CO shall award a contract to the successful offeror by:

• A. Furnishing the executed contract or other notice of the award to that offeror
• B. Posting the award on the agency intranet
• C. Sending a congratulatory letter only to the winning bidder
• D. An informal meeting with the offerors

Answer: (A)

The essential idea is that the official act of awarding a contract is the formal notice given to the winning offeror. Under FAR Part 15, after the evaluation is complete, the contracting officer completes the award by furnishing the successful offeror with the executed contract or with a formal notice of award. This creates a binding agreement and begins contract performance, and it also serves as the official record of the award for all parties, including the basis for debriefings for unsuccessful offerors. Other actions like posting the award on an intranet, sending only a congratulatory letter, or having an informal meeting do not constitute the formal notice required to award the contract.