[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 48, Volume 1]
[Revised as of October 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 48CFR15.101-1]

[Page 244]
 
            TITLE 48--FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM
 
                CHAPTER 1--FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION
 
PART 15_CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION--Table of Contents
 
         Subpart 15.1_Source Selection Processes and Techniques
 
Sec.  15.101-1  Tradeoff process.

    (a) A tradeoff process is appropriate when it may be in the best 
interest of the Government to consider award to other than the lowest 
priced offeror or other than the highest technically rated offeror.
    (b) When using a tradeoff process, the following apply:
    (1) All evaluation factors and significant subfactors that will 
affect contract award and their relative importance shall be clearly 
stated in the solicitation; and
    (2) The solicitation shall state whether all evaluation factors 
other than cost or price, when combined, are significantly more 
important than, approximately equal to, or significantly less important 
than cost or price.
    (c) This process permits tradeoffs among cost or price and non-cost 
factors and allows the Government to accept other than the lowest priced 
proposal. The perceived benefits of the higher priced proposal shall 
merit the additional cost, and the rationale for tradeoffs must be 
documented in the file in accordance with 15.406.