48 CFR §1815.305-70

1. (a)The contracting officer shall not complete the initial evaluation of any proposal when it is determined that the proposal is unacceptable because:
   1. (1)It does not represent a reasonable initial effort to address the essential requirements of the RFP or clearly demonstrates that the offeror does not understand the requirements;
   2. (2)In research and development acquisitions, a substantial design drawback is evident in the proposal, and sufficient correction or improvement to consider the proposal acceptable would require virtually an entirely new technical proposal; or
   3. (3)It contains major deficiencies or omissions or out-of-line costs which discussions with the offeror could not reasonably be expected to cure.
2. (b)The contracting officer shall document the rationale for discontinuing the initial evaluation of a proposal in accordance with this section.