ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the contracting process and how advance contract planning influences the subsequent contracting cycle processes. It discusses the promises and perils of advance contract planning and the cycle of activities in the contracting cycle. The contracting cycle begins with the pre-solicitation phase and proceeds through development of the solicitation, proposal evaluation, contract award, contract administration, and contract closeout. The benefits afforded through a well-constructed solicitation, a purview of the advance contract planning team, include the establishment of proposal evaluation criteria that ensure contractor selection based on attributes best representing the qualifications required to meet the government's needs. Planning for contract management activities and monitoring the contractor's performance during the term of the contract provides the advance contract planning team an opportunity to ensure optimal contractor performance. The advance contract planning effort normally begins immediately following the government's decision to release solicitations to prospective private sector contractors.
