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About A-76 Costing, COMPARE Software, and this Site
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 COMPARE Software
Software Availability
OMB Circular A-76, Performance of Commercial Activities
Applicable Policies
Using the Website and Support Policy
Obtaining Help
Disclaimer
COMPARE
COMPARE is the cost estimating software supporting competitions conducted under the provisions of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-76, Performance of Commercial Activities (May 29, 2003). COMPARE is designed to assist analysts in developing, documenting, and comparing the relative cost of operating commercial activities by agency, public reimbursable, or private sector sources. COMPARE is mandatory for all federal agencies performing A-76 competitions under the OMB Circular A-76 competitive sourcing process.
COMPARE was developed by BAE SYSTEMS | Systems Engineering Solutions, 308 Voyager Way, Huntsville, AL 35806 and is maintained for the Department of Defense (DoD) by BAE SYSTEMS under the guidance and direction of the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (ODUSD) for Installations & Environment (I&E) Housing & Competitive Sourcing Office, Washington, DC.
For a more detailed description of COMPARE and to explore its specific applications and functionality, please consider downloading the COMPARE Software Users Manual  .
SOFTWARE AVAILABILITY
COMPARE is public domain software. COMPARE may be acquired through this website (http://www.comparea76.com) via the software download page.
COMPARE has no licensing requirements and does not require special authentication codes or passwords to install or use. COMPARE is available for download by government agencies and consultants supporting government agencies engaged in activities associated with OMB Circular A-76 competitive sourcing processes. The general public may also download the software, but COMPARE has limited applications outside the OMB Circular A-76 competitive sourcing process.
OMB CIRCULAR A-76, PERFORMANCE OF COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES
Purpose. The purpose of OMB Circular A-76 is to establish federal policy concerning the process by which public and private entities vie for the right to perform commercial activities needed by the government. The end result is to encourage creativity, innovation, and reform in the performance of recurring services through the competitive process that effectively meet key federal government savings, reform objectives, and to maximize the value of tax dollars.
In order to achieve A-76 objectives, decision makers must take a close look at many considerations affecting the effective implementation of competitive business solutions. Some of the considerations evaluated include the consolidation of activities/services, organizational restructuring/reengineering, development of more efficient business practices, and termination of obsolete services and programs.
The May 29, 2003 OMB Circular A-76 revision combined the elements of several previous guidance documents (including the Revised Supplemental Handbook, Transmittal Memorandums, Office of Federal Procurement Policy Letter 92-1) and subsequently cancelled those documents. Because the 2003 revision is so recent, you may still hear reference to these documents, but keep in mind, while these documents have been superseded, the policies and procedures contained in them are incorporated into the 2003 circular.
Circular Overview. The 2003 revised OMB Circular A-76 is well organized which will facilitate your understanding and comprehension of the information. The main body of the circular is three pages consisting of policy and applicability of the circular. The remaining attachments are specific to the primary process points (in the attachment title):
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Attachment A: Inventory Process –
Provides policy and procedure for the preparation, submittal, approval, and challenges and appeals of the FAIR Act Inventory.
Attachment B: Public-Private Competition –
Provides policy and procedure for the required phases and processes of competition: Preliminary Planning; Public Announcements; Streamlined Competition Procedures; Standard Competition Procedures; Post Competition Accountability; and Contests.
Attachment C: Calculating Public-Private Competition Costs –
Provides policy and procedures for the preparation, submittal, and approval for the agency cost estimate in Public-Private competitions.
Attachment D: Acronyms and Definitions –
Provides acronyms and definitions.
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For additional information on the OMB Circular A-76 Commercial Activities process, visit the SHARE A-76! website.
APPLICABLE POLICIES
The following policy documents are the primary policies relevant to the COMPARE software and A-76 costing. This list is not intended to be comprehensive. Please refer to SHARE A-76! for a complete list of A-76 policy documents and reference materials or refer to your agency’s specific policies.
- OMB Circular A-76, Performance of Commercial Activities, May 29, 2003.
- DoD Directive 4100.15, Commercial Activities Program, March 10, 1989.
- DoD Instruction 4100.33, Commercial Activities Program, and Procedures, September 9, 1985.
- DoD’s Baseline Costing for Public-Private Competition policy (August 1, 2005)
- Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), 1993
- DoD A-76 Costing Manual, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations & Environment, Housing & Competitive Sourcing Office, March 14, 2001.
- DoD Instruction 8500.2, Information Assurance (IA) Implementation, February 6, 2003.
- The Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a
USING THE WEBSITE & SUPPORT POLICY
The COMPARE website and Helpdesk is operated and maintained
- by BAE SYSTEMS | Systems Engineering Solutions, 308 Voyager Way, Huntsville, AL 35806
- for the Department of Defense (DoD) under the guidance and direction of the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (ODUSD) for Installations & Environment (I&E) Housing & Competitive Sourcing Office, Washington, DC
We apologize, but we are not authorized to respond to questions from non-DoD agencies except to assist with technical software problems such as installation issues. This helpdesk is funded by and for DoD Component use only. OMB does not fund any aspect of the software, website hosting or helpdesk support.
When the OMB Circular A-76 was revised in May 2003, OMB designated DoD as the office responsible for maintaining the COMPARE software and rates/factors. Therefore, DoD fulfills this role by maintaining the software and rates/factors for the entire federal government. Furthermore, DoD funds support of the website to distribute the software to field users and to post announcements regarding the software.
Feel free to search the knowledge base of previously asked questions by clicking on the Support link and using our search engine. Here you will find numerous questions and detailed answers regarding A-76 costing and the COMPARE software and may find a similar question to the one you have submitted.
OBTAINING HELP
There are several ways to obtain help through this website. The following are the primary methods available to make this website as useful and effective as possible.
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Site Map –
The Site Map provides a top-level view of the COMPARE website and allows you to better understand how information is organized within the website. This page can also be used as a method for navigating directly to a particular page. This map is also displayed in the drop down list on the bottom of every webpage.
Helpdesk –
If you need help using COMPARE or have an A-76 costing question, please take advantage of the helpdesk. You can submit questions to the helpdesk and receive rapid response solutions to your specific questions or issues. Please refer to the usage policy provided above for an explanation of who is allowed to use the helpdesk. You can also search and browse through all previously asked questions and their respective responses.
FAQs –
You can also access a series of frequently asked questions (FAQs) that highlight many of the questions that are most common or that have been asked on numerous occasions.
Contact Us –
If you are experiencing trouble with this website, would like to make an improvement suggestion or if you would like to provide feedback regarding the support you receive, visit the Contact Us page. This page will provide several options that can be used to contact our staff.
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DISCLAIMER
This is a public domain website and is for authorized, unclassified use only. Do not discuss, enter, transfer, process, or transmit classified/sensitive national security information of greater sensitivity than this system is authorized.
Information presented on the COMPARE website is provided as a public service and may be distributed or copied.
The COMPARE website administrators have no authority or responsibility in the maintenance of the servers that are outside the www.compareA76.com domain. These links are provided for information purposes only and should not be construed as an endorsement.
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