I.  INTRODUCTION

This Guide is designed to assist Source Selection Evaluation Teams (SSET) in preparing a Source Selection Decision Document (SSDD) for the Source Selection Authority (SSA).  There is no requirement to follow this format.  It is one approach that you can use.  Current guidance for preparing a SSDD is in FAR 15.308, AFFARS 5315.308, and MP5315.308, paragraph 7.12.  This Guide will assist you in clearly explaining and documenting the reasoning used by the SSA to reach a decision.

The SSDD is the pivotal document of the source selection decision.  This SSDD Guide supplements the AFFARS and MP by providing additional information on what to document in the SSDD to effectively convey the SSA's thought process to determine which offeror(s) will be awarded the contract(s) from a competitive negotiated acquisition.  This is an integrated assessment comparing offerors first to the evaluation criteria and then to each other on many different levels.

Redacted SSDDs are releasable to debriefed offerors in order to provide them meaningful feedback.  Neither statutes nor the FAR specify detailed standards for the SSDD.  Standards or guidance for SSDDs have been largely derived from protest decisions.  If there are any challenges to a source selection decision, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) or the U.S. Court of Federal Claims will first look at the SSDD.  Given its criticality, writing a SSDD is a task worthy of concentrated time and effort.