Regulatory Basis
The Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) was created by the Naval Sea Logistics Center Detachment Portsmouth, in July 2002 to address the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) requirement to utilize past performance information in source selections. For federal contracts, agencies are advised to use past performance information in determining "best value" in future award decisions. FAR parts 12, 15, 36, and 42 apply. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a July 3, 2002 memorandum to all Federal agencies encouraging the use of PPIRS as the central government-wide past performance retrieval database.

Current Capabilities
PPIRS supports electronic retrieval of contractor past performance report cards collected by various federal agencies, primarily on large dollar value (over $100,000) procurements. Currently the system updates information collected by the Navy Contractor Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), the Army Past Performance Information Management System (PPIMS), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Construction Contractor Appraisal Support System (CCASS), the NASA Past Performance Data Base (PPDB), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Contractor Performance System (CPS) and additional systems administered by the Department of Education and Department of Commerce.

All federal agency users have access to the entire report card library that currently contains more than 44,000 active reports. Agencies may search for past performance information by contract, contractor, agency, dates of performance, dollar value, and other criteria. PPIRS is currently used by procurement officials in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Education (DOED), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Interior (DOI), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Labor (DOL), Department of State (DOS), Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Treasury, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Judiciary, General Services Administration (GSA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and many smaller independent government agencies.

Future Initiatives
PPIRS is working on incorporating information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Architect-Engineering Contract Administration Support System (ACASS). Target date for incorporating ACASS data is summer of 2004.

Naval Sea Logistics Center Portsmouth is developing a PPIRS Statistical Reporting (SR) module that makes use of existing government records to provide a predictor of future performance, mainly on smaller dollar value contracts below the Simplified Acquisition Threshold. The Statistical Reporting (SR) module is currently undergoing a one year limited pilot program that should end during the summer of 2005.