CFCM Practice Test Questions
Service contracts valued in excess of __ must contain mandatory provisions regarding minimum wage and fringe benefits, safe and sanitary working conditions, notification to employees of the minimum allowable compensation, and equivalent federal classifications and wage rates
$2,500
Dollar threshold for public announcement of contract awards
$4,000,000
A contract should not normally be terminated for convince but would be permitted to run a completion when the price of the undelivered balance of the contract is less than
$5,000
Impresent funds may be used for transactions up to
$500
The contracting officer's certification can serve as approval of the justification for other than full and open competition for a proposed contract NOT exceeding
$700,000
Contracting activities shall employ simplified acquisition procedures to the maximum extent practicable for acquisitions of commercial items not exceeding
$7M
Unilateral modifications are used to
- Issue change orders - Make changes aughorized by clases other than a changes clause - issue termination notices
which of the following is true with respect to suspension of work or stop work orders
- The co may order a suspension of work for a reasonable period of time under a construction or architectural and engineering contract. - Stop work order is approved at a level higher than the CO - Stop work orders are applicable to any negotiated fixed price or cost reimbursement supply, research, development, or service contract
Which of the following is true regarding production surveillance
- The purpose is to determine contractor progress and to identify any factors that may delay performance - It involves gov review of contractor performance plans, schedules, controls, and industrial processes and the actual performance under them. - Contracts at or below the simplified acquisition threshold should not normally require production surveillance.
Which of the following is defined as gov property
- gov furnished property - contractor acquired property - property owned or leased to the gov or acquired by the gov under the terms of the contract ** Intellectual property and software is NOT**
The contractor puchasing system review provides the administrative cO a basis for all of the following
- granting approval for the contractor's purchasing system - withholding approval of the contractors purchasing system - withdrawing approval of the contractors purchaching system
Which of these is a normal function of a contract administration office
- reviewing the contractors compensation structure and insurance plans - conducting post-award orientation conferences - determining the contractors compliance with cost accounting standards
The simplified acquisition threshold for any contract in support of contingency operations to be awarded and performed, or purchase to be made, outside of the united states is
1 million
The following activities and programs are excluded or exempted from the definition of advisory or assistance services`
1. Architectural and engineering services 2. Research or theoretical mathematics and basic research involving medical, biological, physical, social, psychological, or other phenomena 3. Routine IT services unless they are an integral part of a contract for the acquisition of advisory and assistance services
A contractor is awarded 4 separate contracts on the same day. - One contract is rated "DO" and has a final delivery date (FDD) in 60 days - One is rated "DX" and has an FDD in 40 days - One is "DO" and has FDD in 10 days - One is unrated and has an FDD in 15 days. What is the order of priority
1. DX 2. Both DO's have same priority 3. Unrated
There are three types of indefinite delivery contracts:
1. Definite-quantity contracts 2. requirements contracts 3. indefinite quality contracts
Contractors must retain all records pertaining to a government contract for a minimum or __ years
3 years from the date of final payment, unless otherwise specified
What is the minimum response time for receipt of bids or proposals for noncommercial item solicitations
30 days from the date of publication of a proper notice of intent to contract
Federal agencies shall advance sustainable acquisition by ensuring that __ % of new contract actions for the supply of products and for the acquisition of services (including construction) require that the products are energy-efficient, water-efficient, biobased, environmentally preferable, non-ozone depleting, or made with recovered matericals
95
FAR Part 6, "Competition Requirements," applies to which of the following?
A $1M contract for services
Commercial Item
A non developmental item, if the procuring agency determines the item was developed exclusively at private expense and sold in substantial quantities, on a competitive basis, to multiple state and local governments
Which of the following is true about quotes
A quote is not an offer
In the event that the Federal Prison Industries (FPI) and nonprofit agencies participating in the AbilityOne program produce identification services, the ordering offices shall purchase services from the following sources based on priority. Identify the source that has 1st priority.
AbilityOne participating nonprofit organizations
Which of the following statements about advance agreements is true
Advance agreements may only be negotiated either before or during a contract. They must be in writing They must be incorporated into applicable current and future contracts.
This act provides that contracts in excess of $2,000 to which the US is a party for construction, alteration, or repair of public buildings within the US shall contain a clause that no laborer shall receive less than the prevailing wage rates as determined by the Secretary of Labor
Construction Wage Rate Requirements statute (David-Bacon Act)
Which of the following concerning electronic bids is true
Contracting officers may authorize use of electronic commerce for bids, but must specify the electronic commerce method that bidders may use
The contract work hours and safety standards statute (Act) requires which of the following
Contractors and subcontracts on covered contracts shall pay laboreror and mechanics employed in the performance of the contracts one and one half times their basic rate of pay for all hours worked over 40
Which of the following statements concerning customary progress payments is true?
Customary progress payment rate is 80% (85% for small businesses)
The __ authorizes agencies to enter into agreements to obtain supplies or services from another agency
Economy Act
Subject to fiscal regulations of the agenceis and applicable interagency agreements, the requesting agency shall reimburse the servicing agency for rendered contract admin and audit services in accordance with the
Economy Act (31 U.S.C. 1535)
How often are statutory acquisition-related dollar thresholds in the FAR adjusted for inflation?
Every 5 years
Unless otherwise provided, agencies shall use which of the following contract type for the acquisition of commercial items
Firm-Fixed-Price or Fixed-Price with economic price adjustment contracts
The contract types are grouped into two broad categories
Fixed price and cost reimbursement
"Effective Date" means
For a solicitation amendment, change order, or administrate change, it is the issue date
The Federal Supply Schedule program provides federal agencies with a simplified process for obtaining commonly used commercial supplies and services at prices associated with volume buying. It is directed and managed by the
GSA
Contracts are to be formatted in accordance with the uniform contract format outlined in FAR part 15. Which contract section is not physically included in the contract, but shall be incorporated by reference in the contract
K(Representations, Certifications, and other statements of Offerors or Respondents)
____ is any money, fee, commission, credit, gift, gratuity, thing of value, or compensation of any kind which is provided directly or indirectly, to any prime contractor, prime contractor employee, subcontractor, or subcontractor employee for the purpose of improperly obtaining or rewarding favorable treatment in connection with a prime contractor in connection with a subcontract relating to a prime contract
Kickback
It is advantageous to establish blanket purchase agreements with firms who
Offer quality supplies or services at consistently lower prices than their competitors
Which of the following is true concerning the use of simplified acquisition procedures
Purchases above the micro-purchase level are generally set-aside for small businesses
Which statement concerning requests for information (RFIs) is true?
Responses to RFI's are not offers and may not be accepted by the government to form a binding contract
Change orders issues under the "Changes" clause of the contract shall use which form
SF30
The names and addresses of all suspended contractors may be found at the
System for Award Management Exclusions
When considering a simplified acquisition, which database should contracting officers use as their primary source of vendor information?
System for Award Management, SAM
Which statement about proposal revisions is true?
The CO may request or allow proposal revisions to clarify and document understandings reached during negotiations
Which of the following concerning descriptive literature is true
The CO may waive the requirement for descriptive literature
The head of the agency may waive the applicability of Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) for a particular contract or subcontract when one of these conditions exisits
The contract or subcontract is less than $15M, primarily engaged in the sale of commercial items, and has no contracts/subcontracts subject to CAS
Agencies are required to use the results of market research to determine
The extent to which commercial items or non developmental items could satisfy the need
Which of the following statements is true
The gov encourages the maximum practical commercial use of inventions made under gov contracts he government recognizes rights in data developed at private expense and limits its demands for delivery of that data. The gov requires that contractors obtain permission from copyright owners before including copyrighted works, owned by others, in data to be delivered by the gov.
Which of the following about micro-purchases is true
The government wide commercial purchase card is the preferred means to purchase and pay for them
In response to a widely publicized solicitation for a noncommerical item, a CO only recieved one offer. The offer is a FFP $1M, which is the same price for a similar item recently purchased by another agency under a contract that resulted from adequate price competition. Which of the following is correct?
The proposed price is reasonable in comparison to a rent price for a similar item, certified cost and pricing data is not required.
Which is NOT a reason to reject a bid
The schedule contains an apparent clerical mistake
Which of the following is not true concerning project wage determinations?
They are effective for 90 calendar days ** is TRUE** they are issued at the specific request of a contracting agency, they are used only when no general wage determination applies, they apply only to the contracts for which they were issued
Which of the following is true concerning blanket purchase agreements (BPAs)
They may be established with more than one supplier
Within what time frame may previously conducted market research be used before the award of a task or delivery order
Within 18 months if if the info is still current, accurate, and relvant
Does a $75,000 claim resulting from a reduction of $350,000 and an increase of $275,000 require a certification?
Yes, because the aggregate value of the claim exceeds $100,000
A person holding himself out to the general public to provide transportation for compensation is a
a common carrier
Contracting officers below the level of ___ shall be selected and appointed
a head of a contracting activity
The Federal Supply Schedule program provides federal agencies
a simplified process for obtaining commercial supplies and services at prices associated with volume buying
When using the governmentwide commercial purchase card as a method of payment, COs need to verify a contractor's delinquent debt status in SAM database when those purchases are
above the micro puchase threshold
Acceptable methods for disseminating information on proposed contract actions include
announcements in magazines at no cost, assisting a local trade association in disseminating information to their members, and synopsis in the government wide point of entry
Final indirect cost rates
are established by a single agency and are binding on all agencies unless otherwise specifically prohibited
Contractor representations and certifications
are submitted through the System for Award Management
Acquisition planning should begin
as soon as the agency need is identified
A negotiated contract is
awarded after using other than sealed bidding procedures
A system whereby the contracting officer receives authorization from a fiscal and accounting officer to obligate funds purchased documents against a specified lump sum of funds reserved for a specified time rather than obtaining individual obligation authority on each purchase document is
bulk funding
Consolidating 2 or more requirements for supplies or services, previosuly provided or performed under seperate smaller contracts, into a solicitation for a single contract that is likely to be unsuitable for award to a small business concern is defined as
bundling
What is the heart of a settlement for a contract terminated for convenience?
business judgement
How does the gov relieve contracts of liability for loss or damage to property of the gov that occurs after acceptance or results from defects or deficiencies?
by acting as a self insurer
A proposal may be withdrawn
by written notice at any time before award
Communication with an offeror for the sole purpose of eliminating minor irregularities, informalites, or apparent clerical mistakes in the proposal is called
clarification
If other than full and open competition is anticipated, the acquisition plan must be coordinated with the cognizant
competition advocate
If a contractor has an approved purchasing system,
consent is required for subcontracts identified in the subcontractors clause of the contract
Performance and payment bonds are required or may be required for
construction contracts exceeding $150,000 and services and supply contracts exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold when necessary to protect the gov interests.
Agencies must implement OMB guidance for personal identity verification when
contractors have routine physical access to either a federally controlled facility or information system.
A cost-reimbursement contract that provides for an initially negotiated fee to be adjusted later by a formula based on the relationship of total allowable costs to total target costs is known as a
cost-plus incentive fee contract
For manufactured noncommerical end products, the test to determine the county of origin under the Buy American statute (act) is a two-part test to
define a domestic end product that is manufactured in the US and the domestic cost of the components exceeds 50%
supplemental agreements are used to
definitize letter contracts
A form of written approval signed by an authorized official that is required by statute or regulation as a prerequisite to taking certain contract actionsi s defined as a
determination and findings
Cost Accounting Standards
do not apply to contacts and subcontracts for commercial acquisition unless the contract provides for an economic price adjustment based on actual cost incurred
A certificate of current cost or pricing data
does not constitute a representation as to the accuracy of the contractor's judgement on the estimate of future costs or projections
The Buy American statute (Act) restricts the purchase of supplies that are NOT
domestic end products
Which of the following is the name of GSA's electronic system that allows ordering activities to post requirements, obtain quotes, and issue orders electronically?
ebuy
Which of the following is NOT true regarding awards resulting from an invitation for bids?
faxed bids are always welcomed IS TRUE: bidders must accept all terms and conditions, bidders must comply with all material aspects of the invitation, bids must be received by the exact time of the bid opening
Which of the following contract types may be used with sealed bidding procesures
firm fixed price and sometime fixed price with economic price adjustment
A contract that provides for upward and downward revision of the stated contract price upon the occurrence of specified contingencies is referred to as
fixed price contract with economic price adjustment
Award of contracts for recurring and continuing service requirements are often delayed due to circumstances beyond the control of the CO. In order to avoid negotiation of short extensitions to existing contracts, the CO may include an option clause in solicitations and contracts which will enable the gov to require continued performance of any services
for up to 6 months, within the limits and the rates specified in the contract
Exchanges of information among all interested parties are encouraged
from the earliest identification of a requirement through receipt of proposals
A cash fund of a fixed amount established by an advance of funds, without charge to an appropriate, from an agency finance or disbursing officer to a duly appointed cashier for disbursement as needed from time to time in making a payment in case for relatively small purchases is an
impreset fund
A contract with a corporation shall be signed by
in the corporate name, followed by the word "by" and the signature and title of the person authorized to sign
Which of the below is NOT an emergency action flexibility authorized to support a contingency operaton
increase in the threshold for advance payments **IS** increase in the micro-purchase threshold, simplified purchase threshold purchase increase, higher dollar limitations for use of SF-44, Purchase Order-Involve-Voucher
A cost is reasonable if, in its nature and amount, it does not exceed that which would be
incurred by a purdent person in the conduct of competitive business
A CO's decision not to set aside an acquisition for a HUBZONE small business or SDVOSB concerns when it is at or below the simplified acquisition threshold
is not subject to review under FAR 19.4
The contracting officer may use competitive proposals in lieu of sealed bids if
it is necessary to conduct discussions
Which of the following is NOT a statutory exemption to the contracts for materials supplies, articles, and equipment exceeding $15,000 statute (Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act)
items manufactures outside of the US **is**commerical items, perishable, agricultural or farm products
__ may be used for emergency acquisitions when contract performance must begin immediately
letter contracts
Which of the following are included in the definitions of "contracts"
letter contracts and job orders
The primary objective of discussions is to
maximize the governments ability to obtain vest value based on the requirement and the valuation factors
A protest concerning small business representation
may be considered timely if made orally and confirmed in writing withing a 5 day period
Contracts to acquire IT systems in successive, interoperable increments are known as
modular
The government can minimize the opportunity for buying in by using which of the following techniques
multiyear contracting, priced options, and amortization of nonrecurring costs
When acquiring commercial items, the contracting officer
must establish price reasonableness in accordance with FAR 13.106-3, 14.408-2, or Subpart 15.4, as applicable
If market research indicates that neither commercial items nor nondevelopmental items are available to satisfy the agency needs, agencies
must reeveluate the need and determine whether it can be restated to permit commercial or nondevelopmenal items to satisfy them.
The gov's policy is to try to resolve all contractual issues in controversy by
mutual agreement at the CO's level
Cost Accounting Standards Board rules and regulations apply to
negotiated contracts and subcontracts
When cancelling a purchase order, if the contractor accepts the cancellation and does not claim that costs were incurred as a result of beginning performance under the purchase order, then
no further action is required and the purchase order shall be considered canceled
The inclusion of a warranty in federal gov contracts is
not required
After receiving the GAO's written notice that a protest has been filed, an agency must give notice
of the protest to the contractor or all parties who appear to have a reasonable prospect of receiving an award
Contractors are required to perform all gov contracts, so far as is practicable without using overtime, EXCEPT when
overtime is necessary to meet urgent program needs and will result in a lower overall cost to the gov
To the maximum extent practicable, acquisition officials should state all of the following requirements with respect to an acquisition of supplies or services, with the exception of
preference for commerical or nondevelopmenal items **They should state: functions, performance required, and physical characteristics
The process of examining and evaluating a proposed price without evaluating its separate cost elements and proposed profit is called
price analysis
What definition best describes alternative dispute resolution?
procedures voluntarily used to resolve issues of controversy
Normally, testing and approval is appropriate in contracts for
products requiring an approved first article to serve as a manufacturing standard
When acquiring services, agencies must use performance based acquisition methods to the maximum extent practicable, EXCEPT for
renewable energy services
Unpriced purchase orders may be used to acquire
repairs to equipment requiring disassembly to determine the nature and extent of repairs
Prior to entering into a contract for IT, an agency should analyze
risks, benefits, and cost
The methodologies contracting officers shall use in acquiring construction contracts and architect-engineer services, respectively, are
sealed bids and negotiation
In a case where equal low bids are received in response to an invitation for bids, which category of bidder is given the highest priority for aware
small businesses concerns that are also located in labor surplus areas
According to the FAR conventions at Subpart 1.1, each authority is delegable unless
specifically stated otherwise
A contractor auditor is responsible for
submitting info and advice to the requesting activity on contractors accounting records and financial and cost control system
A pre-bid conference is never to be used for
substituting an amendment for an ambiguous invitation *Should be for answering industrys questions, explaining requirements, and conducting market research
THe first step of two-step bidding involves
technical analysis only
The following are examples of types of risk for the acquisition of IT
technical obsolescence, technical feasibility, and dependencies between a new project and other projects or systems
A qualification requirement is a government requirement for
testing or other quality assurance demonstration that must be completed before award
A latent defect is a defect
that exists at the time of acceptance and cannot be discovered by a reasonable inspection
The responsibility for selecting the appropriate type of contract for an R&D requirement belongs to the
the CO
When an imperative sentence directs action in the FAR, who is responsible for the action unless another party is expressly cited?
the CO
When fast payment procedures are utilized, who is responsible for determining the amount of debts resulting from failure of contractors to properly replace, repair, or correct supplies lost, damaged, or not conforming to purchase requirements
the CO
Which member of the acquisition team is responsible for determining the appropriate NAICS code and related small business size standard
the CO
Micro-purchases may be awarded without soliciting competitive quotes if
the CO determines that the price is reasonable
If a requirement has been accepted by the SBA under the 8a program, it must remain in the 8a program unless
the SBA agrees to release it
If the CO and the SBA area office cannot reach a resolution regarding a small business concern's ability to perform, who is empowered to make the final decision
the SBA associate admin for the gov contracting
Protests may be filed with
the agency, the GAO, or the US Court of Claims
A personal services contract is characterized by
the employer-employee relationship it creates between the gov and the contractor's personnel
If defective pricing is discovered after award
the gov is entitled to a price adjustment of any significant amount
Market research may indicate that bundling is necessary and justified if
the gov would derive mesurably substantial benefits
Unauthorized commitments are agreements that are NOT binding solely because
the government representative who made the agreement lacked the authority to enter into it
Who can authorize continued performance in the face of a protest after award?
the head of the contracting activity
The contractor is required to submit certified cost and pricing data for subcontracts that are
the lower of either 13.5M or values at more than both the pertinent cost or pricing threshold and more than 10% of the prime contractor's price
The specific content of acquisition plans will vary, and are influenced primarily by which factors
the nature, circumstances, and stage of the acquired
Pre-award debriefings shall NOT disclose
the number of offerors
The CO shall set aside a portion of an acquisition, except for construction, for exclusive small business participation when
the requirement is severable into 2 or more economic production runs
Contract delivery or performance schedules may be expressed by
the specific number of days from the date of the contract
A contractor's arrangements to pay contingent fees for soliciting government contracts have long been considered contrary to public policy because
they may lead to exercise of improper influence
What is acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at the government installation
time/date stamp of that installation on the bid wrapper
The least preferred method of submitting ideas/concepts to the gov is
unsolicited proposals
FAR Part 24. Protection of Privacy and Freedom of Information. The Freedom of Info Act provides that info is to be made available to the public
upon request, providing a copy of a reasonably described record
Tradeoffs in the source selection process are not permitted
when all evaluation factors and significant subfactors and their importance are clearly stated in the solication
Performance-based payments shall be used only
when the CO and the offeror are able to agree on the performance-based iterms, the contract is fixed type, and the contract does not provide for progress payments
The CO shall consider all protests and seek legal advice
whether protests are submitted before or after award and whether filed directly with the GAO, the US Court of Claims, or the agenyc.
A protest based upon improprieties in a solicitation must be filed before bid opening or the closing date for receipt of proposals. In all other cases, protests must be filed
within 10 calendar days of the time the protester knew or should have known of the basis of the protest, whichever is earlier