Setting up a JOC program: solicitation through first orders
A workable program needs more than an awarded contract. Define the work you want to order and the owner-side process that will control it, then carry those decisions into the first orders.
Updated October 2026
General information only. Not legal or procurement advice. Check your own procurement rules, statutes, and contract documents.
Choose or adopt the pricing reference
Choose or adopt a unit price book that supports the types of work in the program. Review its task descriptions, units of measure, inclusions, and location or other adjustments where applicable. Staff who will review proposals need to understand what the book covers and how to distinguish similar tasks. Confirm the edition that will be incorporated into the contract.
Decide how book updates will be handled and state that process in the contract documents. A reviewer should be able to determine which edition and pricing rules apply to a particular order. Also define how non-prepriced work will be priced and documented. Leaving these questions until a proposal arrives creates uncertainty for both the owner and contractor.
Write a solicitation that matches the program
The solicitation should describe the eligible work, ordering framework, contract limits, pricing reference, and permitted evaluation factors. Explain the coefficient structure and how bids will be evaluated. If separate factors are used for normal hours and after hours, for example, define those categories and the evaluation method rather than leaving bidders to infer them.
Address bonding, insurance, required qualifications, and local participation provisions if your rules require them. Describe expectations for proposal detail, response procedures, construction coordination, changes, inspections, and closeout. Requirements should be consistent with your authority and with the work the program is meant to deliver. Procurement staff and the appropriate advisers should review the documents before issuance.
Receive and evaluate coefficient bids
Evaluate submissions using the factors and method published in the solicitation. Check that each bidder has supplied the required information and that proposed coefficients correspond to the requested categories. If clarification is allowed, follow the applicable procedure and retain the record. Do not introduce a new evaluation factor after receiving bids.
A coefficient has meaning in relation to the price book, the work categories, and the contract's pricing rules. There is no general 'right range' that establishes whether a bid is suitable. Keep the evaluation tied to the solicitation, document the basis for the award recommendation, and complete the required approval process.
Coefficient explainerAward and execute the master contract
After the authorized award decision, complete the execution requirements before ordering work. Verify the final contract documents, awarded coefficients, incorporated price book, term, limits, insurance, and bonding requirements. Make sure the staff who will place orders can access the executed documents rather than relying on an earlier draft.
A kickoff discussion can establish working contacts and confirm proposal, ordering, and reporting procedures. It should not silently change the contract. Questions that affect contractual terms need to follow the proper clarification or amendment process. Preserve the award record and executed agreement as the reference for subsequent orders.
Stand up internal ordering procedures
Define who can request work and what information a request must include. Assign responsibility for scope development, site walks, proposal review, funding verification, and approval. Spell out approval thresholds and the required purchase order or encumbrance process. Staff need to know when a proposal is only under review and when the agency has actually authorized work.
Create a repeatable record for each order: the request, scope, proposal, pricing review, approvals, authorization, changes, and acceptance documents. Establish who maintains that record and where it is kept. Agree on how occupants, site access, schedule constraints, and owner-furnished items will be coordinated. These procedures turn a contract into a manageable owner-side program.
Train the people who will use the program
Facilities staff need practice developing a scope that can be translated into priced tasks. Procurement staff need to understand ordering limits and contract controls. Proposal reviewers need to read the price book, check quantities, identify the correct coefficient, and recognize non-prepriced work. Finance and approvers need a clear path for funding and authorization.
Use a clearly labeled example or an appropriate planned scope to walk through the process together. Ask each person to identify the decision they own and the documentation they need. Resolve gaps in responsibility before the first order, especially around changes, schedule adjustments, inspection, and acceptance. Training should reinforce the executed contract, not create an informal alternative to it.
Place early task orders carefully and learn from them
Select early work that fits the contract and can be clearly scoped. Conduct a site walk, write the scope, review the detailed proposal, verify funding, and issue the required authorization before construction begins. Even a small order should follow the approval and documentation process. The first orders are a chance to test whether the program's procedures are understood.
After closeout, review what caused questions or rework. Were task descriptions unclear? Were access requirements discovered late? Did an approval handoff leave staff unsure who could proceed? Document the lessons and refine internal guidance without changing contract requirements informally. A program should improve through evidence from its own orders, not through unsupported promises about timelines or savings.
Common questions
What should an agency decide before drafting a JOC solicitation?
Confirm authority, required approvals, program goals, eligible work, geography, term, and applicable limits. Identify the staff who will review and approve individual orders.
Does every JOC program use one coefficient?
No. A contract may use more than one coefficient, such as separate factors for normal hours and after hours. The solicitation must explain the categories and evaluation method.
How should unit price book updates be handled?
The contract should identify the pricing reference and explain when and how updates apply. Reviewers need to know which edition and rules govern each order.
Is contract award enough to start construction?
Not by itself. An individual scope, reviewed proposal, funding, approvals, and the required order authorization still need to be completed under the agency's process.
Can internal procedures override procurement rules?
No. Statutes, procurement codes, board policies, and executed contract documents control what the agency can do. Internal procedures should implement those requirements.