Pre-Award Survey

PRE-AWARD SURVEY

The Pre-Award Survey will be conducted by DCMA NSEO, NAVSUP WSS Quality Assurance Specialists, and Nuclear Engineers from the Cognizant Design Agent. The pre-award survey process concludes with a recommendation to the Nuclear Procurement Division regarding the prospective supplier's ability to fulfill all the terms of a nuclear contract. The following are some of the factors that are the focus of Pre-Award Surveys:

•   Quality Assurance: Can you comply with the quality requirements invoked? A major portion of the Nuclear Directorate Pre-Award Survey will be focused on this factor.
•   Technical Capability: Do your key management personnel have the knowledge and experience needed to generate the required product or service?
•   Production Capability: Do you have – or can you acquire – the facilities, material, equipment, and personnel needed to complete the contract on time? Can you plan, control, and integrate each of these? Do you have a system for timely placement of orders and for vendor follow-up and control?
•   Finance: Do you have access to enough money to acquire needed facilities, material, equipment, and personnel?
•   Government Property Control: Are you capable of managing and controlling government property?
•   Packaging: Do you have the equipment and personnel to meet all of the packing and shipping requirements of the contract, such as marking, unitizing, and preservation?
•   Security: Do you and your employees have up-to-date, adequate clearances? The Defense Security Service conducts such evaluations when required.
•   Plant Safety: Can you comply with all federal, state, and local safety requirements?
•   Other: Additional special requirements may be included in the contract.

Potential suppliers should ask themselves the following questions prior to a Pre-Award Survey.

•   Have you chosen a management official to speak for your company?
•   Is that management official totally familiar with the contract and the higher level quality requirements invoked?
•   Does your quality system have adequate process controls, ensure material traceability, and properly segregate non-conforming material?
•   Can you demonstrate your company's technical capability or the development of such a capability to generate the contracted product?
•   Is your company's production plan adequate to meet the contract schedule? Is the plan available for review by the survey team?
•   Are your plant facilities and equipment available and operable?
•   Can your company meet the contract's packaging, packing, and preservation requirements, no matter how unusual?
•   Do your company's employees have up-to-date security clearances, and are the cleared for the proper level of secrecy?
•   Has your company hired enough properly skilled personnel?
•   Does your company have documents – previous government or commercial contracts and orders – that demonstrate a satisfactory record of on-time deliveries of quality products?
•   Have you made plans to escort the survey team through your facility? Are technical experts available to answer questions from the team?
•   Have you gathered pertinent financial documents – a profit and loss summary, a balance sheet, a cash flow chart, and so forth?
•   Do you have a list of on-hand tools and equipment? Is your measuring and test equipment properly calibrated?
•   Have you made verifiable plans for vendor supplies and materials for subcontracts? Do you have a follow-up system to ensure that your company can meet the delivery schedule if a vendor has problems? Do your subcontractors have a quality system compliant with the contract requirements? Do you have quality records available for the government to review upon request?
•   Do you understand all the requirements for technical data and publications?
•   Do you have any other information or data that the pre-award survey team would find useful?