Back to Basic Certification Contracting Exam Graded Questions and Answers 2024

What are the 3 phases of contract life cycle? - Pre-Award, Award, and Post-Award The Pre-award phase consists of 2 primary activities, what are they? - Develop Solicitation and Develop Offer What one activity is in the award phase? - Form the Contract The post-award phase is comprised of 2 primary activities, what are they? - Perform Contract and Close Contract Who develops a solitication? - The Government and the buyer Who prepares an offer? - The Contractor and the seller During the post-award phase while the contract is being performed, who has the responsibility for quality? - The seller What is the means by acquiring by contract with appropriated funds of supplies or services by and for the use of the Federal Government through purchase or lease? - Acquisition What FAR part covers personal conflict of interest? - FAR Part 3 What FAR part covers organizational conflict of interest? - FAR Part 9 Who has the authority to the maximum extent practicable and consistent with law, to determine the application of rules, regulations, and policies, on a specific contract? - The Contracting Officer Openness for the contracting officer applies primarily to? - The Acquisition Team, Contractor, Offerors, and The Contracting Team What is a Determination and Findings (D&F)? - Determination is a conclusion or decision supported by the findings. What is a special form of written approval by an authorized official that is required by statute or regulation as a prerequisite to taking certain contract actions. - A Determination and Findings (D&F) What is it called when a practice of conducting acquisition actions of any kind at any stage of the acquisition process that is inconsistent with the FAR? - Deviation What is a summary of the contractor's proposal, any field pricing assistance recommendations, including the reasons for any pertinent variances from them, the Government's negotiation objective, and the negotiated position. Where the determination of a fair and reasonable price is based on cost analysis, the summary shall address each major cost element. When determination of a fair and reasonable price is based on price analysis, the summary shall include the source and type of data used to support the determination. - Negotiation You need to document a business decision, such as the use of a specific contract type. What document will you create? - A Determination and Findings (D&F) At the conclusion of negotiations, the contracting officer will complete a what? - Price Negotiation Memorandum (PNM) Prior to negotiation a sole source contract, the contracting officer must complete a what? - Justification and Approval (J&A) This form is used to award negotiated contracts in which signatures of both parties on a single document is appropriate. - SF 26 - Award/Contract This form is used to amend any solicitation or modify any contract. - SF 30 - Amendment of Solicitation/Modification of Contract This form may be used to award either negotiated contracts or contracts utilizing sealed bidding. - SF 33 - Solicitation, Offer, and Award This form is used for soliciting offers and awarding contracts expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. These acquisitions must be for: (1) construction, alteration or repair; OR (2) dismantling, demolition, or removal of improvements. - SF 1442 - Solicitation, Offer & Award This form is required for solicitations for commercial items if the acquisition will exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. It is encouraged for commercial acquisitions not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold. - SF 1449 - Solicitation/Contract/Order for Commercial Items This form is used for placing orders under indefinite-delivery contracts or if the SF 1449 is not used under simplified acquisition procedures. - DD 1155 - Order for Supplies or Services This form is used to facilitate a structured approach to profit/fee analysis. - DD 1547 - Record of Weighted Guidelines Application What aids both the Government and contractor personnel to (1) achieve a clear and mutual understanding of all contract requirements, and (2) identify and resolve potential problems. - Postaward Orientation What is the general rule for ethical behavior? - The general rule is to avoid strictly any conflict of interest or even the appearance of a conflict of interest in Government-contractor relationships. What was passed to deter subcontractors from making payments and contractors from accepting payments for the purpose of improperly obtaining or rewarding favorable treatment in connection with a prime contract or a subcontract relating to a prime contract? - The Anti-Kickback Act of 1986 Any contractor bid or proposal information delivered to the Government with restrictions on its use, modification, reproduction, release, performance, or display may not be provided to third parties unless the intended recipient completes and signs a what? - A Non-Disclosure Agreement A what is a situation in which a covered employee has a financial interest, personal activity, or relationship that could impair the employee's ability to act impartially and in the best interest of the Government when performing under the contract. - Personal Conflict of Interest A contracting officer shall not knowingly award a contract to WHO or to a business concern or other organization owned or substantially owned by this person (FAR 3.601). - a Government employee What does OCI stand for? - Organizational Conflicts of Interest An what is the existence of a set of circumstances in which a contractor may be unable to render impartial advice to the government, or might have impaired objectivity in performing contracted work, or may obtain an unfair competitive advantage in the marketplace when competing for government work where that unfair advantage is obtained performing a government contract. - Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI) What are the 3 broad categories of OCI? - (1) Unequal Access, (2) Impaired Objectivity, and (3) Biased Ground Rules What is an unfair competitive advantage typically surfaces when a contractor obtains information not generally available to competitors where such information would assist the contractor in winning the contract award? - Unequal Access (part of OCI) This may happen when a support contractor is performing duties that involve assessing or evaluating itself or a related entity. - Impaired Objectivity (part of OCI)