Two final regulations published in the Federal Register Thursday lay out new rules for federal information technology acquisitions.
One rule tweaks the procedures for placing orders under multiple award contracts, such as government-wide acquisition contracts. Under the final rule, effective August 16, contract officers are prohibited from playing favorites when placing orders under such pacts.
For multiple-order contracts, "each awardee must be provided a fair opportunity to be considered for each order in excess of $2,500," the new rule states. But contracting officers are allowed "broad discretion" in making decisions on awarding individual task orders. According to the rule, factors to consider in making such awards include past performance on earlier tasks under the multiple-award contract, quality of deliverables, cost control, price and cost.
Another final rule issued Thursday in the Federal Register stipulates that an agency may not purchase products that won't be year 2000-compliant by Dec. 31 unless its chief information officer deems that a noncompliant product is "necessary to the function and operation of the agency." The new rule allows CIOs to bypass the Y2K compliance provision if the product in question is required by a contract in effect before October 21, 1998.
NASA and the General Services Administration, which represent civilian agencies on the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council, and the Defense Acquisitions Regulation Council approved the new rules.