TITLE 6300 - PROCUREMENT MANAGEMENT
7/87 R-1 SUPPLEMENT 54
6304 - RESPONSIBILITY
Yearend Procurement Policy. The Regional policy is to plan procurements in accordance with
guidelines in FSM 6304.6, Item 1, Advance Acquisition Plan, to meet these guidelines:
(1) Procurement Goals. Award all procurements early in the fiscal year better
procurement planning to avoid unnecessary mistakes and delays from rushed procurements, to
obtain better prices, and to minimize fourth quarter procurements.
(2) Yearend Cutoff Dates. The cutoff dates shown below are general guidelines for the
time needed to complete a purchase in the Regional Office. These dates are established for the
regional Office and shall be considered when preparing or supplementing the annual advance
acquisition plan.
Yearend Cutoff Dates:
Procurements exceeding $25,000
July 1
- Service, negotiated, ADP, Telecommunication and utilities, and
construction contracts
July 14 - Supply procurements not included above
Procurements under $25,000
August 10
- Purchases requiring waivers from mandatory sources, service
procurements exceeding $2,500, and supply requirements
exceeding $10,000.
September 10 - All other procurement actions except procurements of less that
$250 which can be accomplished by GSA Fedstrip, imprest fund,
or Blanket Purchase Arrangements.
September 23 - Last day to submit requisitions. This cutoff date is needed to
allow time for processing the requisitions prior to the end of the
year.
Forest Supervisor's may use these cutoff dates or establish their own by supplementing this
section.
High workload at yearend may hinder procurements before the end of the year, especially those
that are unplanned. Individual exceptions of Regional Office requisitions received after the
prescribed dates will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Assistant Director of
Administration, Contracting and Procurement. Forests shall establish procedures for handling
exceptions.
Examples of categories of exceptions include FFF procurements, on-going projects where the
procurement is essential to project accomplishment, continuing year funds where year-end
procurement is not an issue, and procurements where essential Forest activities would be
seriously compromised if the procurement is not accomplished.
Requisitioners are responsible for requisitioning supplies or services that are bona-fide needs of
the current fiscal year only. This requirement applies throughout the year but during the fourth
quarter it is especially important.
6304.6 - Staff Directors, Staff Officers, and Program Managers.
To provide for procurement planning, the Regional Office and Forest Supervisor's Offices shall
develop and maintain an annual Advance Acquisition Plan (AAP).
A. Objectives
(1) To meet program needs by awarding contracts in an orderly manner, insuring sound
procurement practices, encouraging effective competition, and maintaining
accountability.
(2) To provide a flexible management tool that accommodates emergencies, budget
changes, and changes in program direction, while effectively assisting the program
manager in accomplishing projects through the acquisition process.
(3) To prevent imprudent fourth-quarter spending.
(4) To provide a tool for establishing and finalizing annual procurement preference
program goals, and to identify projects for set-aside programs.
B. Policy
As required by Departmental Regulation 5007-1 and FSAR 4007.170, each procurement
office shall prepare an annual AAP.
C. Responsibility
(1) Responsibility for preparation and approval of the AAP rests with the Line Officer for
the unit involved. The plan should be approved for each unit by September 30 for the
next fiscal year.
(2) Program Managers, Budget Officers, Contracting Officers, and others involved in the
acquisition process shall cooperate in preparing the AAP. The AAP is an integral
part of the budget process.
D. Procedures for Development of the AAP
(1) Thirty days after the Budget Initial Advice is received, but no later than September
15, units shall submit the data required for preparation of the AAP to the unit
acquisition office.
(2) The AAP will be updated for any significant changes. As a minimum, it will be
reviewed and updated quarterly.
(3) Revisions to the plan shall be approved by the official who initially approved the plan
and the Forest Contracting Officer.
E. Contents of Written Acquisition Plans
(1) As a minimum, the AAP shall contain:
(a) Acquisitions estimated to exceed $10,000 (Forests may adopt lower thresholds).
(b) Projects of a "critical" nature regardless of dollar amount requiring special approvals
or that need program planning for accomplishment, i.e. ADPE services and supplies,
procurements involving former employees, limited source items requiring substantial research.
(2) Include the following data for each acquisition on the AAP (See Exhibit 1 ).
Additional items may be added, such as a column for assignment of projects.
(a) Unit
(b) Project Name;
(c) Type of Project (service, supply, construction);
(d) Estimated cost of project;
(e) Date project will be given to acquisition office;
(f) Desired delivery date;
(g) Contact Person;
(h) Funding - funded, unfunded, or swing, as follows:
F (Funded) -This is a funded project listed on the acquisition plan.
U (Unfunded) - This is an unfunded project listed on the acquisition
plan which should have specifications, etc. submitted to
acquisition office by July 15.
S (Swing) - This is a swing project which, if not funded in the current
year, will be in the subsequent year. This project will by
advertised for opening (receipt of offers) between August
10 and September 15.
(i) Quarter (1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th)
EXHIBIT 1
Unit
D3
D4
D6
D5
D7
D3
Project
Type
Cost
Date in
Procurement
Thinning
Planting
Lolo Roads
Remodeling
Trail Mntc.
Bear Trap
Serv.
Serv.
Cont.
Cont.
Serv.
Supp.
$ 10,000
$ 34,000
$235,000
$ 20,000
$ 5,000
$ 2,000
2/87
1/87
4/87
6/87
3/87
8/87
Delivery
Date
Contact
Person
5/24/87
3/22/87
5/31/87
8/08/87
5/15/87
9/01/87
Smith
Jones
Johnson
Thompson
Jackson
Matthews
Funding Qtr
F
F
U
S
U
S
2
2
3
3
2
4
F. Milestones and Lead Times
Use the following milestones and lead times in developing the AAP. These times
represent an average for the events indicated and do not reflect allowances for deficient
pre-bid packages, amendments to solicitations, requests for certificates of competency,
small business size standard issues from the Small Business Adminstration, or protests
against award.
MILESTONES
DAYS OF PROCESS TIME
Contracts:
Receipt of draft solicitation
Notice to Department of Labor
(service contracts only)
Commerce Business Daily Notice (exceeding $25,000)
Mailing
Publication
Advertising Time
Technical Evaluation and Selection
(negotiated contracts)
Analyze bids, determination of responsiveness
and responsibility, and award
15
60
10
15
30
15
15
CUMULATIVE AVERAGE TIMES (over $25,000 - from receipt of request to award)
SEALED BID
Service
Supply
Construction
145 days
85 days
85 days
NEGOTIATED
160 days
100 days
100 days
SMALL PURCHASES (less that $25,000 - rom receipt of requisition to award)
Service procurements
less than $2,500
exceeding $2,500
Supply procurements
less than $10,000
exceeding $10,000
average 20 days *
average 40 days *
average 20 days *
average 30 days *
* plus time for delivery or completion of work. Time may vary depending on complexity
of the item or service, whether the Service Contract Act applies, and availability of services or
supply item.
Early notification and communication of procurement needs with procurement personnel can
usually reduce the timeframes noted above by allowing some procedures, such as notices, to
begin early and by allowing some processes to happen concurrently. Communication should
involve establishing individual project schedules of the various tasks to meet deadlines. This is
particularly important for projects on a critical time schedule.