Simplified Acquisition Procedures

The US Federal Government utilizes Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP), to consolidate the contracting process.

What Are Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP)?

Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP) are contracting methods used by the United States Federal Government Agencies to consolidate the procurement process. This helps accelerate the purchasing process of goods and services.

Purpose for SAP’s

Reduce administrative costs
Improve opportunities for small, small disadvantaged, women-owned, veteran-owned, HUBZone, and service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns to obtain a fair proportion of Government contracts
Promote efficiency and economy in contracting
Avoid unnecessary burdens for agencies and contractors

Policy for SAP’s

Agencies shall use simplified acquisition procedures to the maximum extent practicable for all purchases of supplies or services. The simplified acquisition threshold (including purchases at or below the micro-purchase threshold) cannot be exceeded. This policy does not apply if an agency can meet its requirement using.

FAR Part 13 – Simplified Acquisition Procedures

Simplified Acquisition Procedures are explained in detail in the FAR Part 13.

The purpose of FAR 13 is to highlight the following key points.

Policies and procedures for the acquisition of supplies and services
Construction, research, development (R&D), and commercial items are the main areas of interest
Procurement amounts do not exceed $250,000
Micro-Purchase Threshold (MPT) minimum is $10,000

Contracting Officers Procedures

In making purchases, contracting officers shall:

Comply with the policy in 7.202 relating to economic purchase quantities, when practicable.
Satisfy the procedures described in subpart 19.6 with respect to Certificates of Competency before rejecting a quotation, oral or written, from a small business concern determined to be non-responsible (see subpart 9.1); and
Provide for the inspection of supplies or services as prescribed in 46.404.

In making purchases, contracting officers should:

Include related items (such as small hardware items or spare parts for vehicles) in one solicitation and make award on an “all-or-none” or “multiple award”
Incorporate provisions and clauses by reference in solicitations and in awards under requests for quotations, provided the requirements in 52.102 are satisfied;
Make maximum effort to obtain trade and prompt payment discounts (see 14.408-3). Prompt payment discounts shall not be considered in the evaluation of quotations; and
Use bulk funding to the maximum extent practicable. Bulk funding is particularly appropriate if numerous purchases using the same type of funds are to be made during a given period.

Award and Documentation

Before making an award, the contracting officer must determine that the proposed price is fair and reasonable.

Whenever possible, base price reasonableness on competitive quotations or offers.

If only one response is received, include a statement of price reasonableness in the contract file. The contracting officer may base the statement on:

Market research
Comparison of the proposed price with prices found reasonable on previous purchases
Current price lists, catalogs, or advertisements. However, inclusion of a price in a price list, catalog, or advertisement does not, in and of itself, establish fairness and reasonableness of the price
A comparison with similar items in a related industry
The contracting officer’s personal knowledge of the item being purchased
Comparison to an independent Government estimate; or
Any other reasonable basis.

Termination or Cancellation of Purchase Orders

If a purchase order that has been accepted in writing by the contractor is to be terminated, the contracting officer shall process the termination in accordance with:

12.403 and 52.212-4(l) or (m) for commercial products and commercial services; or
part 49 or 52.213-4 for other than commercial products or commercial services.

If a purchase order that has not been accepted in writing by the contractor is to be canceled, the contracting officer shall notify the contractor in writing that the purchase order has been canceled, request the contractor’s written acceptance of the cancellation, and proceed as follows:

If the contractor accepts the cancellation and does not claim that costs were incurred because of beginning performance under the purchase order, no further action is required (i.e., the purchase order shall be considered canceled).
If the contractor does not accept the cancellation or claims that costs were incurred because of beginning performance under the purchase order, the contracting officer shall process the action as a termination prescribed in paragraph (a) of this subsection.

Acquisition.gov

Acquisition.gov is an online platform developed by the General Services Administration (GSA) that serves as a central hub for acquisition-related information, policies, and tools. The main feature of Acquisition.gov is the FAR.

The platform provides critical resources to federal acquisition professionals, including: contracting officers, program managers, and industry partners.
The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is the primary regulation for use by all executive agencies in their acquisition of supplies and services with appropriated funds.
FAR part 13 is specific to Simplified Acquisition Procedures.