Preface

This sixth edition of the classic How to Write a Statement of Work is dedicated to the late Peter Cole, a true thought leader who made a significant contribution to the literature on procurement management. I have a deep appreciation and respect for his work in this area and the value it has brought to both public and private sector organizations worldwide. Thus, it is my sincere pleasure to have the opportunity to update this book to reflect the current guidelines and references for government personnel to use when writing a statement of work (SOW), a performance work statement (PWS), or a statement of objectives (SOO) for use in a government contract.

This book is also useful for government personnel who must review or otherwise work with these documents. It is particularly useful for contractor personnel who must interpret and respond to government solicitations because it provides insights into government operations that are not generally available to contractors. It should be noted, however, that this book is generic in nature and must be used in conjunction with any specific agency instructions.

With the exception of Appendix A, which contains a detailed example of how to review and revise a functional SOW, this sixth edition of How to Write a Statement of Work has been updated to reflect new guidance and references, where applicable. This includes significant changes to Chapter 4, which addresses the SOO, as well as a new Chapter 7, which addresses the very important topic of managing changes to the SOW.

As in the earlier editions, the emphasis remains on providing practical, detailed guidance on writing and preparing a description of government requirements, whether the document used is an SOW, a PWS, or an SOO. The chapters included in this revised edition can be summarized as follows:

  • Chapter 1 provides an overview of SOWs, discussing the need for a clear and concise SOW and the relationship of the SOW to other parts of the solicitation and contract.

  • Chapter 2 addresses issues that must be considered when planning and preparing an SOW, discussing in detail topics such as choosing the SOW type (including functional and performance descriptions rather than design descriptions), distinguishing between level-of-effort and completion SOWs, and related considerations.

  • Chapter 3 discusses performance-based service contracting (PBSC), focusing on its use, how to develop the components of a PWS, how to conduct a job analysis, how to develop a quality assurance plan, and the use of incentives. It addresses how the PWS differs from the typical functional SOW and when the use of PBSC is appropriate.

  • Chapter 4 discusses the use of an SOO instead of a PWS in service contracting, and related issues. This contracting concept is not necessarily new; however, it is currently garnering a great deal of attention and is being applied frequently in the procurement of goods and services for public sector organizations. The use of the SOO requires a different approach to the presolicitation process.

Chapter 4 addresses the SOO concept, what the SOO is, and how to use it. The differences in acquisition planning, market research, and other presolicitation activities are discussed, as well as the evaluation, negotiation, and award of a solicitation based on an SOO. Potential problems and possible solutions are suggested. The chapter has been updated to reflect the current definition, references, and guidance regarding the development and application of the SOO.

  • Chapter 5 provides a sample SOW format to serve as the basis for discussion of which information is appropriate to include in an SOW, where the information goes in the SOW, and why. The information in this chapter applies equally to a functional SOW, a PWS, and, as appropriate, an SOO. This chapter also addresses the use of an SOW in sealed bidding.

  • Chapter 6 identifies common problem areas in writing SOWs and suggests how to deal with them. Writing guidelines, related primarily to the use of words, terms, and phrases in a contractual context, are also provided.

  • Chapter 7, new to this edition, provides an overview of why change management is important on projects, legal precedents supporting change management, how to identify when a change occurs using the SOW, factors that could impede the acceptance and application of a change management process in an organization, and tools for documenting and managing project changes. The chapter also includes information on the federal government’s Standard Form 30 (SF30) to provide perspective on how the change order is used and applied in the federal government.

  • Appendix A contains a complete review and rewrite of an actual SOW. This appendix demonstrates how to analyze an SOW critically and how the SOW could be rewritten to describe the requirement more effectively.

The purpose of this book is to supplement existing government publications by providing greater depth and detail. Clearly, when developing a generic approach to such a multifaceted topic, some details will inevitably not be addressed, and suggestions may be made that are contrary to how you are accustomed to conducting a particular activity. Should you find that you do things differently, before you reject the ideas suggested in this book out of hand, please consider taking the following steps:

  • Examine what you are doing and find out why.

  • If your procedures are based on written agency or local directives, then follow the established procedures.

  • If you cannot find a reason but are told, “This is the way we have always done it,” there is a good chance that you should change, or at least carefully review, your current practices.

The point is that you should have a reason for what you do. This book provides suggestions about writing SOWs, PWSs, and SOOs and explains why, but it does not purport to be the final word on the subject. Use what applies now and keep the rest for reference in the event that the nature of your requirements changes.

Other sources of guidance for developing these documents are available. Agency sources include:

The following sources provide specific guidance for PBSC:

I sincerely hope that each of you will garner some nugget of knowledge and value from the concepts and techniques described in this book. I hope that knowledge will make managing your contracts and projects more successful, and therefore make your professional life just a little bit easier.

Michael G. Martin
February 2012

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