been reviewed and found to be legally sufficient must be placed in the contract file. The contracting officer is responsible for assuring that all legal comments are adjudicated and documented in the contract file.

(iii) In circumstances where the contracting officer finds it necessary to proceed with issuing a solicitation or awarding a contract action prior to obtaining a required legal review, the contracting officer shall obtain a written waiver from the CoCO. The waiver shall be retained in the official contract file. The CoCO shall request an emergency/or quick turn-around legal review prior to approving the waiver. Legal will not review solicitations and contract award actions that have been waived (i.e., after-the-fact reviews).

(iv) DITCO-Pacific (PL7), DITCO-Scott Telecommunications Contracting Division (PL82) and DITCO-Scott IT Contracting Division (PL83) shall obtain legal reviews from legal counsel located at DITCO-Scott. DITCO-National Capital Region (PL6), DITCO-Europe (PL5), and WHCA shall obtain legal reviews from legal counsel located at NCR.

(v) Requests for legal review from legal counsel located at DITCO-Scott shall be sent via email to the “DISA Scott AFB DITCO Mailbox Legal Office” group mailbox. Requests for legal reviews from legal counsel located at DITCO-NCR shall be sent via email to the “DISA Ft Meade GC Mailbox Acquisition Law Team” group mailbox. The following standard subject line format shall be used: “[insert Office Code (i.e., PLX)], [insert “Pre-Solicitation”, “Pre-Award Contract Approval” or “Contract Approval” as appropriate] Legal Review Request, [insert solicitation, contract/modification, or order/modification number].” The contracting officer or specialist shall provide legal counsel with the documents necessary to complete the review.

Table 1-3 Minimum Documentation to Attach to Review Requests

(The minimum documentation required for reviews)

Type of Review	Decision Point	Non-Competitive	Competitive FAR Parts 12 and 15	Competitive FAR Subparts 8.4 and 16.5

Pre-Solicitation	Prior to Release of Solicitation	All Pre-Solicitation Documents including the Solicitation	All Pre-Solicitation Documents including the Solicitation	All Pre-Solicitation Documents including the Solicitation
	Prior to Beginning Negotiations	See DARS 15.406-3 for Required Review and Approval of Pre-PNMs and Sole Source PNMs	Not Applicable	Not Applicable
Contract Approval	Prior to Award	Contract, Order or Modification and Post-PNM RFP and Evaluation Documents (Legal Only)	All Pre-Award Documentation including Contract, Source Selection Decision Document, Best Value Trade-off or LPTA Evaluation Summary(e.g., Selection Recommendation Document), RFP and Draft Notification to Unsuccessful Offerors	All Pre-Award Documentation including Order, Post-PNM, Best Value Trade-off or LPTA Evaluation Summary(e.g., Selection Recommendation Document), RFQ and Draft Notification to Unsuccessful Offerors

1.9001 Procurement Management Reviews (PMRs) and Special Interest Reviews.

(a) Chief, Quality Assurance Branch (PL22) will establish and maintain DISA’s Procurement

Management Review (PMR) program, conduct Special Interest Reviews, and assist the Agency DISA with other reviews as appropriate. PMRs assist the Head of the Contracting Activity (HCA) and the DISA Vice-Director, as the Agency Senior Procurement Executive, in evaluating DISA’s procurement processes including DISA’s Purchase Card Program. PMRs also assist the Contracting Chiefs and Commanders with improving the operational efficiency and effectiveness of their contracting organizations. This is accomplished through the assessment of internal management controls, acquisition policies and procedures, and annually certifying to the Secretary of Defense that the procurement system meets established statues, regulations, and policies. Additionally, the results of the internal PMRs are used to assess the procurement organization’s ability to sustain external scrutiny such as DoD Inspector General (DoDIG) Audits, General Accountability Office (GAO) Audits, external PMRs, and other independent reviews.

(b) PMRs are conducted at the HCA’s four Defense Information Technology Contracting

Organizations (DITCOs) and three external organizations:

(1) DITCO-National Capital Region (NCR) (2) DITCO-Europe

(3) DITCO-Pacific

(4) DITCO-Scott

(5) WHCA (White House Communications Agency)

(6) CMCA (Communications Management and Control Activity)

(7) NAG (National Assessment Group)

A-123:

(1) Sound contracting business decisions;

(2) Effective competition, small business, and other procurement initiatives;

(3) Pricing Techniques;

(4) Types of Contracts;

(5) Market Research;

(6) Customer satisfaction;

(7) Designation of Contracting Officers Representatives (CORs);

(8) Performance-Based Acquisition (PBA) – Quality Assurance Surveillance Plans (QASPs);

(9) Contract Award and Incentive Fee Process

(10) Wide Area Work-Flow-Receipt and Acceptance (WAWF-RA);

(11) Contract Close-out;

(12) Purchase Card Program;

(13) Overall internal management controls;

(14) Proper separation of functions and duties;

(15) Proper Government oversight; and

(16) Adequate checks and balances.

(d) Special Interest Reviews are conducted at the request of the HCA or Vice Director. These reviews evaluate --

(1) Contracting Officer’s Representatives (CORs);

(2) Limited contracting officer’s warrants;

(3) Purchase cardholders and approving officials; and

(4) Other areas as appropriate.

(e) Chief, Quality Assurance Branch (PL22) or designee will be the final decision authority for unresolved PMR issues.

(f) Chief, Quality Assurance Branch (PL22) will appoint a PMR Coordinator who will:

(1) Conduct PMRs on contracting offices at least once every 12-18 months;

(2) Conduct special interest reviews at the request of the HCA or Vice Director;

(3) Assist with Agency reviews when requested;

(4) Conduct follow-up reviews to validate corrective action taken from previous identified findings and recommendations;

(5) Identify systemic issues;

(6) Establish and maintain PMR statistics for the Procurement Directorate’s Balanced-Scorecard

(BSC);

(7) Establish and lead the PMR team;

(8) Issue a draft report allowing sufficient time for comments;

(9) Consider comments received prior to release of the final report;

(10) Ensure final report requires the appropriate organization to provide a Plan of Action and

Milestones (POA&M) for correcting all findings and recommendations; and

(11) Release the final report to the organization after approval by the HCA.

1.9002 Procurement Oversight for Classified.

Classified procurements are not exempt from compliance reviews. The Chief, Quality Assurance Branch (PL22) shall be contacted to coordinate all compliance reviews for classified procurements. The contracting officer shall ensure contract documents are redacted to remove any reference to the awardee, program, etc.

1.9003 Contract Document Approval Signature Routing Procedures.

Routing for coordination and signature procedures are located at: https://www.ditco.disa.mil/DITCOContractingTemplates/ (See Contract Document Approval Signature Routing Procedures.)