5301.9102 Policy

(a)  MAJCOM and DRU commanders shall appoint an experienced senior official who is independent of the contracting officer and program manager as the ombudsman at their MAJCOM/DRU. The AFISRA commander shall appoint an experienced senior official who is independent of the contracting officer and program manager as the ombudsman at AFISRA. For AFMC and AFSPC Centers, an ombudsman is required at each Center, instead of at the MAJCOM.

(b)  The ombudsman will have the authority to call upon other resources of the activity to assist in resolving acquisition issues or concerns (e.g. administrative support, independent review teams).

(c)  Contracting officers shall identify the ombudsman in the initial announcement of the acquisition as well as in the draft and final RFP.

(d)  The ombudsman shall:

(1)  Support acquisition personnel in the resolution of issues or concerns raised by interested parties;

(2)  Act in a manner that does not compromise the interested party and, if requested, maintain anonymity of the parties.

(3)  Avoid any appearance of usurping normal procurement authority (e.g., program manager, contracting officer, and source selection authority);

(4)  Ensure all affected or knowledgeable offices and officials are consulted as part of any resolution process;

(5)  Inform the commander, as required, of issues raised and actions taken; for AFMC and AFSPC centers, report only to the Center Commander, Laboratory Commander/Director, or PEO; and for other MAJCOM/DRUS, report only to the MAJCOM CC or PEO;

(6)  Review complaints relative to multiple-award task and delivery order contracts awarded under 10 U.S.C. 2304a(d)(1)(B) or 2304b(e) to ensure that all contractors are afforded a fair opportunity to be considered for task and delivery orders in excess of $2,500, consistent with the procedures in the contract;

(7)  Consistent with security requirements, have access to the appropriate offices and be allowed to collect all facts relevant to the resolution of issues raised by interested parties. Ombudsmen are granted access to proprietary information. Source selection information must be obtained through the source selection authority.

(e)  The Ombudsman Program does not replace the agency level protest, GAO bid protest or disputes processes.

(f)  The Air Force ombudsman is the Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary (ADAS) (Contracting), who may take action to assist in resolving issues, concerns, disagreements, and recommendations that cannot be resolved at the MAJCOM/DRU level, at AFISRA, or for those having Air Force wide implications. The ADAS(C) is the AF ombudsman for procurement integrity issues (see OUSD(AT&L)/DPAP Memo dated October 1, 2009, Subject: Ombudsman for Procurement Integrity).

(g)  Government personnel may use the Ombudsman Program as a way to express concerns about an acquisition.