Performance Work Statement (PWS)
A Performance Work Statement (PWS) describes required outcomes and measurable performance standards for a services acquisition rather than prescribing how the work must be done, enabling contractors to propose their own methods under performance-based acquisition.
The PWS is the centerpiece of performance-based service acquisition. Instead of dictating tasks, it defines the results the government needs, the standards those results must meet, and how performance will be measured — typically paired with a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) that tells the government how it will inspect what it asked for.
A good PWS states outcomes in measurable terms (timeliness, accuracy, availability) and resists the urge to smuggle in how-to instructions, which converts it back into a de facto SOW and transfers performance risk to the government.
Regulatory Reference
FAR 37.602
RFO Status
The Part 37 model deviation moves performance-based acquisition policy into subpart 37.1 — the PWS requirement sits at 37.102-1 — while renumbered subpart 37.6 covers nonpersonal health care services; the published FAR still carries 37.602.
Category
Documents & Artifacts
How AcqBot Helps
AcqBot generates PWS drafts from structured requirement inputs, keeps outcomes measurable instead of prescriptive, and builds the matching QASP in the same pass.
Related glossary entries
Justification & Approval (J&A)
A Justification & Approval (J&A) is the formal document required by FAR 6.303 to justify awarding a federal contract without full and open competition, citing one of seven statutory exceptions and approved at thresholds based on dollar value.
Statement of Work (SOW)
A Statement of Work (SOW) is the contract document that prescribes, in specific and directive terms, the tasks a contractor must perform, the deliverables due, and the schedule — placing responsibility for the approach on the government.
Statement of Objectives (SOO)
A Statement of Objectives (SOO) is a brief government document stating top-level acquisition objectives and desired outcomes, leaving offerors free to propose their own technical approach and performance work statement in response.
Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE)
An Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) is the government's own documented estimate of what a requirement should cost, developed without contractor input, used to validate budgets, evaluate price reasonableness, and support negotiation positions.