Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP)

A Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) is the government's internal contract administration document that defines the surveillance methods, performance standards, acceptable quality levels (AQLs), and inspection frequency the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) will use to evaluate whether a contractor is meeting the requirements of a Performance Work Statement (PWS).

What is a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan?

The QASP is the government's roadmap for monitoring contractor performance. For each critical task or deliverable in the PWS, the QASP identifies: the performance standard (what the expected outcome is), the acceptable quality level (the minimum acceptable performance threshold, e.g., "99.5% system uptime"), the surveillance method (random sampling, 100% inspection, periodic report review, or customer complaints), the surveillance frequency, and the consequence for performance below the AQL (typically a negative CPARS rating and potentially a reduction in fee on cost-plus contracts).

The QASP is developed by the government, not the contractor. However, some solicitations require offerors to submit a draft QASP as part of their proposal, either as a separate volume or as a section within the management volume, to demonstrate their understanding of how their performance will be measured. When a draft QASP is required in the proposal, it signals that the government is evaluating the contractor's familiarity with performance-based contracting and their commitment to measurable outcomes.

Contractors should understand the QASP framework even when not required to submit one, because it defines how their performance will be evaluated post-award. CPARS ratings flow directly from QASP-based surveillance results. A contractor that proactively aligns its internal quality management system to the government's QASP standards is far better positioned to earn positive CPARS ratings and protect future contract opportunities.

Why the QASP Matters for Government Contractors

QASP performance standards define the minimum acceptable quality bar for earning a "Satisfactory" CPARS rating. Understanding these standards before contract award, by reviewing the QASP if available or deriving them from the PWS performance standards, allows the contractor to design internal monitoring systems that flag performance risks before they reach the COR's attention. Contractors that are surprised by poor CPARS ratings typically discover they were unaware of the specific QASP surveillance criteria that drove the negative assessment.

Example

A services contractor receives a $9M contract with a QASP specifying: help desk response within 30 minutes for Priority 1 tickets (AQL: 98% compliance, measured monthly through automated ticketing system data), system availability of 99.5% excluding scheduled maintenance windows (measured continuously by government monitoring tools), and training deliverable submission within 5 days of each program milestone (100% inspection). The contractor builds internal dashboards tracking all three metrics in real time and reviews them weekly to identify and correct emerging trends before the COR's monthly surveillance report is finalized.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is a contractor required to submit a draft QASP with its proposal?

Draft QASP requirements appear in Section L of the solicitation. Not all solicitations require them, they are more common on performance-based contracts under FAR Part 37.6 and on larger professional services or IT services contracts where the government wants to assess whether the contractor understands how performance will be measured. When required, the draft QASP demonstrates the contractor's performance-based contracting competence and serves as an input to the final QASP the government will maintain post-award.

Can a contractor review the government's final QASP after award?

Yes. The QASP is a contract administration document, not a classified or proprietary document. Contractors can request access to the final QASP from the COR or contracting officer after award. Some contracts incorporate the QASP as a contract attachment, making it part of the official contract record. Understanding the final QASP allows the contractor to calibrate internal quality monitoring precisely to the government's surveillance methodology.

What is the difference between a QASP and a contractor's Quality Control Plan?

The QASP is the government's surveillance plan, how the government inspects the contractor's performance. The Quality Control Plan (QCP) is the contractor's internal plan, how the contractor monitors its own performance to ensure it meets the standards before the government measures it. On performance-based contracts, contractors typically submit a QCP as part of the proposal; the government uses the QASP to verify independently that the contractor's self-monitoring is accurate. The two plans operate in parallel: contractor self-monitors, government independently verifies.

How does the QASP relate to CPARS ratings?

CPARS ratings are the direct output of QASP-based surveillance. The COR documents performance against each QASP standard and uses the cumulative evidence to assign the annual CPARS ratings across the five rating categories (Technical, Schedule, Cost Control, Management, and Small Business). Ratings of "Very Good" or "Exceptional" require documented performance above the QASP's acceptable quality levels across all measured dimensions. Ratings of "Satisfactory" reflect meeting but not exceeding standards. Ratings below "Satisfactory" reflect QASP standards that were not consistently met.