[alex mercer]

An agency knows one product well. When may it name that brand without unfairly excluding alternatives?

[Sofia Bennett]

Accepted answer

Prefer functional and performance requirements. Use a brand-name-or-equal description only when the known product is a useful reference and the buyer can state the firm characteristics any equal product must meet. List only salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics tied to the actual need; do not copy proprietary details that add no value. Explain how evaluators will verify equivalence and allow vendors to show that an alternative meets the same characteristics. FAR 11.104 states that performance specifications are preferred and requires brand-name-or-equal descriptions to state the salient characteristics needed for award.

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