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COR Café: CPARS
Dec. 9, 2020
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Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS)
Version Number 2
As of 8 Dec 2020
U.S. Army Contracting Command-Redstone
&
Former CPARS Tier 1 Helpdesk Lead
Mark Lomas
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Purpose of Training
2
Provide an understanding of CPARS, the process and timeline so the contractor
assessments can be used as an evaluation factor in “best value” source selections.
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CPARS Roles
3
*Focal Point
Assessing Official Representative (COR/Technical POC)
*Assessing Official (PCO or PM) see slide #16
*Contractor Representative
Reviewing Official (one level above PM if Systems/
one level above AO for all others)
* At a minimum
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CPARS Training
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When are CPARS Assessments Required?
5
Depends on the Product Service Code
(PSC) and Base and all options value
amount identified on the Contract Action
Report (CAR) in Federal Procurement
Data System (FPDS).
Contracting Officers can require CPARS
assessments even if it is not required (i.e.
the PSC AC21, AC22, AC23 and/or CAR
value does not meet dollar threshold)
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Contract Action Report from FPDS-NG
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Contracting: Entering the incorrect dates on your CARs
may mean doing un-necessary CPAR evaluations
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CPARS Assessment Thresholds
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IDIQ vs. Order Level
8
IDIQ Level - Same or similar in scope
NOTE: If the Base IDIQ is registered DO NOT register Orders
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IDIQ vs. Order Level
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Order Level - Not similar in scope
NOTE: If Contracting awards a new IDIQ and it meets the PSC and dollar threshold, it
will show up in AUTO REGISTER queue. If the KO determines that all orders issued
under this IDIQ will be very similar in scope, then Focal Point should register the base
IDIQ contract and have a complete and FINAL evaluation done the BASE IDIQ stating
annual assessments will be done at the order level.
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Evaluation Types
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Evaluation Types
Interim
– First Evaluation and All Annual Evaluations Except
Final
Final
– Last Evaluation Written at End of Contract/order
or at Termination
Addendum
– Evaluation Written After Final to Assess Close Out,
Warranty Performance, Administrative
Requirements, Protests etc.
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Regulatory Requirements
11
Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 42.1503
Evaluation factors for each assessment shall
include, at a minimum, the following:
Technical
Cost Control (N/A for FFP or FP with economic
price adjustment arrangements)
Schedule
Management
Small Business Subcontracting (when contract
requires a subcontracting plan) eSRS (ISR’s)
Other (as applicable)
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Regulatory Requirements
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Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)
Part 42.1503
Tables 42-1 & 42-2
Evaluation Ratings
Exceptional
Very Good
Satisfactory
Marginal
Unsatisfactory
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Evaluation Workflow
Evaluations should be rated and submitted to the AO within 20 calendar days after entering Due Status
AO reviews the proposed ratings and narratives to ensure ratings are consistent with the definitions in FAR42.1503(h)(4) and
narratives are detailed, comprehensive, complete, accurate, and supported by objective evidence wherever possible.
Contractor has the option to provide comments on the evaluation, indicate if they concur or do not concur with the evaluation,
sign, and then return the evaluation to the AO. The contractor review process can last up to 60 days. On day 61, the evaluation is
returned to the AO and the contractor may no longer send comments.
If the Contractor either concurred with the evaluation or did not send comments, the AO may either:
Validate and close the evaluation
Modify and close the evaluation
Send the evaluation to the RO
Modify and send the evaluation to the RO
If the Contractor did not concur with the evaluation, the AO may either:
Send the evaluation to the RO
Modify and send the evaluation to the RO
RO comments and signature are required whenever the contractor indicates that they do not concur with
the AO’s evaluation and when the AO has sent the evaluation to the RO for closure. The RO should provide
comments, sign, and close the evaluation. The RO also has the option to return the evaluation to the AO
for additional changes if desired. In such a case, the AO should make changes as necessary,
re-send the evaluation to the RO, and the RO should provide comments, sign, and close the evaluation.
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CPARS in
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CPARS Process
CPARS Process Simplified
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AOR AO KTR AO RO
•Focal Point Registers Contract within 30 Days of Award
•Contractor Performs
Contract Award
•Assessing Official Representative (AOR) Drafts Evaluation & Sends Evaluation to AO
•AO reviews and when satisfied, sends to Contractor Representative
•For Army: If AO is not the PCO, ensure the PCO is in the review process prior to sending to the Contractor ***
Evaluation
Due•Contractor Representative Reviews
•Has up to 60 Days
•Provides Concurrence or Non Concurrence
Contractor Review
• If Contractor concurs, the Assessing Official verifies and closes the Evaluation,
• If Contractor Non-Concurs, the Reviewing Official Serves as Mediator and Completes the Evaluation and closes
Complete Evaluation
120 Calendar Days
Only required when
Contractor does Not
Concur with Evaluation
*** Work around recommendation: To capture
that the PCO reviews the assessment prior to it
being sent to the Contractor, register the PCO as
an AOR
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Assessment Types
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Use of Evaluations Timeframe
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Agencies use Past Performance
information in CPARS that is within
three years of the completion of
performance of the evaluated
contract or order
**6 years for construction and
architect-engineer contracts
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CPARS Common Administrative Oversights
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Completion Date on CPARS Status Reports
• AOR’s/AO’s think the reports reflect when they should
complete their task causing overdue CPARS
• Completion Date means completed through the cycle i.e.
verified and closed in CPARS!
Focal Point not running and sending out the “CPAR Status
Report with Assigned Roles Reports”
• Generate Monthly or Quarterly
• Send to the current PCO and PM office if applicable to
validate in order to ensure all assigned roles are current
The Ultimate Completion dates for IDIQ’s/BPA should not be
used in Delivery/Call Orders (often results in unnecessary
CPARS evaluations) In other words: use the order
Ultimate completion date
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CPARS Common Administrative Oversights
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CPARS evaluations with factors rated Marginal or
Unsatisfactory, are NOT referencing the management
tool that notified the contractor of the contractual
deficiency (e.g., management, quality, safety, or
environmental deficiency report or letter)?
FAR 42.1503 Table 42-1 & 42-2: It states: A
Unsatisfactory or Marginal rating *should* be supported
by referencing the management tool that notified the
contractor of the contractual deficiency (e.g.,
management, quality, safety, or environmental
deficiency report or letter).
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CPARS Common Administrative Oversights
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Period of Performance extensions on contracts/orders
are not being updated in CPARS (should be done via
FPDS to CPARS interface however, depending on
evaluation status; may have to be manually pushed by
Focal Point
Narratives lack sufficient detail to demonstrate that
ratings are credible and justified
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Common
Questions and
Answers from
users
Common Questions and Answers
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CPARS Questions and Answers
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Question: I am the COR/AOR for contract “X” and I need to do
an evaluation, but nothing shows up on my to-do list
Response: You will either need to use the "initiate an
evaluation" option on the main menu to start an
evaluation. However, if you get an error message stating that
an evaluation already exists for the period of performance
(PoP) you are creating, you will need to reach out to the
Assessing Official and request they send the evaluation back to
you
Note: This happens often due to the Focal Point registering
the contract/order before creating the user matrix
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CPARS Questions and Answers
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Question: I do not know what contracts I have access to in
CPARS
Response: To bring up a list of contracts that you have or have
had access to, follow the instructions below
Log in to CPARS
Click on "Evaluation/Contract Status Report"
Do not check any boxes
Click "Run Report" at the bottom left of the screen
Wait for the report to populate to see any access you have in
the system
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CPARS Questions and Answers
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Question: How can I find out who my Focal Point is on a
contract, as well as the other users assigned?
Response: To bring up a list of contracts that you have or have
had access to, along with any other individuals assigned,
follow the instructions below
-Log in to CPARS
-Click on "Evaluation/Contract Status Report"
-In the bottom section (Report Options): go to the farthest right column
labeled "User Roles", select all the boxes that you would like to know whom
the assigned user is i.e. Focal Point, AOR, AO, RO, Contractor Rep
-Click run report at the bottom
This will produce a list of all contracts you have/had access to along with the
person that has been assigned for the roles you
chose.
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CPARS Users Roles Report
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CPARS Questions and Answers
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Contract Status Report
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Contract/Evaluation Status Report
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The Assessing Official’s Evaluations/Contract Status Report screens are displayed in the following examples. Slight variations of this
report occur at different access levels and are described as applicable.
The Evaluations/Contract Status Report allows users to monitor the status of contracts and evaluations within their purview. The report
will display information as a list of contracts/evaluations that identifies the status of each contract/order
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CPARS Legends
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CONTRACT STATUS Legend:
Current: All required Evaluations for this contract have been completed or are not yet due.
Due: The latest Evaluation for this contract should be in progress at this time.
Overdue: The latest Evaluation for this contract has not been completed within the 120 day
period.
Final: The Final Evaluation for this contract has been completed, no further Evaluations are due.
EVALUATION STATUS Legend:
Initiated: Waiting for Assessing Official Rep to send to Assessing Official.
Drafted: Waiting for Assessing Official signature.
Rated: Signed by Assessing Official; waiting for Contractor Rep comments.
Reviewed: Signed by Contractor Rep or Contractor Rep comment period expired; waiting for
Assessing Official to finalize.
Finalized: Ratings finalized; waiting for Reviewing Official comments.
Completed: The Evaluation has been completed.
Finalized evaluations are “low hanging fruit” for action
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Helpful Hints
During Performance Period
Communicate With Contractor
• Provide Feedback
Document Performance Regularly
• Status Reports
• Earned Value Management Data
• Monthly Certificates of Service
• Award Fee Evaluations
• Program Reviews
• Earned Contract Incentives
• COR Documentation in PIEE SPM
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Narrative Hints
Communication
• Throughout the Performance Period
• With Contractor and within Government
Documentation
• Record Significant Metrics/Events Throughout the Performance Period (the COR Monthly Status Report)
• “The CPAR Should Write Itself”
Create a Working CPAR
• Draft Online
• Draft Offline Document– Use Copy and Paste
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What makes a Good CPARS Narrative?
The narrative should contain an appropriate level of information that clearly and convincingly supports the assigned rating. Characteristics of a good narrative include:
It supports the conclusion for the rating and contains evidence
It is current and reflects that the entire acquisition team supports the rating
It is written in layman’s language so anyone can understand the role the contractor played and the benefits provided
It is fair, accurate, and comprehensive, and provides a complete understanding of the contractor’s performance
It is consistent with regulations in the ratings definition (e.g., no major weaknesses in performance should be noted for an exceptional rating)
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Sample CPAR Narrative
Quality – Rating: Exceptional
The Contractor is exceptional. They continue to
provide high quality support and database services.
NOT SufficientSufficient
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Sample CPAR Narrative
What is Missing:
• Detail to Support Rating/Gov’t
Benefits
• Detail to Tell Entire Story
• Supporting
Documentation/Metrics
NOT Sufficient
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Sample CPAR Narrative
Quality – Rating: Exceptional
The Contractor has provided exceptional quality in support of the database services
for the Pluto program. The contract required a system backup and disaster recovery
plan that was put to the test after a malicious code/virus attack. The Contractor was
proactive with a successful recovery, implemented an innovative solution to prevent
future attacks, and enhanced system security. The Contractor also initiated a system
analysis identifying a security loophole previously overlooked at the time of database
development by the previous incumbent. The Contractor was able to recommend a
Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) product to resolve security issues saving custom
development time and cost. The Contractor staff assisted in conducting an analysis
of alternatives, market research, and application acquisition package
recommendations in finding the COTS bolt-on. The Contractor experienced report
generation errors resulting in unscheduled downtime after a three week period,
however, they resolved the performance issue by scheduling report runtime during
times of minimal system usage and optimized the reports to require less memory.
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CPARS Ratings/Narratives Mis-Match Example
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CPARS Questions and Answers
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Question: How do I get access to a specific contract in
CPARS?
Response: Contact your Focal Point and request access or
contact the CPARS Help Desk if you are not sure whom your
Focal Point is.
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CPARS Questions and Answers
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Question: I realized an Interim evaluation should have been
marked Final. Can I change Interim to Final?
Response: Yes
Log into CPARS
Click 'Edit and Evaluation'
Type in Contract number and order number (if required) and
click 'Continue'
Click the 'Edit' link on the last completed evaluation marked as
an interim By Evaluation Type, use the drop down and change
'Interim' to 'Final'
In the 'estimated actual completion date field', enter the same
date as the PoP end date Click ' Save Data'
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CPARS Questions and Answers
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Question: A CPAR Assessment is currently due for my contract with
the PoP of 14 Jun 2019 to 15 Jun 2020 and the contract ends on
31 July 2020. Can I extend the PoP on the current assessment to
cover the PoP of 14 Jun 2020 – 31 July 2020?
Response: Ask the KO/PM office if there is a chance the contract
will be extended and for how long. If the answer is no, the KO/PM
office must do a risk assessment and determine the answer
Solution: If the KO/PM makes the determination to extend the
assessment, document the contract file with a MFR and then ask
the AOR/AO to modify the CPARS assessment period of
performance end date to 31 Jul 2020
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Changing CPARS Evaluations Status
Situation # 1: It has been less than 14 days (to the minute) since the evaluation has been sent to the contractor and you need to change the PoP/ratings/comments.
Action that needs to be taken: Either the Focal Point or alternate Focal Point using the 'Edit an Evaluation' option on their main menu can change the evaluation's status back to drafted (AO) or initiated (AOR). The evaluations information will be preserved.
Situation # 2: It has been more than 14 days (to the minute) since the evaluation has been sent to the contractor and you need to change ratings and or comments NOT the PoP date.
Action that needs to be taken: Either the Focal Point, alternate Focal Point, or assessing official needs to send an email to the help desk ([email protected]) including the following information:
Contract and order number:
Period of performance:
Please bring this evaluation back to drafted status. I will not be changing the PoP date or deleting the record.
Note: It takes 24-48 hours for the help desk to complete this action.
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Changing CPARS Evaluations Status
Situation # 3: It has been more than 14 days (to the minute) since the evaluation has been sent to the contractor and you need to change ratings/comments AND/OR the PoP date.
Action that needs to be taken The Department Point of Contact (DPOC) for your agency needs to send an email into the help desk ([email protected]) including the following information:
Contract and order number:
Period of performance:
Please bring this evaluation back to drafted status and delete the record from PPIRS.
Note: It takes 24-72 hours for the help desk to complete this action.
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Questions and
Answers from
Participants
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Back-up
Information
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CPARS Main Menu
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CLICK
CLICK
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CPARS Thresholds
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CLICK
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CPARS Guides
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Know & refer to
this often
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CPARS Guides
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Use this to look-up Dollar Threshold to
determine if a CPARS is required
Download, click on DOD Tab at the bottom of spreadsheet, then Search for your PSC
(Column A) and look at the Reporting Value (Column D)
Hint: Use Control F Keyboard Function to Search
Remember, KO’s can always request a Contract/Order
be registered and annual CPARS Assessments be
completed even though not required.
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Recommended CPARS Training
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There is some necessary and very beneficial training that is
available here: https://cpars.gov/lc_role.htm
Once there, click on Role > AO, AOR, RO and take:
- CPARS Overview (2.25 hours)
- Quality and Narrative Writing (1.75 hours) CPARS Quality and
Narrative Writing is now hosted by the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI). The new
class name is “FAC 089 Writing Quality Past Performance Evaluations”. Civilian
Agencies should visit FAI to take the training http://www.fai.gov. DoD users should
visit the DAU Virtual Campus.
- Evaluations/Contract Status Report (23 minutes)
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Unregistered CPARS
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Focal Points
Responsible to register CPARS within 30 Days after
award
Must ensure PM Office/KO returns CPARS
registration information timely
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AFARS Regulatory Requirements
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Assessing Official
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AFARS 5142.1502
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For Army: Must Include the
Contracting Officer in the Assessment
Process prior to forwarding a
Evaluation to the Contractor
for review
Focal Points: Must ensure KO’s are
part of the review process
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Regulatory Requirements
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Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)
Part 42.1503
Tables 42-1 & 42-2
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Regulatory Requirements FAR 42.1503
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NOTE: CPARS Quality and Narrative Writing is now hosted by the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI). The
new class name is “FAC 089 Writing Quality Past Performance Evaluations”. DoD users should visit the
DAU Virtual Campus. CPARS will no longer host the CPARS Quality and Narrative Writing after
9/30/2020.
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CPARS Common Administrative Oversights
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Focal Points are not receiving AOR, AO, RO, or Contracting
Rep POC information in a timely manner. Results in late
CPAR registration (30 days from award date)
Upon initial contract assignment in CPARS, the AOR/AO
should ensure the Period of Performance is correct (the
dates transfer from FPDS-NG to CPARS)
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View Assessment Reports (Previously PPIRS)
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075457143
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Focal or Alternate Focal Point Refresh FPDS
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Go to “register/update a contract” menu, enter the contract
number and it will have a "refresh FPDS" button to update
Ultimate Completion Date
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CPARS Small Business Sub-Contracting Sub-Factor
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CPARS Small Business Sub-Contracting Sub-Factor
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Automated Reminder
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Helpful Hints
Prior to Performance Period
Be Up Front
• Identify Expectations
• Discuss Areas to be Evaluated
Provide CPARS Guide to Contractor and Evaluators
• During Post-Award Conference
• Prior to Annual Evaluation
Leave Yourself Flexibility
Don’t wait until the annual evaluation to
make your contractor aware of
performance!
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Sample CPAR Narrative
NOT SufficientSufficient
Schedule – Rating: Very Good
In our opinion, the Contractor has performed really well in terms
of schedule. The Systems Security Manager, Nick Saban Jr., is
pleasant and easy to work with. He adapts to our schedule
changes wonderfully and never complains. He also went above
and beyond and assembled our smart board and projector
without charging the Government and he continued to meet all
the contract objectives. Great job!
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Sample CPAR Narrative
NOT Sufficient
What is Missing:
• Detail to Support Rating
• Supporting Documentation/Metrics
Additional Issues:
• Using Individual’s Name
• Outside the Scope of the Contract
• Subjective Phrases
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Sample CPAR Narrative
Schedule – Rating: Very Good
The Contractor successfully executed the system recovery, exceeding
requirements. Deployments of new releases were on schedule for this
period. Per the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP), the contractor had a 5
day timeframe for full system restoration after sustaining the attack.
However, the Contractor was able to recover and bring the system online
within 3 days, resulting in cost and time benefits for not having to manually
track data during the downtime. This early recovery eliminated a work
stoppage on engine configuration management at the customer sites. The
Contractor experienced a turnover of the senior developer during the
development phase of the first upgrade. However, due to replacement with a
highly skilled senior developer who was able to program more quickly and
efficiently, the Contractor was able to bring the final release deployment
back on track with no impact to the schedule.
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