Overview
This section outlines the standard contract vehicles used for interagency acquisitions and establishes core prohibitions to ensure these processes are not used to bypass fiscal laws or statutory agency authorities.
Key Rules
- Common Vehicles: Interagency acquisitions are primarily executed through indefinite-delivery contracts, including Federal Supply Schedules (FSS), Governmentwide acquisition contracts (GWACs), and multi-agency contracts (MACs).
- Funding Integrity: Agencies are strictly prohibited from using interagency acquisitions as a means to circumvent conditions or limitations imposed on the use of specific funds.
- Performance Requirements: These acquisitions remain subject to the requirements of FAR subpart 7.3 regarding Contractor Versus Government Performance.
- Statutory Authority: Interagency acquisitions must not conflict with the legal authorities or responsibilities of other agencies, specifically citing the GSA Administrator’s authority under Title 40 of the U.S. Code.
Practical Implications
- Contracting officers cannot use interagency vehicles to bypass "color of money" restrictions or to spend funds in a manner not authorized by their specific appropriation.
- Before proceeding, agencies must ensure that the acquisition does not infringe upon the specialized procurement or property management jurisdictions of other federal entities.