Performance work statement (PWS)
Also called: PWS, performance work statement, performance-based work statement, performance-based acquisition
A performance work statement is the part of a solicitation or contract that describes the required results of a service in measurable terms, with standards and acceptable quality levels, rather than telling the contractor how to do the work.
FAR 37.602 defines the PWS and FAR 37.6 sets the rules for performance-based acquisition, which FAR 37.102 makes the preferred way to buy services. A PWS states the outcomes, the performance standard for each, how the government will inspect, and what happens when a standard is missed; it is usually paired with a quality assurance surveillance plan (QASP) that says how you will be measured. The agency can write the PWS itself or ask offerors to propose one in response to a statement of objectives.
What to check: each required outcome and its standard, how often and by whom performance is measured, any deductions or incentives tied to the standards, and whether the staffing and hours you assumed are stated anywhere or left to you. Price to the standards, not to a headcount the document never promised.
What it is not: a statement of work, which describes tasks and methods, or a statement of objectives, which gives only goals.
See also: Statement of objectives (SOO), Request for Proposal (RFP), Section M, Contracting Officer's Representative (COR)
Questions that use this term
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