46.103 Contracting office responsibilities
Source: FAR 46.103 on acquisition.gov
Contracting offices must ensure all contract quality requirements are properly specified, implemented, and enforced to guarantee acceptable deliverables.
Overview
FAR 46.103 outlines the specific responsibilities of contracting offices in ensuring contract quality requirements are met. This section mandates that contracting offices coordinate with technical activities to obtain necessary specifications, include appropriate quality control requirements in solicitations and contracts, issue instructions to contract administration offices, verify contractor compliance when administration is retained, and address nonconformances in delivered supplies or services. The goal is to ensure that all contract deliverables meet the required standards and that any deviations are properly identified and evaluated for acceptability.
Key Rules
- Coordination with Technical Activities
- Contracting offices must obtain inspection, testing, and quality requirements from the technical activity responsible for the contract.
- Inclusion of Quality Requirements
- Solicitations and contracts must contain appropriate contractor quality control requirements.
- Instructions to Contract Administration
- Contracting offices must issue necessary instructions to the contract administration office and act on their recommendations.
- Verification of Contractor Compliance
- When contract administration is retained, contracting offices must verify that contractors meet quality requirements.
- Handling Nonconformances
- Contracting offices must ensure nonconformances are identified and assess their significance when determining acceptability.
Responsibilities
- Contracting Officers: Ensure all quality requirements are included, coordinate with technical and administration offices, verify compliance, and address nonconformances.
- Contractors: Must comply with all quality control requirements specified in the contract.
- Agencies: Oversee and support the contracting office in fulfilling these responsibilities.
Practical Implications
- This section ensures a systematic approach to contract quality, reducing risks of defective or substandard deliverables.
- Contracting offices must be proactive in communication and documentation to avoid quality lapses.
- Failure to properly address nonconformances can lead to acceptance of inadequate supplies or services, impacting mission success.
Contracting offices are responsible for-
(a) Receiving from the activity responsible for technical requirements any specifications for inspection, testing, and other contract quality requirements essential to ensure the integrity of the supplies or services (the activity responsible for technical requirements is responsible for prescribing contract quality requirements, such as inspection and testing requirements or, for service contracts, a quality assurance surveillance plan);
(b) Including in solicitations and contracts the appropriate requirements for the contractor’s control of quality for the supplies or services to be acquired;
(c) Issuing any necessary instructions to the cognizant contract administration office and acting on recommendations submitted by that office (see 42.301 and 46.104(f));
(d) When contract administration is retained (see 42.201), verifying that the contractor fulfills the contract quality requirements; and
(e) Ensuring that nonconformances are identified, and establishing the significance of a nonconformance when considering the acceptability of supplies or services which do not meet contract requirements.