1 Overview of the NF 1680 Evaluation of Performance Process Overview/Training Charts April 7, 2008

2 What is the NF 1680? –What is the NF 1680? »NASA Form (NF) 1680 Evaluation of Performance »Used to evaluate contractor’s performance annually on contracts > $100,000 »Form contains 4 areas of evaluation: Quality, Timeliness, Price/Cost and Other –When is it required? »Required for all contracts in excess of $100,000 –Exceptions: »Contracts awarded under subpart Non-Profit Agencies employing the blind or severely disabled »Contracts $100,000 or less »Interagency Agreements/Transactions (these are not contracts) »Construction and A&E contracts (see note below) –Note: Construction Contracts & A&E Contracts: »performance shall be evaluated in accordance with FAR & »Standard Form 1420 and 1421 are used to evaluate construction and A&E contracts »NF 1680’s are not done for Construction & A&E contracts »Entry into the Past Performance Database (PPDB) is not done for construction and A&E contracts

3 Responsibilities We all share responsibility in the NF1680 process: Procurement Office: The procurement office (contract specialist) initiates the NF1680 and mails it to the Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR) electronically. COTR: The COTR is responsible for completing the “Quality”, “Timeliness” and “Other” categories by checking the appropriate rating (Excellent, Very Good, etc.) and providing rationale for the rating in the comments block for each category.  The ratings and definitions are found on the third page of the NF1680. They can also be found in the NASA FAR Supplement (NFS) at The COTR must complete this form and return the NF1680 to the Contract Specialist within 15 days. The Procurement Office will complete the “Price/Cost” category of the NF1680. The third page of the NF1680 defines the rating guidelines (ex. Excellent, Very Good, Good etc..) Contractor: The form is then forwarded to the contractor for their review and comments on each category. They have 30 days to complete their review and return to the Procurement Office. If a contractor does not return the NF1680 within the 30-day timeline, it is understood by the parties that there are no comments and the contractor agrees with the NF1680 as submitted. Procurement Office: When the process is complete for each interim and final NF1680 evaluation, the procurement office (contract specialist) is responsible for mailing the fully completed and signed NF1680 to the contractor.  Acceptable forms of mail are: hardcopy in the mail, fax, or scanned and ed.

4 Why the NF 1680 is important The NF 1680 is extremely important because it communicates and documents the Government’s evaluation of the contractor’s performance under a contract. It is required per the Federal Regulations for contracts over $100,000. The NF 1680 is entered into the NASA Past Performance Database (PPDB) and is used as source selection information by other NASA Centers as well as JSC. Contractors take the inputs very seriously and obviously do not want to have negative performance information in the PPDB because it can affect them getting a future contract or affect prime contractors using them on their team for a future procurement. Source Evaluation Boards often use NF1680 data when looking at a contractor or subcontractor’s past performance.

5 How often is the NF 1680 done The NF 1680 is done annually. It is prepared by the contract specialist/CO within 15 days after the end of an evaluation period. This includes getting the COTRs input and evaluation write up on the form. It is then sent to the contractor and the contractor has 30 days to reply. The evaluation process must be completed within 60 days after the end of an evaluation period. The final NF1680 done at the end of a contract’s period of performance should cover all years of contract performance (see example below). There should also be an interim final that covers the last year of contract performance. Example of the NF1680’s done for a 3-year contract: End of Year 1: interim NF1680 is done End of Year 2: interim NF1680 is done End of Year 3: interim final NF1680 is done for year 3 and a final NF1680 is done summarizing years 1 through 3. The policy regarding final NF1680s is found at NFS where it states: “A final evaluation summarizing all performance must be conducted on all contracts.”

6 Communication & the NF1680 process All parties must realize that communication is critical to the NF1680 process: The NASA FAR Supplement states states “Communications with contractors are vital to improved performance and this is NASA’s primary objective in evaluating past performance”. Communication should be occurring continually in some form throughout contract performance. Examples are: weekly technical/business meetings with the contractor, monthly meetings, telecons, etc. It is strongly recommended and advised that a post award meeting of some type takes place with the contractor (depending on size & complexity of the procurement) immediately after they are awarded a contract to ensure they understand what is expected of them and what the Government will look for in their performance under the contract. Contractors should not find out about poor performance only on the NF1680. The data on the NF1680 should not come as a shock to the contractor especially if we keep the lines of communication open and flowing during contract performance.

7 Award Fee (AF) Contracts NASA Form 1680s are done a little differently for award fee contracts: The 1680 is done in accordance with the AF period defined in the AF plan. The contract Specialist should input summary information under the “Price/Cost” and “Other” sections of the NF1680.  The overall AF adjectival rating and the score should be included under the “Other” category of the NF1680. A final 1680 summarizing performance for all contract years is NOT done for AF contracts. NF1680s are NOT sent (or given) to the contractor for award fee contracts.  Contractors will receive performance information through the Award Fee process itself.

8 One-stop website tutorial The procurement office has created a website that can be accessed as a “one stop” tutorial on the how to do the NF1680 and understanding the overall process: The website can be accessed as needed but will be especially useful for those who have not done a NF1680 before or those who have not done one in awhile. The website is located at: The website contains the following useful info: Overview/training charts The JSC Policy Guidance - JSC Procurement Instruction Procurement Information Circular (PIC) A copy of the NF 1680 Form Links to relevant portions of the regulations: FAR (41.15) and NASA FAR Supplement ( ) The mechanics of how to actually do Past Performance Evaluations

9 Handling Performance Issues Once in awhile there will be performance issues under a contract. If there is on-going communication of some type (weekly/monthly meetings, telecons etc.), these issues can be resolved more quickly and effectively.  The performance issue needs to be brought to the Contracting Officer’s as well as the contractor’s attention at the earliest sign.  The contractor should be put on notification and required to submit a corrective action plan No contractor should find out that they are performing poorly by receiving a NF1680 documenting poor performance. The COTR should be documenting all activities related to the poor performance from the first point they are aware of it.  This documentation is extremely important to be able to show what steps were taken to try and resolve the issue. Management on both the technical side and the Procurement side will want to understand this if the issue escalates and especially if the parties disagree If contractor performance is determined to be unsatisfactory in any of the four evaluation categories on the NF1680, the CO shall follow the procedures in BA Unique Work Instruction 006, Corrective Action Procedure for Contracts and Purchase Orders.  Based on recommendations from the COTR, the CO shall ensure that the contractor develops and implements a corrective action plan where appropriate.  The corrective action plan shall include a statement of the root cause of the non-conformance, actions required to correct the problem, and a schedule for completion of the plan.

10 Communication Considerations What type of communication on performance takes place with the contractor during performance prior to the NF 1680 being issued? Things to consider: ● Is some form of regular communication on performance taking place with the contractor? ● Are prime contractors communicating performance issues effectively to their subs? ● Is the communication often enough and is it valuable – is it effective? ● How do we handle unsatisfactory performance issues if there are any? What type of documentation, interaction or corrective actions were given to the contractor to try and improve their performance prior to the 1680 being issued. ● What type of input/suggestions was the contractor given to improve their evaluation even if the evaluation was good overall? Were they told what they can do to improve? (ex. To go from good to a very good rating)

11 Surveillance Plans Surveillance Plans are required for contracts over $1M. Surveillance plans are an excellent tool to establish surveillance strategies, methods, schedules, quality levels and to monitor a contractor’s performance. Communication is extremely important to the implementation of surveillance plans and obtaining successful contract performance. Contracting Officers and Contract Specialists should ensure that surveillance plans are being used for contracts where they are required. Surveillance plans should clearly communicate the strategies, methods and expectations of the Government. Overall, Surveillance Plans help foster better communications and help foster better contractor performance.

12 Important References Important references needed to understand the process and requirements for the NF 1680 are:  The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Contractor Performance Information  The NASA FAR Supplement (NFS) Contractor Performance Information  The JSC Procurement Instruction (JPI)  Procurement Information Circular (PIC)  The NASA Form (NF) 1680  Other Training/Reference Materials found at * the applicable portions of the above referenced documents can all be found in one place using the above hyperlink.