In order to understand the sad state of government contracting, see Army RFQ W15QKN24Q5086, dated 23 May 2024, issued by the U.S. Army Reserve Command for grounds maintenance services at the "PFC Harry J. Fridley USARC" in Virginia.

• Apparently a simplified acquisition. States that the award will be a purchase order.
• 90 pages as originally issued
• No discernible format
• No table of contents
• Presumably developed/assembled using the Army Contract Writing System.
• Small business set-aside. The facility to be maintained appears from the map provided to be small.
• Four tasks: mowing/grass-cutting, clipping, trimming/edging, spring and fall cleanup.
• PWS cites as the quality standard, without specific references, Army Regulation (AR) 420-1, Army Facilities Management, a 483-page document that sets no standards for any of the four tasks.
• And lots more!

Available at SAM.gov.

I have never seen a worse solicitation, and I've seen some very bad ones.

Here's an innovative acquisition improvement idea: Bob should open a new Forum category: Dog Bite Solicitations, with an annual prize to the person who proposes the best candidate.

Maybe shame will inspire improvement at both the working and managerial levels.

 

2 hours ago, Vern Edwards said:

Here's an innovative acquisition improvement idea: Bob should open a new Forum category: Dog Bite Solicitations, with an annual prize to the person who proposes the best candidate.

I do not think the software would be capable of handling the magnitude of candidates submitted.

Case in point...5 minutes on SAM.gov!

60100PR240000309

Now is a site visit required or not...."Site visit time date stamp must be present on the quote and site visit will be required to see the layout of the job. "  But then again...."Bidders are encouraged to visit the site to become familiar with existing conditions"

Quote, bid or negotiated procurement - "Bidders", "Submission of a quote" or "The Government intends to select for award the one responsible quote which conforms to the Bidding Requirements proposing a price that is fair and reasonable, and provides the Lowest Priced, Technically Acceptable (LPTA) quote."

This will be my only submission I have other stuff to do!

Did it have CLINs in it or any other indication of how pricing was to be submitted?

If so, then it is definitely not the worst solicitation in the history of procurement.  That honor would go to an RFP released by a former 1102 "colleague", who, after wearing down his paper-thin reputation here to the lowest level possible, got a job at another agency, only to find he couldn't pass the CO competency exam.  For the same job he held for the prior 10 years.

@REA'n MakerThere are CLINs, but the basis for pricing is not clear. Go to sam.gov and take a look at it.

Vern, I thought you retired! Thank you for this one. I was teaching CON 1200 today and was showing everyone Wifcon when we stumbled across this. In the "small world after all category" this is for the Reserve detachment in Covington, VA. I retired to this tiny town in the mountains and actually trained with this unit back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Now I have to go do a site visit. Take care and thank you for a belly laugh.

Thought I'd drop in to say I was inspired by this thread, to write up my own take down of an awful solicitation.

Alchemy for aliens – 5 solicitation sins wasting our money: To find waste, read the RFPs

Alchemy for aliens – 5 solicitat...

Alchemy for aliens – 5 solicitation sins wasting our money

To find waste, read the RFPs

Not the worst solicitation ever, but definitely not the best.