Preaward Survey Forms (Standard Forms 1403, 1404, 1405, 1406, 1407, and 1408)

To protect the Government's interest and to ensure timely delivery of supplies of the requisite quality, contracting officers, prior to award, must make an affirmative determination that the prospective contractor is responsible, i.e., capable of performing the contract. Before making such a determination, the contracting officer must have in his possession or must obtain information sufficient to satisfy himself that the prospective contractor: (i) has adequate financial resources; or the ability to obtain such resources; (ii) is able to comply with required delivery schedule; (iii) has a satisfactory record of performance; (iv) has a satisfactory record of integrity; and (v) is otherwise qualified and eligible to receive an award under appropriate laws and regulations. If such information is not in the contracting officer's possession, it is obtained through a preaward survey conducted by the contract administration office or surveying activity responsible for the plant and/or the geographic area in which the plant is located. The necessary data is collected by the contract administration office or a cognizant surveying activity from available data or through plant visits, phone calls, and correspondence and entered on Standard Forms 1403, 1404, 1405, 1406, 1407, and 1408 in detail commensurate with the dollar value and complexity of the procurement. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 9.106-1, Conditions for preaward surveys, preaward surveys are normally required only when the information on hand or readily available to the contracting officer, including information from commercial sources is not sufficient to make a determination regarding responsibility. Preaward surveys are discouraged for fixed priced contracts at or below the simplified acquisition threshold, and contracts involving the acquisition of commercial items, unless circumstances justify the survey's cost. In addition, if a prospective contractor is debarred, suspended, or ineligible, surveying activities shall not proceed with the preaward survey unless specifically requested to do so by the contracting officer (FAR 9.106-1(c)).

The latest form for Preaward Survey Forms (Standard Forms 1403, 1404, 1405, 1406, 1407, and 1408) expires 2021-01-31 and can be found here.