RITA | ITS | Lessons Learned: Consult agency procurement personnel in the final selection of the appropriate ITS procurement package and in the definition of the terms and conditions.

Lesson

Consult agency procurement personnel in the final selection of the appropriate ITS procurement package and in the definition of the terms and conditions.

Experience from a review of ITS contracting methods and practices. Steps 7 and 8 of the Decision Model.

2006
United States

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Lesson Learned

The agency's contracts personnel should be involved from the beginning of the procurement process, and it is especially critical that they play a role in the final selection of the procurement package and in the definition of the terms and conditions. After applying the differentiators to reduce the number of potential procurement solutions, multiple options may still exist. In this case, it is necessary to work with the agency's procurement officials to select the final package. Considerations in making the final decision include:

Give preference to alternatives with which the agency has had prior experience and success.
Assess the compatibility of the package with the systems engineering and project management principles.

Upon selecting the procurement package, the final step in the contracting decision model involves the selection of the terms and conditions to be included in the contract. This step should be performed in consultation with the procurement staff, as it requires contracting expertise. The "Guide to Contracting ITS Projects" provides the terms and conditions required for all contracts, as well as the terms and conditions that are applicable to specific procurement packages. Agencies seeking guidance on specific terms and conditions of contracts should consult the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).

These steps of the Decision Model are designed to create an efficient and reliable procurement process. This increased efficiency can result in cost savings for agencies in the procurement of ITS. Moreover, by enabling agencies to choose the most appropriate procurement package, the Decision Model facilitates the ultimate success of the ITS deployment.

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