2-41 Obtain Selected Reviews and Approvals

2-41.1 General

Reviews and approvals of contractual actions provide oversight and an objective view of important business decisions. Pooling business insights enhances the process of obtaining best value. Therefore, the Postal Service has established various levels of review and approval for contractual and related actions throughout the purchase process. In addition, some contractual actions, and proposed actions, must be reported or announced to internal organizations both before and when an action is taken. Generally, the need for review and approval, report or announcement depends on the estimated dollar value of the proposed action or some other important factor, such as the sensitivity of the purchase or the purchase method (competitive or noncompetitive). This topic delineates selected reviews and approvals, and mentions certain reports, which are discussed in more length in Section 2-42, Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act Related Reports and Certifications. Required announcements are discussed in Section 3-2, Announce Award. Lastly, this topic addresses required actions a contracting officer must take when a proposed contractual action exceeds his or her delegated authority.

To help users identify these types of actions and others that require coordination, an Actions Requiring Review, Approvals, Consultation and Concurrence Exhibit is included in the User Aids section of the SPs and Ps web site, and the Roles and Responsibilities part of each topic provides further information. Users are reminded that neither the following topic nor the Exhibit necessarily identifies all of the required activities that may apply to a given situation, and that other applicable topics should always be consulted for complete information (e.g., required reviews and approvals for progress payments are discussed in Section 2-17, Determine Need for Progress or Advance Payment).