A PBA requires performance standards. Where in the solicitation/contract should they placed?
A19 It is essential to have performance standards in a PBA. Performance standards describe the minimum required level of performance, failing which, the objective of the contract cannot be met. Performance standards in an award fee plan, on the other hand, may be used to describe performance above the minimum acceptable level, which would make a contractor eligible to earn some or all of the award fee pool, at the discretion of the Government. Performance standards may also be stated in the Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) and the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP); both of these documents can be drafted either by the Government or by the contractor. Contractor-proposed performance standards give the Government an excellent tool to help discriminate among offerors.
