What is fair opportunity in task order competitions?

Fair opportunity is the competition requirement for task orders under multiple-award contracts: **Fair opportunity basics:** - Applies to multiple-award IDIQ contracts - All contract holders must have chance to compete - Unless exception applies - Similar concept to full and open competition **What fair opportunity requires:** - Notice to all contract holders of task order - Reasonable time to prepare response - Clear evaluation criteria for selection - Opportunity to submit proposal - Fair and impartial evaluation **Exceptions to fair opportunity:** - Urgent and compelling need - Only one contractor can perform - Logical follow-on work - Minimum guarantee orders - Small dollar threshold orders (varies by contract) **Fair opportunity protest rights:** - Can protest task order awards at GAO - Subject to dollar thresholds ($25M DOD, $10M civilian) - Smaller orders may only have agency-level protest - Ombudsman programs available **As a contract holder:** - Respond to all relevant task orders - Monitor vehicle communication channels - Build relationships with ordering agencies - Understand evaluation criteria for vehicle - Track win rates and adjust strategy **Common fair opportunity issues:** - Insufficient proposal time - Unclear evaluation criteria - Improper steering to particular contractor - Exception overuse without justification