Contractor Letter.doc

UNITED STATES TRANSPORTATION COMMAND

508 SCOTT DR

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE IL 62225-5357

XX XXX 20XX

MEMORANDUM FOR xxxxxxxxxxx

FROM: USTRANSCOM/TCAQ-X

508 Scott Drive

Scott AFB IL 62225-5357

SUBJECT: Contractor Performance Assessment Report on Contract XXXXXX-XX-X-XXXX

1. Good performance by Department of Defense (DOD) contractors is essential. FAR 42.1502 directs all Federal Agencies to collect past performance information on contracts, which will benefit source selection teams. We will be conducting an evaluation of your company’s performance for the period XXXXXXXXXXX using a web-enabled application called the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS).

2. Attachment 1 is intended to provide a more detailed explanation of the Defense Contractor representative’s participation in CPARS. In order for your company to gain access to the CPAR System to review your performance ratings and make comments, please provide the name, e-mail address and phone number of your representative for the contract identified above no later than XXXXXXXXX. It is recommended that you select a contract representative who will have program management oversight and who is qualified to participate in the performance assessment process.

3. As of 01 November 2006, all DoD contractors were required to obtain a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificate to access the CPARS/ACASS/CCASS applications. DoD contractors are required to purchase a certificate from an External Certificate Authority (ECA). However, we are aware that DoD contractors continue to face delays in acquiring certificates from the ECAs. As a result, we recommend that you begin the process in the very near future to obtain the PKI Certificate before the CPARs becomes available for review. If you have questions on obtaining PKI certificates, please visit www.cpars.navy.mil. Questions should be directed to the Help Desk at (603) 431-9460 x 486, or via e-mail: webptsmh@navy.mil.

a. Contractor Users Working at a DoD Facility: If you are working at a DoD facility and have a Common Access Card (CAC), then you should already have a PKI certificate. In order to verify that your certificate is valid, please visit http://www.cpars.navy.mil/pki_info.htm and click on the “To determine if you have a valid DoD PKI Certificate” clink. If you do not have a CAC, please see the paragraph below.

b. Contractor Users Not Working at a DoD Facility: You may purchase a DoD PKI certificate from one of three External Certificate Authorities (ECAs). The ECAs are vendors who provide digital certificates to DoD's industry partners who are using their own equipment or working in non-government facilities. A list of ECAs is available at http://www.cpars.navy.mil/pki_info.htm. Each contractor employee accessing CPARS, ACASS, or CCASS will need an Identity Certificate; an Encryption Certificate is not required. Certificate prices range from $99 - $115 per certificate per year, with volume discounts available at some ECAs.

4. At the end of a performance period under subject contract, CPARS will send an e-mail notification to your representative advising that the company’s performance ratings are available for review and comment by accessing the CPAR web site. The Defense Contractor Representative is allotted 30 days to review and comment on each assessment forwarded to his or her company. The 30-day review/comment period starts from the date the Assessing Official forwarded the assessment. If the Defense Contractor Representative does not provide comments within the 30-day period, the Government may complete the assessment without Defense Contractor Representative comments. Defense Contractor Representatives are encouraged to contact the Assessing Official to request an extension to the 30-day comment period whenever extenuating circumstances arise. The Defense Contractor Representative, within the first seven days of the comment period, may request a meeting with the Assessing Official to discuss the assessment. Contractors may also assign a Senior Contractor Management official to review performance assessment reports for the company as explained in the attachment. This person can review all CPARS for the company but does not participate directly in the CPAR process.

5. CPARS is designed to improve Government and contractor communications with respect to the performance evaluation process. If you have any questions regarding report content, please contact xxxxxx. Our Fax number is (618)256-XXXX.

XXXXXXXX

Contracting Officer

1 Attachment

Contractor User Guide

Contract Performance Assessment Reporting System

(CPARS)

Contractor User Guide

USERID and PASSWORD/ACCESS TO CPARS WEB SITE

1. Following a contract award, the contracting officer will request the contractor furnish the name of the Defense Contractor Representative who will have program management oversight on the awarded contract and is qualified to participate in the performance assessment process. This individual will receive a CPARS Userid and Temporary Password from the Government CPARS Focal Point by telephone or E-mail.

2. Log on to the Navy CPARS website (www.cpars.navy.mil). At this site, you will find helpful information regarding the CPARS process under “Reference Material” and then “General.” Of special interest to the contractor are the (1) CPARS System Policy Guide and the (2) CPARS User’s Guide pages 31-32,

3. Once you have accessed the web site, click on the “CPARS” and on the next screen click on Production System Logon” (on left side of screen), and log on to the system.

a. The system is case sensitive when inputting the password. If it is your first time accessing CPARS, you will be prompted to complete a user profile before proceeding. You are required to type in your name, address, telephone number, email address, etc. The system will prompt you for the old password that was provided by a Government Focal Point and allows for a new personalized password to be entered. The system requires passwords to be at least 8 characters long and, although not required, it is best to have a password containing upper and lower cases, a number and a symbol. Once this is accomplished, you do not need to fill out the user profile again.

b. It is the contractor’s responsibility to keep the list of contractor representatives (primary and alternate) for a particular contract number as current as possible. This will preclude a former employee from having access to certain contractual performance information in CPARS. Please guard access to the CPAR system by notifying the appropriate contract specialist or the office focal point.

CPAR REVIEW AND PROCESS

1. After the Government Assessing Official has completed the review of the contractor’s performance ratings and signs the CPAR in the system, the contractor will receive an e-mail notification stating that a CPAR is now ready for contractor comments. The contractor representative would then log on as the Defense Contract Representative in CPARS and click on his “To-Do List” to see which CPAR requires a response.

2. Locate the applicable contract number on the list, and click on the gray box next it. The CPAR will open with the Government’s evaluation in a read only format. Upon receipt of the annual CPAR, you will have the option of providing comments in response to the performance assessment prepared by the Government, or you may sign and return the assessment without comment.

a. If you elect not to provide comments, it is requested that you acknowledge receipt of the CPAR by indicating “No Comment” in Block 22 and then signing (typing your name electronically) and dating Block 23 of the form. Without some statement in Block 22, you will be unable to sign and submit the CPAR back to the Government. The contractor has 30 calendar days, from the time the CPAR is sent to them by the Assessing Official, to provide comments and return. During this 30-day period, Government personnel cannot access this particular contract record in CPAR.

b. If the contractor does not respond to the CPAR within 30 days, the CPAR will show up in the Assessing Official’s “To Do List” with a message that states: “Contractor Overdue – Finalize Ratings.” The Government is no longer locked out of this particular CPAR record.

At this point, the Assessing Official can enter the following statement in Block 22 (Contractor’s Comments) that reads:

“The report was delivered/received by the contractor on (date). The contractor neither signed nor offered comment in response to this assessment.”

The Assessing Official would then select the option “Accept the Ratings and Send to the Reviewing Official” or he may choose to “Modify” the CPAR form to add additional comments and then send to the Reviewing Official. In instances where the contractor has chosen not to respond, the Reviewing Official must sign the CPAR in order to close it.

OR

The Assessing Official could leave the CPAR in his “To Do List” and then contact the contractor and ask if he intends to respond to the CPAR. Once the Assessing Official “opens” the CPAR by clicking on the contract number in his “To Do List”, the CPAR is deleted from the contractor’s “To Do List” and the CPAR is back in the hands of the Government. Therefore, if a contractor believes it may take longer than 30 days to respond, it is to the contractor’s benefit to contact the Assessing Official and ask that the CPAR not be opened the contractor comments are completed. Once the contractor completes any comments, they would continue with the instructions in paragraph 3 below.

c. If you provide comments, they are limited to the space provided in Block 22 (which is actually three 8x10 typed pages in length). Your comments should focus on objective facts in the Program Manager’s/Assessing Official’s narrative and should provide your views on the causes and ramifications of the assessed performance. So, in effect, the AO can “extend” the contractor’s 30-day review period by not opening the CPAR until the contractor has told the Assessing Official that he is finished with his comments. The contractor would then select “Validate and Send” the CPAR back to the Assessing Official. After the CPAR returns to the Government, the contractor will not be able to access the CPAR for viewing until after final disposition by the Government (generally within 30 days).

d. If you desire a meeting to discuss the Government’s performance ratings, you must do so within 7 calendar days of contractor receipt of the CPAR. The meeting is to be held during the 30-day review period.

3. Once the contractor has completed his review of the ratings and makes any comments he deems necessary, the contractor then needs to select a concurrence option from the "Concurrence" drop-down box at the bottom of the CPAR.

a. In this box, the contractor will need to choose between two options

--"I concur with this assessment"

(If the contractor does agree with the assessment, then the Assessing Official for the

Government has the ability to close the CPAR)

--"I do not concur with this assessment and request that it be reevaluated."

(If the contractor does not concur with the assessment, the CPAR will be sent back to the Assessing Official for review and possible modification. Since the contractor disagreed with the assessment, the Assessing Official must send to the Reviewing

Official for review, signature, and close out of the CPAR.)

--“I agree with the assessment”

(If the contractor does agree with the assessment, then the Assessing Official for the

Government has the ability to close the CPAR)

--“I disagree with the assessment – Request Assessing Official and Reviewing Official Review”

(If the contractor does not concur with the assessment, the CPAR will be sent back to the Assessing Official for review and possible modification. It is then sent to the

Reviewing Official for review, signature, and close out of the CPAR.)

--“I disagree with the assessment – Request Assessing Official Review.”

(If the contractor does not concur with the assessment, the CPAR will be sent back to the Assessing Official for review and possible modification. In this case, only the

Assessing Official needs to review the CPAR and then close it out.)

If there are any questions concerning these choices, you may contact your contract specialist or CPARS Focal Point.

b. When all contractor comments are made and a concurrence statement is selected, the contractor representative who is responsible for signing the CPAR will enter his/her name, title and phone number at the bottom of the screen and click on the button titled "Validate and Send to the Program Manager/Assessing Official."

c. If the contractor concurs with the assessment, the CPAR will be sent to the Assessing Official for review and close out of the CPAR.

d. If the contractor does not agree with the assessment, the CPAR will be electronically returned to the Assessing Official first for review (and possible modification) and then to the Reviewing Official for review, signature and close out of the CPAR. The Reviewing Official is a senior manager who is at least one level above the Assessing Official. Note: The Assessing Official is not required to make revisions to the CPAR. However, he must provide his rationale to the Reviewing Official prior to the Reviewing Official’s review of the CPAR.

4. At any time during the 30-day review period, a contractor representative has the ability to save CPAR comments and finish later. Simply click on the gray box titled "Save Data and Finish Later." This button is located at the bottom of the screen.

5. Should the CPAR be sent back to the Government by mistake, please contact the contract specialist associated with the CPAR and let them know of the situation. The contract specialist would then contact the CPAR Focal Point and have the CPAR returned to the contractor.

CONTRACTOR HANDLING AND USE OF CPAR DATA

1. The following guidelines apply concerning contractor handling and use of the CPAR:

a. Protect the CPAR as “source selection information”. Hard copy documents pertaining to a CPAR should be marked “For Official Use Only – Source Selection Information – See FAR 3.104.” .

b. Strictly control access to the CPAR within your organization. Ensure the CPAR is never released to persons or entities outside of your control.

c. Prohibit the use of or reference to CPAR data for advertising, promotional material, pre-award surveys, responsibility determinations, production readiness reviews, or other similar purposes.

d. If for some reason you are unable to view and/or submit the form through the automated system, please contact your CPAR Focal Point or Navy Help Desk for assistance

2. Program Managers/Assessing Officials and defense contractors are encouraged to continually communicate throughout the annual reporting period and during the completion of the annual automated CPAR process. As stated previously, if you desire a meeting to discuss your annual CPAR, it must be requested, in writing, no later than seven days following your receipt of the annual CPAR. The meeting will then be held during your 30-day review period.

Senior Contractor Management Access

1. Senior contractor management personnel may view and/or print copies of the reports for your company. They will require access at a level known as the “Defense Contractor Senior Management.”

2. Access at the senior level is in addition to the access given your primary and alternate points who will be responding to ratings during and after contract performance. No other company will be permitted to have access to reports on your company’s performance and you are requested to limit your application for Senior Contractor Management access to one individual within your organization, or minimize to one request per major division.