Laura Freeman Department of Energy Contractor Contracts Specialist Policy Analyst Contracting Officer National Aeronautics and Space Administration Contracting Officer

Laura Freeman NASA and West Virginia University Education Bachelor’s, Fairmont State BA Master’s West Virginia University MPA

The federal government is the largest buyer of goods and services in the world and executive branch offices make most of these purchases. Federal Procurement

The FAR is the primarily regulation for use by all Federal Executive agencies in their acquisition of supplies and services with appropriated funds. Result of a 1979 statute that provides uniformity in the Federal acquisition process Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)

Members and committees of Congress and their staff draft legislation to amend the FAR to save money, promote transparency, or further other public policy objectives. The Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) provides overall direction for the government-wide procurement policies, regulations, procedures, and forms for executive agency acquisitions that make up the FAR The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) provides oversight and review of proposed changes and amendments to the FAR. Both OFPP and OMB review proposed changes to ensure that they are consistent with the laws and policies of the Administration. Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)

There are a number of statutes that also govern federal procurement: Buy American Act, Contract Disputes Act, Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, Davis-Bacon Act, Prompt Payment Act, Small Business Act, Paperwork Reduction Act, etc. FAR Supplements – Agency specific regulations to implement the FAR Other Statutes and Regulations

Federal funds are made available for obligation and expenditure by means of appropriation acts (i.e. NASA Authorization Act, National Defense Authorization Act) If the Congress and the President fail to pass the appropriation bills a continuing resolution can be signed to fund the agency at the same levels as last year. If no continuing resolution is passed - Furlough Federal Appropriations

Anti-Deficiency Act – All obligations must be within the amount established by Congress. Bona Fide Needs Rule – Fiscal year appropriation may be obligated only to meet a legitimate, or bone fide, need for that fiscal year Financial resource personnel determine how to distribute funding within the agency Federal Appropriations

The Contracting Officer (CO) is the ONLY person who has the authority to legally bind the Federal Government and to enter into, administer, or terminate (if necessary) contracts for the Government. CO’s are responsible for ensuring performance of all necessary actions for effective contracting, ensuring compliance with the terms and conditions of the contract, and safeguarding the interests of the United States in its contractual relationships. CO’s must be adequately trained and certified to administer these rules. Contracting Officer’s Role

Four Basic Principles To ensure reasonable prices, contracts are awarded competitively whenever possible. Contracts are awarded only to contractors found to be responsive and responsible. The type of contract must be appropriate for the particular procurement. The procurement program is used to help implement various national social and economic policies. (i.e. minimum wages, economic regulations, small business programs) Basic Contracting Principles

It takes approximately 2 years to award a contract over $50M. Planning - defining requirements, cost estimates, market research, type of contract, publicizing, exchanges with industry Solicitation – Issuing request for proposal (RFP), receiving proposals, answering questions Steps in Government Procurement

Evaluation/Negotiation – Evaluating proposals, Cost/price analysis, source selection Award – Contract reviews, notifying successful and unsuccessful offerors, debriefings, protests Contract Administration – Modifications to the contract, invoice payment, reports, technical direction Closeout – Final Audit, reconciliation of costs. Steps in Government Procurement

Each year NASA offers unique NASA-related experiences for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students Go to 9 college positions – for 9 students – IV&V MARS 2020 Robotics – Application of ITC Resources for Fault Driven Testing on IV&V Projects (AIRFDTIP) – Educational Outreach Presentation Developer - Space Public Outreach Team – NASA’s IV&V Program Media Organization and Planning – James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Fault Management End-to-End Modeling/Analysis – JWST Tool Development – JSTAR 3D Test Visualization – Reporting Framework Analysis – Cybersecurity NASA Internships

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