Past Perf — Past Performance Evaluation
Also known as: Past performance, PPQ/CPARS evaluation
What It Is
The past-performance evaluation, governed by FAR 15.305(a)(2), is the government's assessment of an offeror's record of performing similar work, used as an indicator of the offeror's ability to perform the prospective contract successfully. Evaluators consider the recency and relevance of prior contracts (including their size, scope, and complexity), the quality of performance (often drawn from CPARS, past-performance questionnaires, and references), and may consider the past performance of proposed subcontractors and key personnel. Critically, the FAR provides that an offeror without a record of relevant past performance, or for whom information is not available, may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance — it must receive a neutral or 'unknown confidence' rating. Past performance must be evaluated in competitively negotiated acquisitions above the simplified acquisition threshold, with narrow exceptions.
When It Applies
- On nearly every negotiated competition above the simplified acquisition threshold, where past performance is a required factor.
- When you assemble your proposal: you submit references and contract examples the agency will evaluate for recency, relevance, and quality.
- When a newer SDVOSB with little history bids — the neutral-rating rule keeps the door open despite a thin record.
Key Features
| Feature | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Recency, relevance, and quality | Evaluators weigh how recent and how similar your prior contracts are (size, scope, complexity) and how well you performed them. |
| Drawn from CPARS and references | Quality information comes from CPARS, past-performance questionnaires, and reference contacts, plus other sources the agency obtains. |
| Neutral rating for no record | An offeror with no relevant past-performance record, or for whom information is unavailable, receives a neutral rating — not a penalty. |
| Subcontractor and personnel history may count | Agencies may consider the relevant past performance of proposed major subcontractors and key personnel when the solicitation allows. |
What It Means for an SDVOSB
Past performance is both a hurdle and an opening for SDVOSBs. The neutral-rating rule means a newer firm with no relevant record cannot be marked down for it — so a thin history is not a bar to competing, especially under tradeoff. To build a strong record, choose your most recent, most relevant contracts; if your prime history is limited, use relevant subcontract or commercial work where the solicitation allows, and consider citing the past performance of a proposed teaming partner or key personnel. Keep your CPARS ratings clean, line up reference respondents in advance, and tie each cited contract directly to the scope of the new requirement.
How to Win Under It
- Submit your most recent and most relevant prior contracts, matched to the new requirement's size, scope, and complexity.
- Prepare your references — confirm contacts will respond to questionnaires promptly and accurately before you list them.
- If your prime record is thin, use relevant subcontract, commercial, or teaming-partner and key-personnel performance where the solicitation permits.
- Monitor and address your CPARS ratings year-round, since they are a primary source for the quality assessment.
Common Pitfalls
- Citing old or marginally relevant contracts that do not match the new requirement's scope or complexity.
- Listing references who do not respond, leaving gaps the evaluator records as a lack of information.
- Assuming no past performance disqualifies you — the neutral-rating rule means it cannot be scored against you.
Run the Numbers
Frequently Asked
What happens in a past-performance evaluation if my SDVOSB has no track record?
Under FAR 15.305(a)(2), an offeror without a record of relevant past performance, or for whom information is not available, may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance. Instead it receives a neutral rating — often expressed as 'unknown confidence'. So a brand-new SDVOSB is not penalized for a lack of history. Where the solicitation allows, you can strengthen this factor by citing the relevant past performance of proposed subcontractors or key personnel.
Where does the government get my past-performance information?
Primarily from CPARS (the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System), from the past-performance questionnaires and references you submit, and from other contracts the agency can access. Because CPARS ratings follow you from contract to contract, managing performance and addressing any negative CPARS narrative in real time is a year-round task, not something to start when a new proposal is due. Relevance and recency matter as much as the rating itself.
Primary Sources
- FAR 15.305 — Proposal evaluation (past performance)
- FAR 42.15 — Contractor performance information (CPARS)
- FAR Subpart 15.3 — Source Selection
Plain-English reference, not legal advice. How a source selection is conducted, and which evaluation method and procedures apply, is set by the specific solicitation, and the FAR is periodically amended — always read the actual solicitation (especially Sections L and M) and confirm its terms with the contracting officer before relying on this.
Change log (1)
- LaunchedPublished the federal source selection & evaluation methods reference covering how the government evaluates proposals and picks a winner — the best-value tradeoff (FAR 15.101-1), lowest-price technically-acceptable (LPTA, FAR 15.101-2), evaluation factors and subfactors (FAR 15.304), the technical and past-performance evaluations (FAR 15.305), price and cost analysis (FAR 15.404-1), the competitive range (FAR 15.306(c)), discussions and final proposal revisions (FAR 15.306(d) / 15.307), award without discussions (FAR 15.306(a)(3) / 52.215-1), oral presentations (FAR 15.102), the responsibility determination and Certificate of Competency (FAR 9.104 / Subpart 19.6), and debriefings (FAR 15.505 / 15.506) — each with a key-features table, a how-to-win checklist, common pitfalls, an SDVOSB-specific angle, FAQPage, Article, Dataset, and BreadcrumbList structured data, primary-source FAR citations, and cross-links into the glossary, solicitation types, clauses, contract types, how-to guides, FAQ, and the win-probability and price-to-win calculators.