Past Performance Volume

What this is

The Past Performance Volume provides a narrative summary of the contractor’s historical contract performance. It demonstrates the offeror’s ability to successfully fulfill the requirement based on prior work.

When you need it

Required for competitive acquisitions (sealed bid, negotiated, simplified) whenever the solicitation directs evaluation of past performance – see the solicitation’s Section L and Section M requirements and FAR 15.305. It is mandatory when the clause 52.212‑1 (Instructions to Offerors—Commercial Products and Commercial Services) is included.

How to fill it in

1. Review the solicitation for any specific past‑performance instructions (Section L/M) and note required page limits or formatting.
2. Identify up to three recent contracts of similar size, scope, and complexity (Federal, State, local, or private). For each contract record:
3. Contract number and award date
4. Agency/owner and contract value (omit if not required by the solicitation)
5. Currency – how recent is the performance?
6. Relevance – similarity to the present requirement
7. Source – where the information was obtained (e.g., EPA’s Federal Procurement Data System, SAM.gov record)
8. Context – brief description of work performed and outcomes
9. Summarize trends: highlight on‑time delivery, cost control, technical quality, and any corrective actions taken.
10. If the offeror has no relevant performance, state that fact and explain any mitigating experience (e.g., joint‑venture partners, key personnel).
11. For joint ventures, provide past‑performance details of each constituent entity.
12. Insert placeholders [PLACEHOLDER] for solicitation‑specific data such as contract numbers or dates you must pull from the solicitation itself.

Template

**Past Performance Summary**

1. **Contract #**: [PLACEHOLDER – contract number]
   - Agency: [Agency name]
   - Award Date: [Month Year]
   - Value: [$X,XXX,XXX] (if required)
   - Currency: Recent (within last 3‑5 years) / Older
   - Relevance: Similar scope to current requirement
   - Source: [FAR system, SAM.gov, agency report]
   - Context & Outcome: Brief description of work performed and results.

[Repeat for up to three contracts]

**Overall Assessment**
- Trend analysis (on‑time delivery, cost control, technical quality).
- Subcontracting performance (if applicable).
- Mitigating experience when no direct past performance exists.