OMB continues call for better past performance reports

Joe Jordan, administrator for federal procurement policy at the Office of Management and Budget, is taking a stand on agencies not having enough information and data on contractors’ past performance, according to Federal Times. In a memo last month, Jordan instructed agencies to improve the quality and quantity of information used to access contractor performance.

However, relying too heavily on this past performance information can be dangerous, too. Losing bidders could challenge past performance assessments in bid protests, and contracting officials could then find themselves bound by potentially years of post-award litigation, Federal Times reported. Jordan would still prefer that past performance are beefed up, though, and that they are filled with accurate and useful information.