Four Tips on Contractor Performance Assessment Reports (CPARS)
Ever wonder about the importance of CPARS? Contractor Performance Assessment Reports (CPARS) were developed to provide evaluations of government contractors to ensure a contract is awarded to a contractor that has performed well on past projects. While the existence of CPARS themselves may be common knowledge, their importance with federal business development may be unclear. Here are a few notes on CPARS:
Government contracting personnel frequently check CPARS when they are evaluating proposals; it's important to understand what CPARS are, how they work, and have strategies in place to request, contest, and maintain exceptional ratings.
As best practice, you should request CPARS for each year of work with each of your prime contracts.
Companies can have if given an unfavorable CPARS rating that is not deserved. Given the importance of these ratings, contest any rating that you aren't in agreement with (Having supporting documentation always helps!)
Leveraging CPARS in proposals can be very effective. Many companies don't leverage them or simply drops them in the back of their proposals. Using the ratings and/or quotes provided from the ratings throughout the proposal in callout boxes is an effective tactic.
Download our complimentary, customizable CPARS Tracking Sheet (xls) for your use to stay-on-top of your company's CPARS.