Best Practices for Implementing FAR 17.8 Special Contracting Methods – Reverse Auctions
In the first installment of this blog series, you learned that the FAR 17.8, Special Contracting Methods, was established in August 2024 to promote reverse auctions. Having assessed your agency's current reverse auction program (or determined the feasibility of implementing one) and confirmed the availability of a no-cost contract, you're ready to explore best practices adopted by other agencies that successfully utilize reverse auctions.
1. Get ready to brag about it. The use of reverse auctions is an innovative procurement method that will check the box on an ever-growing list of outstanding and required initiatives in the government. Agencies using the Unison Marketplace satisfy:
- OFPP Memo: Scaling Innovative Buying Practices in Federal Procurement
- OFPP Memo: Creating a More Diverse and Resilient Federal Marketplace through Increased Participation of New and Recent Entrants
- OFPP Memo: Advancing Equity in Federal Procurement
- Anticipated Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) government efficiency plans
- Agency-led initiatives like early industry engagement and challenges like constrained human resources and federal budgets
2. Connect your Strategic Sourcing office (or person) with Unison. Strategic Sourcing/Category Management offices currently working with Unison understand how they receive Best-in-Class and Spend Under Management credit while also receiving credit for using an innovative tool by using reverse auctions for GWACs and MACs and specifically onboarding new and pre-existing BPAs and IDIQs. These vehicles are onboarded into the configurable procurement workflows to:
- Provide 1102s with one location to access all systems with a documentation trail of each vehicle utilized
- Offer better agency oversight of decentralized workforce procurement practices
- Save the agency significant time and money
- Better engage vendors via the Unison Sourcing team
- Deliver measurable and actionable reporting and live dashboards to agency leadership
3. Enjoy a better customer experience. Agencies have reported saving 4-8 hours of contracting touch time and up to 50% PALT reduction. And end users have taken notice. The Unison Sourcing team’s streamlined Q&A workflow gets questions to end users faster and supports quicker response times to vendors, reducing back and forth and friction in the process. The standardized quote submission allows technical reviews to occur quickly, decreasing award time. And OSDBU’s appreciate the 94% award rate to small businesses from agencies using Unison.
4. Start small. Contact Unison for an analysis of which offices and 1102s will have the biggest impact on the agency in Q2 by using reverse auctions. Agencies typically start with a few 1102s or offices and you have time to increase use and familiarity before the busy Q4.
Adopting reverse auction best practices and leveraging Unison's expertise can improve procurement processes, enhance vendor engagement, and help save money and time. If you have any questions, please reach out to Greg.Young@UnisonGlobal.com.
