FAR 37.602 addresses using a Statement of Objectives (SOO) instead of a SOW in a solicitation. With a SOO, the agency puts the SOO in the solicitation that simply spells out what results/objectives the agency is seeking. Then the offeror submits a proposal, and if selected for award, that proposal gets adopted into the contract as the SOW/PWS.

In real-life practice, how would the agency craft the evaluation criteria for this? Let me illustrate the problem. If the agency does a LPTA, how can the agency determine whether a proposal is technically acceptable if there are no "requirements" in the SOW, b/c there is no SOW, just a SOO? Remember, FAR 37.6 states that the SOO never gets incorporated into the contract. The SOO does not provide "requirements," only "objectives." The contractor's proposal becomes the PWS with the requirements.

If the agency does a TRADEOFF, how does the SSA realistically determine if one proposal is technically superior to another? Once again, we have no "requirements" in the original solicitation. In this scenario, let's assume that the evaluation criteria are TECHNICAL APPROACH and PRICE.

In an LPTA source selection, technical acceptability could be based on the credibility of the proposal. The agency could ask the contractor to describe (1) what it would provide to satisfy the desired results/objectives specified in the SOO and (2) its plan for providing it. Technical acceptability would turn on (1) whether what the offeror proposed would accomplish the desired results/objectives and (2) whether the offeror had presented a sound plan for providing it.

In a tradeoff source selection, the criteria could be risk and price. The government would determine the risk associated with each proposed solution and plan and trade the risk off against the proposed price, being willing to pay a higher price for a lower risk.

With a little thought, you could come up with many other criteria that could be used

govt2310 - A look here may be of help in exploring more ideas that supplement those offered by Vern. Note the Library section of the website that has "vetted" samples and templates.

http://www.acquisition.gov/sevensteps/home.html