Overview
This section prescribes the requirements for creating subline items to facilitate the tracking of performance, accounting, and deliverables. It distinguishes between deliverable subline items, which must follow specific data standards, and informational subline items used for administrative descriptions.
Key Rules
- Dual Categories: Subline items are categorized as either deliverable (representing specific products or services) or informational (used for administrative purposes).
- Commonality Requirement: A parent line item can only contain information that is common to all its subordinate subline items.
- Contract Type Consistency: All subline items must utilize the same contract type (e.g., Firm-Fixed-Price) as the parent line item.
- Deliverable Subline Usage: These are used for items with minor variations (size, color, delivery dates), different accounting classifications, or related collateral functions like packaging and transportation.
- Informational Subline Placement: Informational sublines identify internal components (like kit parts) and must be placed in the description field, specifically excluding the quantity or price fields.
Practical Implications
- Contracting officers use subline items to organize complex requirements—such as a single product delivered to multiple locations at different times—without creating entirely separate line items for every minor variation.
- The strict placement of informational data ensures that automated procurement and payment systems do not incorrectly process descriptive text as billable quantities or prices.