TIP LINE – EDITION 26 – Purchasing Systems Update: CPSR and PERT
In this week’s Capital Edge Tip Line, CEO Chad Braley highlights the recent updates to the Procurement Evaluation and Re-engineering Team (PERT) process and Contractor Purchasing System Reviews (CPSRs).
Key updates from this week’s Tip Line
What’s happening? Recent developments to purchasing system reviews across agencies may affect contractors’ path to an approved purchasing system.
Here’s what changed:
PERT review pause is coming to an end: PERT serves as the Department of Energy’s (DOE) methodology for evaluating contractor purchasing systems. While evaluations were paused briefly, they are currently being rescheduled, and a couple are already underway. Additional guidance on the PERT process is expected soon and may align, based on initial intelligence, future reviews closely with the more stringent CPSR process.
A new phase to the initial CPSR process: Initial CPSRs (i.e., a CAGE code’s first CPSR) are now a two-part review.
Part I: Initial assessment to determine contractor readiness for a full review. Answers the question: “Is the contractor ready for a full review, or do they need more time to prepare?” If more time is needed to prepare, Part II is moved into the future, thus delaying the evaluation.
Part II: Comprehensive evaluation of the contractor’s purchasing system. An approved purchasing system only results from a contractor passing Part II.
Follow-on CPSRs, including special requests, are unchanged.
How contractors can stay ahead: The addition of a preliminary review may extend the timeline to obtaining an approved purchasing system. Contractors currently undergoing or preparing for a CPSR should maintain close communication with their Contracting Officer regarding review schedules, readiness expectations, and outcomes from the initial assessment.
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