New FAR Overhaul Part 42.11: CPARS Changes That Will Impact Your Federal Business
October 8, 2025
Your CPARS Past Performance Data Will Soon Be Wide-Open for Greater Use by Government Throughout the Acquisition Lifecycle. Make it positive not a negative.
While the Government shutdown has overshadowed a lot of other federal acquisition news, we wanted to make sure the federal contracting community is aware of important Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) developments last week with the release of revised Part 42 and specifically Subpart 42.11 – Contractor Performance Information and CPARS (see all associated links below).
The Government confirmed CPARS is not only here to stay but CPARS data will be more visible and accessible throughout the acquisition lifecycle with the significant change that CPARS past performance information will no longer be marked “Source Selection Information”. This opens up a whole new dimension regarding developing tools and technologies to use CPARS information in all acquisition lifecycle stages: from market research, source selection through contract management and beyond (including AI tools to enhance Government use of CPARS data to find proven superior performers and purge those with negative CPARS ratings):
“Evaluations of contractor performance developed after April 1, 2026 will no longer be marked “Source Selection Information” and can be applied throughout the acquisition management lifecycle”.
The new FAR Subpart 42.11 also mandates contractor performance evaluations and reiterates CPARS is the official source for past performance information”. The FAR Part 42 Practitioner Album/Smart Accelerator references also call for consistent collecting and documenting of key past performance information and confirm Contractor Self Assessments are a best-practice (also including an earlier GSA Acquisition Alert citing the benefits of contractor self-assessments that we often referenced for our clients):
“Collecting contractor performance information through many channels and throughout the year improves the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) quality while reducing the administrative burden on the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and contracting officer”.
“ Vendor Self-Assessment Integration: Contractors submit quarterly self-assessments using standardized templates that support the COR in completing annual CPARS evaluations”.
Since we began helping clients manage their CPARS past performance ratings and narratives over 8 years ago, we have consistently advocated for the use of Contractor Self-Assessments in the CPARS performance data collection process, knowing well the benefits for both contractors and the acquisition workforce. While we are also known in the federal contracting community for our success correcting and fixing inaccurate and negative CPARS ratings for our clients large and small, a lesson learned by most clients is that most CPARS issues could have been avoided using performance self-assessments in the CPARS data collection process. That’s why we are very pleased to now see government-wide acknowledgement and acceptance of Contractor Self Assessments as a best-practice. All federal contractors are advised to heed this new official guidance without haste.
So, in summary:
1. Your CPARS past performance ratings and associated narratives will be more visible, more accessible, and widely used/scrutinized by more federal contracting entities throughout the acquisition lifecycle. HOW DO YOUR CPARS RATINGS LOOK?
2. With this increased visibility and use of CPARS data, just one negative CPARS performance record will raise red flags and cause you irreparable and long-lasting harm! Make sure your pending CPARS ratings and narratives help (not hurt) you! WE CAN REDUCE THE RISK.
3. Proactively manage your CPARS ratings by consistently and effectively documenting and communicating with your government using Contractor Self-Assessments with compelling and convincing performance narratives. WE CAN HELP YOU MAKE THAT HAPPEN!
If you have any Past Performance/CPARS Management questions - we are the federal contracting industry's trusted (and discreet) CPARS experts. With our unique GovConRx (Contract Performance/CPARS Urgent Care Consulting) and CPARSradar (Enterprise CPARS Ratings Management Solution) partnership offerings, we can help. Contact us for more information.
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Reference Links:
GSA’s Contract Performance Self-Assessment Acquisition Alert
Click Here to Effectively Manage All Your CPARS
Click Here to Rebut and Fix Negative CPARS