§ 25.105 - Critical components and critical items.  


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  • 25.105 Determining reasonableness of cost.

    (a) The contracting officer -

    (1) Must use the evaluation factors in paragraph (b) of this section unless the head of the agency makes a written determination that the use of higher factors is more appropriate. If the determination applies to all agency acquisitions, the agency evaluation factors must be published in agency regulations; and

    (2) Must not apply evaluation factors to offers of eligible products if the acquisition is subject to a trade agreement under Subpart 25.4.

    (b) If there is a domestic offer that is not the low offer, and the restrictions of the Buy American statute apply to the low offer, the contracting officer must determine the reasonableness of the cost of the domestic offer by adding to the price of the low offer, inclusive of duty -

    (1) 20 percent, if the lowest domestic offer is from a large business concern; or

    (2) 30 percent, if the lowest domestic offer is from a small business concern. The contracting officer must use this factor, or another factor established in agency regulations, in small business set-asides if the low offer is from a small business concern offering the product of a small business concern that is not a domestic end product (see subpart 19.5).

    (c) The price of the domestic offer is reasonable if it does not exceed the evaluated price of the low offer after addition of the appropriate evaluation factor in accordance with paragraph (a) or (b) of this section. (See evaluation procedures at Subpart 25.5.)

    [64 FR 72419, Dec. 27, 1999, as amended at 79 FR 24209, Apr. 29, 2014; 86 FR 6187, Jan. 19, 2021

    Critical components and critical items.

    (a) The following is a list of articles that have been determined to be a critical component or critical item and their respective preference factor(s).

    (1)-(2) [Reserved]

    (b) The list of articles and preference factors in paragraph (a) of this section will be published in the Federal Register for public comment no less frequently than once every 4 years. Unsolicited recommendations for deletions from this list may be submitted at any time and should provide sufficient data and rationale to permit evaluation (see 1.502).

    (c) For determining reasonableness of cost for domestic end products that contain critical components or are critical items (see 25.106(c)).

    [87 FR 12791, Mar. 7, 2022]