[Code of Federal Regulations] [Title 48, Volume 1] [Revised as of October 1, 2005] From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access [CITE: 48CFR37.602-1] [Page 766] TITLE 48--FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM CHAPTER 1--FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION PART 37_SERVICE CONTRACTING--Table of Contents Subpart 37.6_Performance-Based Contracting Sec. 37.602-1 Statements of work. (a) Generally, statements of work shall define requirements in clear, concise language identifying specific work to be accomplished. Statements of work must be individually tailored to consider the period of performance, deliverable items, if any, and the desired degree of performance flexibility (see 11.106). In the case of task order contracts, the statement of work for the basic contract need only define the scope of the overall contract (see 16.504(a)(4)(iii)). The statement of work for each task issued under a task order contract shall comply with paragraph (b) of this subsection. To achieve the maximum benefits of performance-based contracting, task order contracts should be awarded on a multiple award basis (see 16.504(c) and 16.505(b)). (b) When preparing statements of work, agencies shall, to the maximum extent practicable-- (1) Describe the work in terms of ``what'' is to be the required output rather than either ``how'' the work is to be accomplished or the number of hours to be provided (see 11.002(a)(2) and 11.101); (2) Enable assessment of work performance against measurable performance standards; (3) Rely on the use of measurable performance standards and financial incentives in a competitive environment to encourage competitors to develop and institute innovative and cost-effective methods of performing the work; and (4) Avoid combining requirements into a single acquisition that is too broad for the agency or a prospective contractor to manage effectively. [48 FR 42365, Sept. 19, 1983, as amended at 64 FR 32742, June 17, 1999]