Get Technical Data

Now that you have reviewed and understand the contents of the bid package, it's time to start gathering information needed to complete the offer, including the technical data related to a particular bid.

Technical data is comprised of the specifications and standards, such as engineering design and manufacturing documents and drawings, that describe the requirements for a material, product or service. It also includes the criteria for determining whether those requirements are met.

Under federal regulations, the specs cover only the government's actual minimum needs in a manner to encourage maximum practicable competition. The government uses a spec only when it knows exactly what it wants and needs.

With the recent changes in acquisition policy, more requirements will be based on commercial specifications and standards. Therefore, if the requirement is being purchased under Part 12 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (Acquisition of Commercial Items), then the item or service is being bought against performance criteria citing commercial specs and standards.

For more information, see these topics:

• Types of Government Specs
• Getting Correct Specs