Whats a “realistic” timeline for an A-76 study?
The OMB Circular A-76 Handbook (part I, chapter 3, paragraph A4) states that cost comparisons should be completed within 18 months for a single activity or 36 months for multiple activities (from announcement to initial decision). DA Pam 5-20, Figure 2-2, (Milestone Schedule Negotiated Bid Procurement) provides a competition time of 13 months from study start to final decision. Because this milestone schedule was not designed for larger, more complex studies, OACSIM has informally provided milestone schedules of 18 months for studies of 100-600 personnel and 21 months for more than 600 personnel (from study start to final decision). While some MACOMs have indicated that these timelines are too aggressive, OACSIM has maintained that they should remain as “stretch” targets until it can be demonstrated that they are unattainable.
