When a solicitation uses client-submitted Past Performance Questionnaires, track reference outreach and delivery milestones so responses arrive on time. Under FAR 15.305(a)(2)(ii), a negotiated solicitation describes the approach for evaluating past performance and gives offerors an opportunity to identify similar contracts. Check whether your specific solicitation includes a questionnaire and how references should return it.

How Solicitation Instructions Shape Your PPQ Workflow

Under the FAR 15.305(a)(2)(ii) baseline for negotiated acquisitions, offerors have an opportunity to identify past or current federal, state, local, or private contracts for efforts similar to the government requirement. Use the specific solicitation’s form, reference criteria and return route.

Each solicitation defines its own past performance instructions. Some solicitations ask offerors to submit existing performance evaluations when available and use a solicitation-attached Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) only when no formal evaluation exists. Other solicitations ask every named reference to email a completed PPQ directly to the contracting specialist, or instruct the offeror to collect signed questionnaires and include them inside the past performance volume. Reading how CPARS ratings work in federal contracting alongside the exact past performance instructions in your solicitation helps you determine which projects need a questionnaire and who must transmit the completed form.

PPQ Transmission Tracker and Follow-Up Schedule

Assign one coordinator to log contacts, permitted administrative fields and transmittal status. The following hypothetical record illustrates one client-directed return route. Build the actual record from the solicitation’s instructions. A backup evaluator or project can be substituted only as the actual instructions allow; ask the contracting officer if the permitted route is unclear.

Hypothetical PPQ tracking record

  • Reference: Ref-01, Regional IT Support
  • Permitted evaluator: Named COR; backup only if instructions permit
  • Return route: Client sends directly to the stated government recipient
  • Due date: Day 21 in this hypothetical response window
  • Offeror identification block sent: Day 3
  • Planned reminders: Days 8 and 12
  • Status: Client's transmittal notice received Day 11
  • Next action: Log that notice; do not treat it as government receipt confirmation

A client’s sent notice establishes that they reported transmitting the form. When the instructions provide an acknowledgment method, record that separately. Do not ask the client to forward confidential evaluation content merely to prove submission.

Scheduling Backward From the Proposal Deadline

Because client evaluators have their own operational workloads, sending a questionnaire two days before proposal closing creates avoidable schedule risk. Map a backward timeline as soon as the solicitation drops. For a 21-calendar-day response window where proposals close on Day 21:

  • Day 1 to Day 2 (2 days): Verify which candidate projects need a PPQ under the solicitation instructions and call each primary and backup client reference to confirm willingness and availability.
  • Day 3 (1 day): Complete the offeror portion of the solicitation's exact PPQ form (contract number, period of performance, dollar value, and brief scope summary) so the client only has to complete the evaluation sections.
  • Day 4 to Day 14 (11 days): Client completion window, with polite status check-ins on Day 8 and Day 12 (leaving 21 total days - 14 elapsed days = 7 calendar days of buffer before the solicitation deadline).
  • Day 15 to Day 17 (3 days): Confirm whether the client transmitted the questionnaire per the solicitation instructions or use a backup reference or contact only through the process permitted by the solicitation if the original contact becomes unavailable.

If your team is still building past performance as a new federal contractor, verify during Day 1 whether the solicitation allows state, local, commercial, or subcontractor references and how it evaluates offerors without relevant history.

Reducing Friction for Client References

  1. Pre-fill only the contractor identification block: Complete the administrative fields assigned to the offeror on the solicitation's form, checking that dates, values, project scope and contact details are consistent with the supporting reference. Explain justified differences, such as total contract value versus the cited work package, rather than forcing unlike figures to match. Never pre-mark rating boxes or evaluation comments reserved for the client.
  2. Highlight the exact return instructions: In your cover email to the reference, copy the exact recipient email address, subject line format, and deadline specified in the solicitation so the evaluator does not have to hunt through the RFP.
  3. Ask for a simple transmittal notice: When the solicitation directs clients to send questionnaires straight to the government, ask your reference to send you a brief note or timestamped confirmation once they transmit the form so you know the action is complete.

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Sources

  • FAR 15.305 - Proposal evaluation (FAR 15.305(a)(2)(ii)): https://www.acquisition.gov/far/15.305 (Retrieved 2026-11-06; Acquisition.gov baseline FAC 2026-01 effective 2026-03-13. Baseline text; apply the actual solicitation and agency deviations.)