Basic Principles
This term describes purchases made without competitive bids due to unique circumstances or only one source available.
What is sole source procurement?
This FTA circular provides guidance specifically for federal transit administration grantees on grant management.
What is FTA Circular 5010.1F?
The FTA-required document that defines a recipient's approach and procedures for procurement of goods and services.
What is a procurement policy manual?
This procurement method allows agencies to request price quotes for goods and services valued below the simplified acquisition threshold.
What is small purchase procurement?
This method of procurement allows agencies to select services based on qualifications rather than price for architectural and engineering services.
What is Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS)?
This foundational document outlines uniform administrative requirements, cost principles, and audit requirements for federal awards.
What is 2 CFR Part 200?
This report, required quarterly or annually, tracks the financial status of federally funded transit projects.
What is the Federal Financial Report (FFR)?
These required steps must be documented when a procurement is not competitively bid due to unique circumstances.
What is sole source justification?
This method evaluates proposals based on factors other than price alone, such as technical merit or experience.
What is Request for Proposals (RFP)?
This type of procurement is permissible under FTA rules only under urgent or unusual circumstances.
What is emergency procurement?
This cost principle standard under 2 CFR 200 states costs must be necessary, reasonable, allocable, and allowable under federal law.
What is allowability?
This type of FTA compliance review specifically assesses transit agencies’ adherence to federal procurement requirements.
What is a Procurement System Review?
The threshold under which agencies can procure without formal bids, using informal price quotations instead.
What is the simplified acquisition threshold?
This type of agreement permits agencies to procure goods or services through a competitively awarded contract by another public agency.
What is a cooperative purchasing agreement?
An agency uses this procurement method to select vendors from a pre-qualified list for tasks or services over an extended period.
What is task-order or indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) procurement?
The primary method required by FTA and 2 CFR 200 for awarding contracts funded by federal grants.
What is competitive procurement?
It is the online system transit agencies use to request reimbursement or advance payments from FTA.
This is the formal advertisement requesting bids under a sealed bid procurement method.
What is an Invitation for Bid (IFB)?
The term for reviewing a contractor’s performance and compliance throughout the contract period.
What is contract monitoring?
This procurement method, typically used for acquiring off-the-shelf items, involves minimal bidding processes.
What is micro-purchase procurement?
This is the simplified acquisition threshold under federal procurement rules.
What is $250,000?
These federally required contract provisions must be included in all FTA-funded procurements exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold.
What are FTA-required federal clauses?
This principle ensures all qualified vendors have an equal opportunity to bid on FTA-funded contracts.
What is full and open competition?
This type of procurement uses sealed bids and selects the lowest-priced responsive and responsible bidder.
What is Invitation for Bids (IFB)?
An FTA-approved procurement practice permitting multiple agencies to use one competitively bid contract.
What is cooperative procurement?