§ 101-41.312 - Exception to usual billing and payment procedures.

(a) Applicability. Subject to the standards specified in subpart 101-41.4, payment of transportation charges may be made to a carrier or forwarder in privity with the contract of carriage for unaccompanied baggage shipments by freight, for ocean carrier port-to-port shipments, or for international air shipments, without the billing carrier's certification of delivery: Provided, The carrier bills are not presented until 30 days after the shipment departs from point of origin. This does not, however, prevent a carrier from billing earlier on normal certification of delivery.

(b) Limitations. Payment on this presumption of delivery shall be subject to the limitations set forth in paragraphs (b) (1) through (3) of this section.

(1) Ocean shipments made for the account of the U.S. Government may, at the option of the agencies, move on GBL forms or commercial bill of lading forms or other commercial documents overprinted or stamped with the provision

Ocean carriers using commercial documents shall comply with any reasonable numbering system established by each involved agency for payment and accounting control of the commercial documents which need not be converted to GBL's.

(2) The date on which shipment departs from point of origin shall be shown on each carrier's bill. All billings shall be presented on SF 1113.

(3) When a bill is presented under the provisions of this § 101-41.312 by other than the delivering carrier, the billing carrier must submit with its bill or have on file with the paying office a blanket certificate as set forth below in order to protect the United States from duplicate payments and from the consequences of loss, damage, or shrinkage of the property shipped.

certificate of billing carrier in lieu of waiver from delivering carrier

(c) Agency procedures. (1) Agencies using the facilities of dispatch agents, commercial forwarders, or carriers for the preparation of ocean shipping documentation shall establish procedures to ensure that the GBL provision set forth in § 101-41.312(b)(1) is inserted on the commercial bill of lading form or other commercial documents.

(2) Each affected agency shall also establish procedures to ensure that carrier bills covering transportation charges on the shipments specified in paragraph (a) of this § 101-41.312 are not paid before expiration of the 30-day presumptive delivery period, which in each case shall begin with the date on which the shipment departs from point of origin. However, the agency shall ensure that carrier bills presented in compliance with this 30-day requirement shall be processed as expeditiously as possible.

(3) Payments made under the provisions of this section are subject to adjustment, if otherwise proper, when the cargo is lost, damaged, or not delivered to the destination specified in the bill of lading contracts. Agencies shall make a diligent effort to collect all agency claims arising under the provisions of this section and shall report uncollected debts to the Claims Group, Accounting and Financial Management Division, U.S. General Accounting Office, Washington, DC 20548.