§ 215.611 - Best and final offers.

(c)(i) Before requesting an additional (second or subsequent) best and final offer, the contracting officer shall obtain approval from—

(A) The source selection authority and the senior procurement executive (SPE) for competitive negotiated acquisitions under formal source selection (see FAR 15.612). The SPE may delegate this authority to a level no lower than the head of the contracting activity.

(B) The head of the contracting activity (HCA) for all other competitive negotiated acquisitions. The HCA may delegate this authority to the chief of the contracting office.

(ii) Each HCA shall establish a system for reporting and documenting additional requests for best and final offers. Systems shall include as a minimum—

(A) The total number of competitive negotiated acquisitions awarded;

(B) The number of those acquisitions for which an additional request for best and final offers was approved and issued; and

(C) The reasons for approving each additional request for best and final offers.

(iii) To ensure that additional requests for best and final offers are used only when necessary and unavoidable, HCAs shall—

(A) Periodically analyze data collected under paragraph (c)(ii) of this section;

(B) Take appropriate corrective action, e.g., training, revising approval levels; and

(C) Provide periodic summary reports to the SPE as specified in department/agency regulations.