Overview
FAR 46.105 establishes that the primary responsibility for quality control lies with the contractor, who must ensure that all supplies and services strictly conform to contract requirements before they are tendered to the Government. It mandates that contractors maintain oversight not only of their own internal processes but also those of their entire supply chain.
Key Rules
- Self-Certification of Quality: The contractor is prohibited from tendering any supplies or services for acceptance unless they fully conform to all contract specifications.
- Supply Chain Oversight: Contractors are responsible for ensuring that their vendors and suppliers (of raw materials, components, etc.) maintain acceptable quality control systems.
- Substantiating Evidence: Contractors must maintain and provide records or "substantiating evidence" proving that quality requirements have been met when requested by the Government.
- Comprehensive Scope: Quality control responsibilities extend across the entire lifecycle, including manufacturing processes, engineering changes, reliability assessments, technical documentation, and packaging/marking.
- Default Inspector Status: The contractor is responsible for performing all inspections and tests mandated by the contract unless the contract specifically reserves a particular test for Government performance.
- System Requirements: Depending on the contract, the contractor may be required to maintain a formal inspection system or quality program that meets Government approval.
Practical Implications
- Shift of Burden: The burden of proof for quality is on the contractor; the Government’s role is generally to oversee or verify, not to perform the contractor's quality control for them.
- Subcontractor Management: Prime contractors must implement robust flow-down requirements and audit their subcontractors, as the Government will hold the prime contractor accountable for any sub-tier failures in quality or material integrity.