§3405 Task order contracts: advisory and assistance services

Summary

Advisory and assistance services — the kind of help described in 31 U.S.C. 1105(g). Agency heads may use task order contracts to buy advisory and assistance services, but only under the rules here and other law. Such a contract cannot run longer than five years unless another law specifically allows more time. The public notice (under 41 U.S.C. 1708 and Small Business Act section 8(e)) must fairly describe the general scope, size, and length so interested companies can decide whether to ask for the full solicitation. The solicitation and the contract must include the service details required by law. One solicitation can lead to awards of separate task order contracts to two or more firms if the solicitation says the agency may do that. If a contract would run more than three years and be over $10,000,000 (with options), the solicitation must provide for multiple awards and say the agency might still pick just one firm if it writes a finding that only one offeror can meet the needed quality. Task orders cannot expand the contract’s scope, time, or total value; any increase must be done by contract modification, normally using competitive procedures, with notice under 41 U.S.C. 1708 and SBA 8(e). An agency may extend a contract once, on a sole-source basis, for up to six months if an unforeseeable delay keeps a follow-on award from starting and the extension is needed to keep services running. This rule does not apply when advisory services are only a minor, incidental part of a larger property or services contract.