Encourage Innovative Offers by Using a SOO and PBA.

It’s easier to recognize a great idea, than it is to invent one! Using performance-based acquisition (PBA) and statements of objectives (SOO) allows the government to state it’s desired outcomes or objectives, while asking contractors to propose innovative solutions to meet the government’s need. PBA structures all aspects of an acquisition around the desired outcomes of the government’s requirement and ensures the solicitation is flexible enough to allow contractors to propose their unique solutions to the government’s stated problem. The government is responsible for describing the desired outcomes or objectives, but should not prescribe “how” the work should be performed. PBA promotes the use of measurable performance standards (related to quality, timeliness, quantity, etc.), establishing ways to measure performance, and ways to adjust payment to reflect the degree of performance success. Using a SOO and PBA is an effective way to share the results that the government is seeking, while leaving it up to the contractors to offer an innovative solution.