Overview
FAR 46.103 outlines the specific obligations of the contracting office regarding quality assurance, focusing on the integration of technical requirements into contracts and the oversight of contractor compliance. It establishes the contracting office as the bridge between technical requirement generators and the formal execution of quality standards.
Key Rules
- Requirement Integration: The contracting office must receive technical specifications (such as inspection/testing requirements or Quality Assurance Surveillance Plans) from the technical activity and incorporate them into solicitations and contracts.
- Administrative Oversight: They are responsible for issuing instructions to the contract administration office and acting upon any recommendations provided by that office.
- Verification: When contract administration is retained (not delegated), the contracting office is directly responsible for verifying that the contractor meets all quality requirements.
- Nonconformance Management: The office must ensure that any deviations from contract requirements are identified and must determine the significance of those nonconformances when deciding whether to accept or reject supplies or services.
Practical Implications
- Division of Labor: While the technical team defines the "what" (specifications), the Contracting Officer is responsible for the "how" (contractual enforcement), necessitating close coordination between the two.
- Accountability for Defects: In cases where a contractor delivers subpar work, the contracting office holds the ultimate authority to determine if a nonconformance is minor enough for acceptance or serious enough to warrant formal rejection or a price reduction.