Free FAC-C Professional Exam Flashcards

A contracting officer acting within delegated authority. The written appointment states the officer’s limits; another employee’s job title or technical expertise does not create contracting authority.

No. A COR monitors or administers assigned technical duties under written designation and cannot make commitments or changes affecting contract terms. Send a proposed change to the contracting officer.

The contractor generally bears that risk: the agreed price does not change merely because its performance costs differ from estimates. A separately authorized contract change can still affect the price.

Allowable incurred costs, subject to the contract’s limits. Its estimated cost and ceiling do not authorize unlimited spending; exceeding the ceiling without contracting officer approval is at the contractor’s risk.

A stated minimum quantity that the Government must order and the contractor must supply. Additional orders may be placed within the contract’s maximum; an estimate of future demand is not a guarantee of all that demand.

Labor uses specified fixed hourly rates that include applicable expenses and profit; materials are generally reimbursed at actual cost under the contract rules. Surveillance matters because the arrangement lacks a positive incentive for labor efficiency or cost control.

Contract-specified events, such as changes in agreed published prices, specified labor or material costs, or identified cost indexes. It permits upward or downward revisions; an ordinary cost overrun alone is not an adjustment trigger.

No. It lacks binding effect because the Government representative lacked authority. Ratification requires approval by an authorized official and satisfaction of the applicable criteria; receiving a benefit alone does not guarantee ratification.

Contractor bid or proposal information and source-selection information. Knowingly obtaining or disclosing protected information before award is prohibited except where disclosure is authorized by law; authorized access is not permission to share it freely.

Disclose it and seek the appropriate ethics or legal guidance before participating. Government contracting must remain impartial and avoid actual conflicts and their appearance; personal confidence in being fair does not resolve the conflict.

Yes, when it serves the Government’s interests and is not prohibited by statute, case law, executive order or other regulation. Exercise sound judgment, manage risk and document lessons rather than treating FAR silence as a ban.

Contracting, technical, fiscal, legal and small-business specialists contribute different expertise to the same requirement. Early coordination helps reveal risks and constraints while each member acts within their own responsibility.

To preserve a complete transaction history supporting decisions and actions. It should give reviewers enough context for informed decisions, investigations and litigation; storing the final award document alone is insufficient.

The determination is the authorized conclusion or decision; the findings are the essential facts or reasons supporting it. A D&F is a required written approval for specified actions, not merely an informal note.

What available products, services, sources and commercial practices can meet the legitimate need. Use research appropriate to the circumstances and document it according to acquisition size and complexity.

No. First apply the mandatory-source requirements and priorities in Part 8, including applicable AbilityOne Procurement List requirements. Price comparisons with optional sources do not by themselves override a mandatory source.

As soon as an agency need is identified. Early planning creates opportunities for competition and innovation; revise the plan when significant changes arise rather than waiting until the solicitation is ready.

Acquire commercial products or services when available to meet the agency’s needs. Market research should first examine existing governmentwide contracts and possible requirement adjustments before moving to other sources or nondevelopmental items.

All responsible sources are permitted to compete. Restricting competition requires an applicable authority and the required justification or documentation; preference for an incumbent is not itself an exception.

No. Competitive proposals must be evaluated solely against the factors and subfactors in the request for proposals. The solicitation tells offerors how the Government will assess their offers.

No. Clarifications can resolve minor or clerical issues and improve understanding, but cannot permit proposal revision, cure deficiencies or materially alter technical or cost elements. Material revisions belong in the authorized negotiation process.

No. Under the simplified procedures, the Government’s resulting purchase order is its offer. A contract forms when the supplier accepts that offer through written acceptance or substantial performance.

SAM.gov. The GPE provides public access to proposed actions, solicitations and related information; a notice helps identify opportunities but does not guarantee an award.

The solicitation may state that award will be made without negotiation. A seller should meet the requirements and submit its best technical and price terms initially instead of assuming it will have a later chance to revise them.

Price analysis assesses the proposed overall price without evaluating separate cost elements and profit. Cost analysis examines those elements and profit or fee to assess a fair and reasonable price or cost realism.

Its validity and comparability. Adjust for material differences in terms, quantities, market conditions and the items themselves; an old price of uncertain reasonableness is not automatically a sound benchmark.

No. Allowability also depends on allocability, applicable accounting standards, contract terms and the cost-principle limits. A reasonable amount can still be unallowable or inadequately supported.

To determine probable performance cost, which may differ from the proposed estimate. Evaluation uses the Government’s realistic estimate, adjusting cost elements where needed rather than rewarding an unrealistically low proposed cost.

The Government’s initial negotiation position, established before negotiating a pricing action and grounded in proposal analysis. The supporting analysis should fit the action’s value, importance and complexity.

Each responsible offeror in that range. Tailor negotiations to each proposal and address deficiencies or significant weaknesses; the scope need not be identical for every offeror.

The principal elements of the agreement and the basis for the price. Document the proposal, objectives, negotiated position and significant differences so later reviewers can understand the business judgment.

Whether the prospective contractor can perform: resources, delivery capability, performance and integrity, organizational controls and necessary facilities, plus eligibility for award. A low price alone does not establish responsibility.

A tradeoff can justify paying more for benefits that merit the added cost. Lowest price technically acceptable selects the lowest evaluated price meeting the stated acceptability requirements and permits no tradeoffs.

It may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance. Absence of relevant history is not the same as a documented poor performance record.

A protest challenges a procurement action such as a solicitation or award. A contract claim seeks payment, interpretation or other relief arising under or relating to an existing contract; different procedures govern each.

Both parties choose to participate and agree on the alternative procedures and terms, with officials who can resolve the issue involved. ADR may resolve a controversy more quickly, but is not automatically appropriate for every dispute.

No. A routine payment request that is not disputed when submitted is not a claim. It may be converted by written notice when liability or amount is disputed or when it is not acted on within a reasonable time.

A contractor’s actual record, including quality, schedule, cost control and business conduct. Ratings need supporting narratives; the information informs later source selection rather than replacing a current evaluation.

No. Novation is unnecessary if ownership changes through a stock purchase without changing the legal contracting party, which retains control of the assets and performs the contract. Asset transfers to a successor can present a different situation.

No. It suspends identified work while the Government makes a decision. The contracting officer must then take appropriate action to cancel, extend with agreement or terminate; a stop-work order must not replace an already-decided termination.

Obtain certification that funds are available before execution, except for the limited cases permitted by the rule. Technical desire for extra work does not itself authorize an unfunded commitment.

The contractor, under the contract’s quality requirements. Some contracts reserve specialized inspections to the Government; Government testing does not erase the contractor’s other contractual responsibilities.

Inspection checks conformity; acceptance acknowledges conformity with applicable quality and quantity requirements, subject to contract terms. Government quality-assurance actions ordinarily occur before acceptance, with stated exceptions.

Reject them or require correction under the applicable contract. Acceptance of nonconforming performance requires the authorized exception process; a technical reviewer should not silently relax requirements.

No. Consider the nature of the item, defect risk, cost and ability to administer and enforce the warranty. Its benefits must justify its cost; the contract defines the post-acceptance correction rights.

No. Unless expressly stated otherwise, consent or purchasing-system approval does not determine acceptability of subcontract terms or price, or allowability of costs. The consent process has specific limits.

A bilateral modification is signed by both contractor and contracting officer. A unilateral modification is signed only by the officer and must have an applicable basis, such as an authorized change order, administrative change or option.

To changes within the contract’s scope and the designated areas the clause permits. It does not provide blanket authority to add unrelated requirements; an outside-scope acquisition needs its own lawful contracting basis.

Notify the Government in writing as soon as possible. This allows the contracting officer to confirm and fund the change, countermand it, or explain that no change occurred; informal technical direction is not a signed modification.

Closeout also verifies required actions such as property disposition, settled costs and subcontracts, final invoice, audit and funds review. Prepare the completion statement after the required actions are satisfied.