Which procurement method is used to obtain a contract when formal competition is not required?

Which procurement method is used to obtain a contract when formal competition is not required?

• A. Informal quotes
• B. Sole source
• C. Random drawing
• D. Full and open competition

Answer: (B)

The situation where you proceed without a competitive process is tied to sole-source procurement. This approach is used when there is only one responsible source capable of meeting the requirement or when competition is not feasible or appropriate, such as when a product or service is uniquely available from a single vendor or when urgency or compatibility constraints make competing impractical. In these cases, the government negotiates with that single source and awards a contract without conducting full and open competition, but it must be properly justified and approved (a justification for other than full and open competition) and documented in the contract file.

Informal quotes still involve some level of competition and are typically used for smaller, less complex purchases where formal competition isn’t required, so they aren’t the method when formal competition is not required. Random drawing isn’t a recognized procurement method, and full and open competition is precisely the scenario where formal competition is required, not when it’s not.