48 C.F.R. § 9.103

9.103 Policy.

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(a) Purchases shall be made from, and contracts shall be awarded to, responsible prospective contractors only.

(b) No purchase or award shall be made unless the contracting officer makes an affirmative determination of responsibility. In the absence of information clearly indicating that the prospective contractor is responsible, the contracting officer shall make a determination of nonresponsibility. If the prospective contractor is a small business concern, the contracting officer shall comply with subpart 19.6, Certificates of Competency and Determinations of Responsibility. (If Section 8(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637) applies, see subpart 19.8.)

(c) The award of a contract to a supplier based on lowest evaluated price alone can be false economy if there is subsequent default, late deliveries, or other unsatisfactory performance resulting in additional contractual or administrative costs. While it is important that Government purchases be made at the lowest price, this does not require an award to a supplier solely because that supplier submits the lowest offer. A prospective contractor must affirmatively demonstrate its responsibility, including, when necessary, the responsibility of its proposed subcontractors.

[48 FR 42142, Sept. 19, 1983, as amended at 61 FR 67410, Dec. 20, 1996; 62 FR 44819, Aug. 22, 1997; 62 FR 48921, Sept. 17, 1997; 65 FR 80264, Dec. 20, 2000; 66 FR 17755, Apr. 3, 2001; 66 FR 66986, 66989, Dec. 27, 2001]
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 62 cases (6 in the last 5 years), 1987–2026 · leading case: Impresa Construzioni Geom. Domenico Garufi v. United States, 238 F.3d 1324 (Fed. Cir. 2001).
Impresa Construzioni Geom. Domenico Garufi v. United States, 238 F.3d 1324 (Fed. Cir. 2001). · cites it 2× “” 48 C.F.R. § 9.103 (b). In making the responsibility determination, the contracting officer must determine that the contractor has “a satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics.”
United Enter. & Assocs. v. United States, 70 Fed. Cl. 1 (Fed. Cl. 2006). · cites it 6× “Vinson made the rational determination that UEA was non-responsible, see generally 48 C.F.R. §§ 9.103 and 9.104-1; supra notes 15 and 16.”
Myers Investigative & Sec. Servs., Inc. v. United States, 275 F.3d 1366 (Fed. Cir. 2002). · cites it 2× “48 C.F.R. § 9.103 (a) (2001). The Court of Federal Claims found that Myers “made no effort to show it was responsible and could have performed the contracts.”
Iceland S.S. Co., Ltd.-Eimskip v. United States Dep't of the Army, 201 F.3d 451 (D.C. Cir. 2000). · cites it 3× “In addition, although I concur in the majority holding regarding the Contracting Officer’s determination of TLL’s operational responsibility, I cannot agree that our standard of review intends nothing more than rubber-stamping the same.”
Teg-Paradigm Env't, Inc. v. United States, 465 F.3d 1329 (Fed. Cir. 2006). “” 48 C.F.R. § 9.103 (a) (2006); see also Cibinic & Nash, Formation of Government Contracts, supra, at 404-06.”
Supreme Foodservice Gmbh v. United States, 112 Fed. Cl. 402 (Fed. Cl. 2013). · cites it 3× “” 48 C.F.R. § 9.103 (b). As detailed herein, generally, a responsibility determination is an evaluation of the putative awardee’s ability to perform what was proposed.”
Remington Arms Co., LLC v. United States, 126 Fed. Cl. 218 (Fed. Cl. 2016). · cites it 2× “48 C.F.R. § 9.103 (a); see Bender Shipbuilding, 297 F.”
Tech Sys., Inc. v. United States, 98 Fed. Cl. 228 (Fed. Cl. 2011). “Though Tech Systems acknowledges that contracting officers are entitled to deference in such matters, it contends that there is no documentation that the Contracting Officer considered five of the seven responsibility standards of 48 C.”
Advanced Am. Constr., Inc. v. United States, 111 Fed. Cl. 205 (Fed. Cl. 2013). · cites it 2× “See 48 C.F.R. § 9.103 (b) (2012) (“No purchase or award shall be made unless the contracting officer makes an affirmative determination of responsibility.”
Impresa Construzioni Geom. Domenico Garufii v. United States, 52 Fed. Cl. 421 (Fed. Cl. 2002). · cites it 2× “” 48 C.F.R. § 9.103 (b) (1998). In making the responsibility determination, the contracting officer must determine that the contractor has “a satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics.”
Eco Tour Adventures, Inc. v. United States, 114 Fed. Cl. 6 (Fed. Cl. 2013). “520, 527 (2010) (citing 48 C.F.R. § 9.103 ); see also Frontier Sys.”
John C. Grimberg Co., Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1297 (Fed. Cir. 1999). “§ 253 (b)(4) (1994); see also 48 C.F.R. § 9.103 (1998). Responsibility standards are divided into two categories: general standards and special standards.”
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