Survey digs into vendor performance

OFPP survey

The Office of Federal Procurement Policy this month kicked off a survey of how agencies are collecting and using vendor performance information when managing and awarding contracts.

Just before leaving office with the Clinton administration, Sally Katzen, then-deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget, issued the survey to all agencies as a way to identify possible ways to improve procurement practices.

"The purpose of this survey is to assess how agencies are implementing this acquisition initiative governmentwide, and to identify potential areas for future consideration," Katzen wrote.

The survey is divided into four sections, concentrated on:

1. Background information on the system the agency uses to collect current and past performance information.

2. Information on how and on what type of contracts performance data is collected.

3. Information on how the agency uses past performance data to evaluate and select contract bids.

4. Additional practices, including whether agencies should conduct assessments of each other and whether contractors should assess agencies' performance.

Survey responses and additional comments are due back to OFPP by March 1.