Past performance crucial part of acquisition reform

Contractors with poor past performance records are continuing to nab federal contracts, and unless something is done about it, this will continue to be the case going forward, according to FCW.

The U.S. government issued a new rule last year in an effort to create a governmentwide, standardized contract performance rating and evaluation factors, but it was lacking metrics and objective performance parameters, FCW said, continuing the current system of subjective ratings.

But the problem is not only with contractors; there are still weaknesses in government management that lead to poor requirements definitions, resulting in contracts that are sure to fail from the get go, FCW reported.