Original Date: 07/10/2000
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

In 1998, the Naval Sea Logistics Center, Detachment Portsmouth developed the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System, a fully automated, paperless, web-enabled system for the collection and maintenance of past performance information. This system is used in award decisions for competitive solicitations.

Previously, the Department of Defense and the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition (ASN RDA) lacked a documented, paperless automated system for tracking the past performance of contractors and government agencies. In 1997, the Naval Sea Logistics Center (NSLC), Detachment Portsmouth began its innovative approach to performance reporting with the start of programming, followed by the deployment of a data collection system and source selection retrieval system in 1998. The result was the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), a fully automated, paperless, web-enabled system for the collection and maintenance of past performance information (PPI).

The CPARS is used in award decisions for competitive solicitations. The key point of this system is its web-based interface which facilitates the secure collection, retrieval, and assessment of contractors’ past performance data. The CPARS enables users to review this information through a report-card type listing, and provides multiple access levels, retrieval query capability, and on-line help. Users gain authorized entry into the system through a controlled secure access. The CPARS’s Process Flow is shown in Figure 2-1. Step 1 involves entering the contract information into the system. Step 2 is where the Program Manager (PM) adds the proposed ratings based on Technical/Quality of Product, Product Performance, Systems and Software Engineering, Logistics Support, Product Assurance, Schedule, Cost, and Management. In Step 3, the Contractor receives e-mail notification and has 30 days to review the proposed ratings and provide comments. Step 4 is where the Contractor’s input is reviewed and modified at the discretion of the PM. In cases of modification, the original ratings are also archived. Step 5 is the Review of Official Acceptance. If the PM and Contractor agree on the initial ratings, this step becomes optional. The results are available for use by all Services through the CPARS’s source selection process.

Funded by ASN RDA, the CPARS has been used throughout the Department of the Navy (DON) since 1998. To date, 1,900 entries have been completed with 1,000 more in process. NSLC, Detachment Portsmouth offers the only Navy performance assessment reporting system that is fully automated, paperless, web-enabled, and available to the acquisition community. Information is shared across government and industry. Since the availability of the CPARS, performance has improved under current contracts. Additionally in a 1999 survey, 80% of source selection officials (e.g., DON, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force) responded that they were able to retrieve records on specified contractors, compared to a very low percentage prior to the system’s implementation. The DON Guide now mandates the use of the CPARS registration, with information being available on-line in real time for all contracts.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.