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Panoptic Enterprises' FEDERAL CONTRACTS DISPATCH

DATE: November 14, 2003

SUBJECT: Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS); DOD Activity Address Codes in Contract

SOURCE: Federal Register, November 14, 2003, Vol. 68, No. 220, page 64555

AGENCIES: Department of Defense (DOD)

ACTION: Final Rule

SYNOPSIS: DOD is amending DFARS Subpart 204.70, Uniform Procurement Instrument Identification Numbers, to prescribe the use of DOD activity address codes in the first six positions of solicitation and contract numbers. This provides consistency in the method of identifying DOD activities and eliminates the need to maintain the list of DOD activity address numbers in DFARS Appendix G, Activity Address Numbers, which is removed.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For more on the proposed rule being finalized, see the June 11, 2003, FEDERAL CONTRACTS DISPATCH "Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS); DOD Activity Address Codes in Contract Numbers."

EFFECTIVE DATE: November 14, 2003.

B>FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Euclides Barrera, 703-602-0296.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: This final rule amends DFARS Subpart 204.70 to prescribe the use of a contracting office's DOD activity address code (DODAAC) in the first six positions of a solicitation or contract number, instead of the DOD activity address number found in DFARS Appendix G, Activity Address Numbers.

A proposed rule that would make this change was published June 11, 2003, because DOD was planning to use DODAACs in numbering solicitations and contracts, beginning October 1, 2003. However, Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2001-16, Item (3), revised the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to require agencies to assign a unique identifier to every procurement instrument, beginning October 1, 2003, so a change became mandatory. (EDITOR'S NOTE: For more on FAC 2001-16, see the October 1, 2003, FEDERAL CONTRACTS DISPATCH "Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2001-16, Miscellaneous Amendments.")

Four comments were received in response to the proposed rule, and the proposed rule is adopted as final with two minor changes. The following are the changes being made by this final rule (the differences between the proposed and final rules are noted):

• Paragraph (b) of DFARS 204.7000, Scope, is revised to state that DFARS Subpart 204.70 "does not apply to solicitations or orders for communication service authorizations issued by the Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization of the Defense Information Systems Agency in accordance with [DFARS] 239.7407-2 [Communication Service Authorizations (CSAs)]." This change is a result of a comment. The proposed rule would have removed paragraph (b) altogether because it stated that the specified numbering system is "optional for solicitations and contracts that will be completely administered by the purchasing office or the consignee..."
  
  
• Paragraph (c) of DFARS 204.7002, Procedures, is revised to add the parenthetical phrase "(not necessary in electronic transmission)" to the end of the sentence, "Separate the major elements by dashes, e.g., N00023-90-D-0009." This change is made as a result of a comment on the proposed rule, which pointed out that "this policy [separating elements by dashes] is reflective of a paper-based environment and should provide an exception for instances where the contract number is transmitted electronically."
  
  
• Paragraph (a)(1) of DFARS 204.7003, Basic PII [Procurement Instrument Identification] Number, is revised to require that the first six positions of the contract number use the DODACC. Previously, paragraph (a)(1) provided detailed instructions for each position of the PII number. In addition, the revised paragraph provides the website where DODAACs can be found: https://www.daas.dla.mil/daashome/.
  
  
• The second sentence of paragraph (d)(2)(i) of DFARS 204.7004, Supplementary PII Numbers, is revised to require that the number of an order placed against another activity's contract or agreement "contain the call/order code assigned to the ordering office in accordance with [DFARS] 204.7005." Previously, the second sentence required that the code assigned to the ordering office by Appendix G be used.
  
  
• DFARS 204.7005, Assignment of Order Codes, is added. It provides instructions on requesting changes to the two-character order codes that contracting offices use when placing an order against another contracting activity's contract or agreement, and identifies each service's "order code monitors" -- offices responsible for approving such requests and notifying appropriate authorities. In addition, DFARS 204.7005 provides the website where the two-character order codes can be found: http://www.acq.osd.mil/dp/dars/dfars.html.
  
  
• DFARS Appendix G is removed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Panoptic Enterprises at 703-451-5953 or by e-mail to Panoptic@FedGovContracts.com.

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