The Open Ratings Past Performance Report is a third-party performance evaluation based on customer feedback, historically used to support contractor responsibility determinations and proposal submissions in federal acquisitions. This report was widely accepted in GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) offers as evidence of a vendor’s performance capabilities, particularly when the vendor lacked a federal past performance record in CPARS (Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System).
Compiled by Open Ratings, a former subsidiary of Dun & Bradstreet, the report offered a statistically valid summary of how previous clients rated the vendor across several service-related dimensions.
Purpose and Function in Federal Procurement
In the context of government contracting, past performance is a critical factor in source selection. Contracting officers are required under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to evaluate an offeror’s history of delivering quality work on time and within budget.
The Open Ratings Past Performance Report provided:
- Independent, third-party verification of past work
- A consistent, numerical rating format
- Broad acceptance by GSA and other agencies for small businesses or new federal vendors
The report allowed contractors with primarily commercial clients to demonstrate capability and mitigate the absence of CPARS data.
How the Report Was Produced
The Open Ratings Past Performance Report followed a standardised process that included the following steps:
- Vendor registration and request
The vendor initiated a report request via the Open Ratings system and paid a service fee. - Submission of references
The vendor submitted contact details for 15 to 20 customers who had received services in the last three years. - Survey distribution
Open Ratings sent each reference a questionnaire evaluating the vendor in areas such as reliability, cost control, and quality. - Data aggregation and scoring
Once a minimum number of responses was received, the platform calculated an overall rating on a 0–100 scale using a proprietary statistical model. - Report generation
The vendor received a PDF report with scores, confidence levels, and optional comments from respondents.
This structured approach ensured transparency and statistical confidence in the results.
Key Components of the Report
A typical Open Ratings Past Performance Report included:
- Legal name and business identifiers of the vendor
- Final performance score on a 0–100 scale
- Ratings in areas such as:
- Reliability
- Quality
- Responsiveness
- Delivery Timeliness
- Business Relations
- Statistical confidence level
- Date of issuance and number of responses
- Anonymised customer comments (if permitted)
The format made it easy for contracting officers to compare performance across vendors or include the report in proposal files.
Use in GSA Schedule Offers
The report was widely used in GSA Schedule proposals when:
- A vendor lacked recent federal contract history
- CPARS data was not available or insufficient
- The vendor was new to federal contracting but had relevant commercial experience
GSA considered the report a valid substitute for internal government performance records, provided it met specific solicitation requirements and was recent (typically less than one year old).
Advantages of the Open Ratings Approach
For many vendors, especially small and medium-sized businesses, the Open Ratings report provided several advantages:
- Objective scoring based on external customer experience
- Standardised format suitable for multiple proposals
- Recognised credibility with GSA evaluators
- Flexibility for commercial vendors without CPARS records
- Use across multiple solicitations for a limited time
Government agencies also benefited by gaining quantifiable performance data that was independent of vendor-provided narratives.
Limitations and Caveats
Despite its usefulness, the report had several limitations:
- Vendor-driven reference list could lead to biased sampling
- Dependence on customer response rate, which could delay issuance
- No federal-specific performance context, unlike CPARS
- Expiration concerns, as some solicitations required reports no older than 12 months
- Lack of verification of contract values or scope
Contracting officers sometimes viewed the report as a supplement rather than a substitute for federal performance records.
Discontinuation and Current Status
As of the late 2010s, Open Ratings ceased issuing new reports. The underlying service was integrated into other Dun & Bradstreet offerings, and GSA no longer requires this report in current MAS solicitations.
Today, vendors are expected to submit one or more of the following forms of past performance evidence:
- CPARS reports, where available
- Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQs) completed by agency clients
- Narratives with contract numbers, points of contact, and outcomes
- D&B Supplier Evaluation Reports (in some cases)
Prospective vendors should consult the latest MAS solicitation documents and GSA’s Vendor Support Center to confirm accepted formats.
Alternatives for Demonstrating Past Performance
For vendors seeking GSA Schedule or other federal contracts, acceptable alternatives to the Open Ratings report now include:
- Verified CPARS entries from federal contract work
- Agency-completed PPQs submitted with the proposal
- Detailed narratives with reference contact details
- Documented contract award letters and performance summaries
A combination of these elements is often required for best-value procurements.
Checklist: Preparing a Strong Past Performance Package
Even without Open Ratings, contractors can still build a strong performance record by following these steps:
- Maintain detailed records of past contracts and clients
- Collect and update customer testimonials and performance metrics
- Monitor CPARS regularly and request reviews when due
- Identify strong past performance references early in the bidding process
- Use formal past performance templates aligned with FAR standards
- Keep all documentation current and clearly formatted for evaluators
These practices ensure vendors remain competitive even without access to third-party scoring tools.
Conclusion: The Legacy of the Open Ratings Past Performance Report
The Open Ratings Past Performance Report played an important role in federal procurement for more than a decade. It enabled new and non-traditional vendors to enter the federal space with credible, third-party-validated performance metrics.
While the report is no longer accepted in its original form, its core principles—objectivity, standardisation, and independent validation—continue to influence how past performance is assessed in government acquisitions. Contractors should focus on maintaining detailed, verifiable records and use available tools to build trust and demonstrate reliability to federal buyers.
