PF 2025-36 Updates to Acquisition Guide, Chapter 7.1 Acquisition Planning, and Chapter 15.3 Source Selection
Date: June 23, 2025
To: HCAs/Procurement Directors/Contracting Officers
From: Director, Contract and Financial Assistance Policy Division, Office of Policy, Office of Acquisition Management
SUMMARY: Acquisition Guide, Chapter 7.1 Acquisition Planning and Chapter 15.3 Source Selection are revised to address recommendations from GAO Report GAO-25-106207, Department of Energy Contracting: Actions Needed to Strengthen Certain Acquisition Planning Processes as follows:
Chapter 7.1 Acquisition Planning: Section 2.1.1, Acquisition Planning, and the instructions in Section 1.1, Description of Need/Contracting History, of Attachment 1 – Acquisition Plan Template, are revised to highlight certain requirements for acquisition planning documents to include a review and incorporation lessons learned from prior acquisitions for the requirement, including lessons learned from having to cancel a solicitation or cancel or terminate an award, into requirements setting and refining the requirements and the strategy for the acquisition, pursuant to FAR 7.103, paragraphs (n) and (t) and FAR 7.105, paragraph (a)(1).
Chapter 15.3 Source Selection: Section 2.8, Source Selection Plans and the RFP is revised for consistency with FAR 15.101-1; Section 2.18, SEB Lessons Learned is revised to clarify and expand on the requirements for documenting lessons learned, requiring that lessons learned be documented through all phases of the acquisition and include solicitations that were cancelled and awards that were cancelled or terminated due to a protest, and describe MA-621’s activities regarding lessons learned (e.g., collecting, analyzing to determine root causes, validating, etc.); and the chapter is revised to make other administrative/editorial updates.
For DOE questions concerning this policy flash, please e-mail DOE_oapmpolicy@hq.doe.gov.
For NNSA questions concerning this policy flash, please contact Acquisition Policy and Oversight Division, Policy & Oversight Branch (NA-PAS-111), at (505) 845-5639.