Any contractor or subcontractor that is required to submit certified cost or pricing data also shall:

• A. Obtain and analyze certified cost or pricing data before awarding any subcontract, purchase order, or modification expected to exceed the certified cost or pricing data threshold, unless an exception in 15.403-1(b) applies to that action
• B. Submit costs data only after award
• C. No data required
• D. Submit data only for modifications

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that when a contract requires certified cost or pricing data, that data must be gathered and analyzed before negotiating and awarding any subcontract, purchase order, or modification that is expected to exceed the certified data threshold. This ensures the government has a solid, reviewed basis for the price being offered and that the data supports price reasonableness. The 15.403-1(b) exceptions cover situations where certified data isn’t required for that action, but absent those exceptions, the data must be obtained and analyzed prior to award.

So the best answer reflects that you must obtain and analyze certified cost or pricing data before awarding the subcontract, purchase order, or modification that would exceed the threshold, unless an exception applies. The other options don’t fit because data isn’t simply submitted after award, nor is it optional or limited only to modifications in all cases.