The Dept. of Defense has launched a new 4-year pilot program that will allow their Contracting Officers to buy ‘innovative goods and services’ without following formal RFP procedures.
This class deviation includes any commercial “technology, process, or method, including research and development, that is new as of the date of submission of a proposal, or any application that is new as of the date of submission of a proposal of a technology, process, or method.”
Instead of the normal RFP process, where the agency describes exactly what they want to buy, Contracting Officers will issue a “general solicitation” and will use a peer review process involving subject matter experts to evaluate the responses.
Military services and agencies will be allowed to use the process for procurements of up to $100 million.