Agencies told to play fair in speedy procurements

Federal contracting officers need to make sure companies get a fair shot at their agencies' business when they use speedy procurement methods, under revisions to the Federal Acquisition Regulation announced Tuesday.

The changes are aimed at so-called multiple-award contracts, which allow agencies to place task orders for goods and services rather than conduct full and open competitions for each procurement. The revisions require "that all awardees be given a fair opportunity to compete on every task or delivery order placed under multiple-award contracts, unless a specific exception applies," according to a notice in the April 25 Federal Register.

Congress ordered the revisions to the Federal Acquisition Regulation last year amid complaints that agencies were using flexible procurement methods such as multiple-award contracts to avoid the process of full and open competition to the detriment of some companies.