§ 810.006 - Using specifications and standards.

(a) Exceptions to mandatory use of Federal specifications. The exception to the mandatory use of Federal specifications, with respect to purchases not exceeding the small purchase limitation authorized by FAR 10.006(a)(ii) does not apply to items (1) purchased from GSA stock, (2) available from a Federal supply schedule contract, or (3) identified by a VA X-Series Specification.

(b) Optional use of interim Federal specifications. (1) Interim Federal specifications, developed by VA, as indicated in the preamble, are mandatory under the same conditions and with the same exceptions as provided for Federal specifications.

(2) Suggested changes to interim Federal specifications used on an optional basis will be handled as in 810.007.

(c) Military and departmental specifications. (1) The monetary exemption to the use of Federal specifications contained in FAR 10.006(a)(ii) is equally applicable to Department of Veterans Affairs, military and departmental specifications. Contracting officers may, when they deem it to be advantageous to the Department of Veterans Affairs, utilize these specifications when procuring supplies and equipment costing less than the small purchase limitation. However, when purchasing items of perishable subsistence, contracting officers shall observe only those exemptions set forth in paragraphs (c) (5) and (6) of this section.

(2) When circumstances will not permit a field station to use a Department of Veterans Affairs specification without deviation, the contracting officer shall, prior to taking any procurement action, submit to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Materiel Management, or Director, VA Marketing Center, Hines, Ill., whichever is appropriate, a request for authority to deviate from the specification. The request will specifically detail the reasons why the deviation is essential to the facility's operation. The approving authority will coordinate the request with the using service in Central Office. The contracting officer will be advised as to the approval or disapproval of the request. If approved the letter of approval will be filed in the appropriate purchase or contract file.

(3) The Department of Veterans Affairs has adopted for use in the procurement of packinghouse products, the purchase descriptions and specifications set forth in the Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications (IMPS), and the IMPS General Requirements, which have been developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Purchase descriptions and specifications for dairy products, poultry, eggs, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, as well as certain packinghouse products selected from the IMPS especially for Department of Veterans Affairs use, are contained in the Federal Hospital Subsistence Guide. A copy of this guide and the IMPS may be obtained from any Department of Veterans Affairs contracting officer.

(4) Contract terms and conditions governing the procurement of subsistence items are listed in the Federal Hospital Subsistence Guide and IMPS. These provisions shall be made a part of each solicitation for such items when applicable.

(5) The military specifications for meat and meat products contained in Federal Hospital Subsistence Guide shall be used by the Department of Veterans Affairs only when purchasing such items of subsistence from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). Military specifications for poultry, eggs, and egg products contained in Federal Hospital Subsistence Guide may be used when purchasing either from DLA or from local dealers.

(6) Except as authorized in part 846 of this chapter, contracting officers shall not deviate from the specifications contained in Federal Hospital Subsistence Guide, and the IMPS without prior approval of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Materiel Management.

(7) Items of meat, cured pork and poultry, not listed in either the Federal Hospital Subsistence Guide or the IMPS, will not be purchased without prior approval of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Materiel Management.

(8) In the absence of mandatory documents, specifications or purchase descriptions of other agencies may be used by the various Marketing Divisions when appropriate. These specifications or purchase descriptions may be modified to meet the needs of the Department of Veterans Affairs. If repeated use of a modified specification or purchase description is required, the Director, VA Marketing Center shall consider converting it to a Department of Veterans Affairs specification.

(9) A field facility may use a specification or purchase description of another agency without prior approval when the specification or description will, without modification, satisfy its needs. If, however, the specification or description must be modified to meet the facility's needs, the procedure set forth in paragraph (c)(2) of this section will be followed.

(10) The Director, Publications Service, is responsible for developing, publishing, and distributing Department of Veterans Affairs specifications covering printing and binding.

(11) Department of Veterans Affairs specifications, as they are revised, are placed in stock in the VA Forms and Publications Depot. Facility requirements of these specifications will be requisitioned from that source.

(d) Government paper specification standards. Invitations for bids, requests for proposals, purchase orders, or other procurement instruments covering the purchase of paper stocks to be used in duplicating or printing, or which specify the paper stocks to be used in buying printing, binding, or duplicating will require that such paper stocks be in accordance with the government Paper Specification Standards issued by the Joint Committee on Printing of Congress.

(e) Department of Veterans Affairs binding specifications. (1) All binding or rebinding of books, magazines, pamphlets, newspapers, slip cases and boxes will be procured in accordance with Government Printing Office (GPO) specifications and will be procured from the servicing GPO Regional Printing Procurement Office or, when appropriate, from commercial sources as prescribed in Subpart 808.8.

(2) There are three types of binding/rebinding: (i) Class A (hard cover); (ii) Perfect (glued); and (iii) Lumbinding (sewn). The most suitable type of binding will be procured to satisfy the requirements, based upon the intended use of the bound material.

(f) Mandatory use and applications of Federal standards. (1) Requests for exceptions to Federal Standards not authorized by FAR 10.006(a)(ii) will be submitted with adequate justification to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Materiel Management (91A) for submission to General Services Administration.

(2) Federal standards do not preclude the use of existing Government stocks or acceptance of excess property not in full conformity with the standard items.