Overview
FAR 34.103 establishes the procedures and criteria for testing and qualifying industrial resources developed under Title III of the Defense Production Act (DPA) for use in major defense systems or essential supply items.
Key Rules
- Referral Requirement: Contractors must refer any requests for testing and qualification of Title III industrial resources received from a Title III project contractor to their Contracting Officer (CO).
- Evaluation Criteria: The CO must determine if the resource is used in a major system or item of supply and whether the remaining production quantities justify the costs of testing.
- Mandatory Consultation: The CO is required to consult with the Defense Production Act Office at Wright Patterson Air Force Base during the evaluation process.
- Contract Modification: If the evaluation is favorable, the CO must formally modify the contract to include the testing and qualification requirements.
- Supply of Resources: The Defense Production Act Office is responsible for providing the contractor with sufficient quantities of the industrial resource to conduct the required testing.
Practical Implications
- This section ensures that the government, rather than the contractor, makes the final determination on the cost-benefit of integrating new industrial capacities into existing major systems.
- It protects contractors by providing a formal mechanism (contract modification) and government-furnished materials to perform testing that might otherwise be outside the original scope of work.