The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Parts 13 and 15 require contracting officers to purchase goods and services from responsible sources at a fair and reasonable price. Meaning, a price that a prudent businessperson would pay for an item or service under competitive market conditions and reasonable knowledge of the marketplace.

Heeding FAR parts 13 and 15 is done for every contract action through a number of proposal analysis techniques and procedures defined by regulation, which are documented through written evidence to support that the price is fair and reasonable. This is particularly important, and required, in government contracting because we are stewards of taxpayer dollars.

In this episode, we break down the techniques and tools we use to determine fair and reasonable pricing. The discussion also presents the challenges acquisition professionals might face when completing a price analysis as well as the challenges confronted when there is an absence of competition. Our panel also discusses the differences between price reasonableness and price realism.

To address these topics and more, we have a fantastic panel of Office of General Counsel attorneys and contracting officers who collectively have decades of experience. This panel includes:

Tara Nash, attorney for VA Office of General Counsel

Desiree DiCorcia, attorney for VA Office of General Counsel

Den-el Opuszynski, contracting officer for VA TAC

Matthew Newell, contracting officer for VA TAC

The Technology Acquisition Center’s TAC Talks is a peek behind the federal acquisition curtain and discusses highly relevant acquisition topics with top acquisition professionals and the Office of General Counsel. Throughout the season’s episodes, VA acquisitions experts will dissect the ins and outs of various acquisition strategies, technical tips for navigating the acquisition process, category management, and more!

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3 Comments

  1. Timothy Donnellan November 9, 2021 at 16:49

    I am interested in this concept, please copy me on the discussion.

  2. Ernest Adams October 20, 2021 at 20:20

    Who and what determines that 100% disabled vets can go to GSA and procure items in their inventory prior to the items being put up for auctions? The GSA office in San Antonio told me they knew nothing about it and that I had to be a non-profit organization and be incorporated in the state. I read something about being able to purchase items prior to them being on an auction list about 6 months ago on a side note on this site. Would you help me with this please? Thanks for providing the information you do for us Vets, it is greatly appreciated!

  3. Roland Umphrey October 20, 2021 at 01:04

    I would desire to receive a physical, hard copy of the Veterans Benefits Guide. Thank you kindly.

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