§ 1599.6 - Local and regional procurement of commodities.

§ 1599.6 PaymentsLocal and regional procurement of commodities.

(a) If a recipient arranges for transportation in accordance with § 1599.7(b)(2), FAS will, as specified in the agreement, pay the costs of such transportation to the ocean carrier or to the recipient. The recipient must, as specified in the agreement, submit to FAS, arrange to be submitted to FAS, or maintain on file and make available to FAS, the following documents:

(1) The original, or a true copy, of each on board bill of lading indicating the freight rate and signed by the originating ocean carrier;

(2) For all non-containerized cargoes:

(i) A signed copy of the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) Official Stowage Examination Certificate;

(ii) A signed copy of the National Cargo Bureau Certificate of Readiness; and

(iii) A signed copy of the Certificate of Loading issued by the National Cargo Bureau or a similar qualified independent surveyor;

(3) For all containerized cargoes, a copy of the FGIS Container Condition Inspection Certificate;

(4) A signed copy of the U.S. Food Aid Booking Note or charter party covering ocean transportation of the cargo;

(5) In the case of charter shipments, a signed notice of arrival at the first discharge port, unless FAS has determined that circumstances that could not have been reasonably anticipated or controlled (force majeure) have prevented the ocean carrier's arrival at the first port of discharge; and

(6) A request for payment of freight, survey costs other than at load port, and other expenses approved by FAS.

(b) If the agreement specifies that some or all of the documents listed in paragraph (a) of this section will be submitted to FAS, then FAS will not render payment for transportation services until it has received all of the specified documents.

(c) If a recipient arranges for transportation in accordance with § 1599.7(b)(2), and the recipient uses a freight forwarder, the recipient must ensure that the freight forwarder is registered in the SAM and require the freight forwarder to submit the documents specified in paragraph (a) of this section. The recipient will ensure that the total commission or fees paid to intermediaries in the transportation procurement process will not exceed two and a half percent of the total transportation costs.

(d) In no case will FAS provide payment to a recipient for demurrage costs or pay demurrage to any other entity.

(e) If FAS has agreed to be responsible for the costs of transporting, storing, and distributing the donated commodities from the designated discharge port or point of entry, and if the recipient will bear or has borne any of these costs, in accordance with the agreement, FAS will either provide an advance payment or a reimbursement to the recipient in the amount of such costs, in the manner set forth in the agreement.

(f) If the agreement authorizes the payment of FAS-provided funds, FAS will generally provide the funds to the recipient on an advance payment basis, in accordance with 2 CFR 200.305(b). In addition, the following procedures will apply to advance payments:

(1) A recipient may request advance payments of FAS-provided funds, up to the total amount specified in the agreement. When making an advance payment request, a recipient must provide, for each agreement for which it is requesting an advance, total expenditures to date; an estimate of expenses to be covered by the advance; total advances previously requested, if any; the amount of cash on hand from the preceding advance; and, if necessary, a request to roll over any unused funds from the preceding advance to the current request period. The advance payment request must take into account any program income earned since the preceding advance.

(2) Whenever possible, a recipient should consolidate advance payment requests to cover anticipated cash needs for all food assistance program awards made by FAS to the recipient. A recipient may request advance payments with no minimum time required between requests.

(3) A recipient must minimize the amount of time that elapses between the transfer of funds by FAS and the disbursement of funds by the recipient. A recipient must fully disburse funds from the preceding advance before it submits a new advance request for the same agreement, with the exception that the recipient may request to retain the balance of any funds that have not been disbursed and roll it over into a new advance request if the new advance request is made within 90 days after the preceding advance was made.

(4) FAS will review all requests to roll over funds from the preceding advance that have not been disbursed and make a decision based on the merits of the request. FAS will consider factors such as the amount of funding that a recipient is requesting to roll over, the length of time that the recipient has been in possession of the funds, any unforeseen or extenuating circumstances, the recipient's history of performance, and findings from recent financial audits or compliance reviews.

(5) FAS will not approve any request for an advance or rollover of funds if the most recent financial report, as specified in the agreement, is past due, or if any required report, as specified in any open agreement between the recipient and FAS or the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), is more than three months in arrears.

(6)

(i) A recipient must return to FAS any funds advanced by FAS that have not been disbursed as of the 91st day after the advance was made; provided, however, that paragraphs (f)(6)(ii) and (iii) of this section will apply if the recipient submits a request to FAS before that date to roll over the funds into a new advance.

(ii) If a recipient submits a request to roll over funds into a new advance, and FAS approves the rollover of funds, such funds will be considered to have been advanced on the date that the recipient receives the approval notice from FAS, for the purposes of complying with the requirement in paragraph (f)(6)(i) of this section.

(iii) If a recipient submits a request to roll over funds into a new advance, and FAS does not approve the rollover of some or all of the funds, such funds must be returned to FAS.

(iv) If a recipient must return funds to FAS in accordance with paragraph (e)(6) of this section, the recipient must return the funds by the later of five business days after the 91st day after the funds were advanced, or five business days after the date on which the recipient receives notice from FAS that it has denied the recipient's request to roll over the funds; provided, however, that FAS may specify a different date for the return of funds in a written communication to the recipient.

(7) Except as may otherwise be provided in the agreement, a recipient must deposit and maintain in an insured bank account located in the United States all funds advanced by FAS. The account must be interest-bearing, unless one of the exceptions in 2 CFR 200.305(b)(8) applies or FAS determines that this requirement would constitute an undue burden. A recipient will not be required to maintain a separate bank account for advance payments of FAS-provided funds. However, a recipient must be able to separately account for the receipt, obligation, and expenditure of funds under each agreement.

(8) A recipient may retain, for administrative expenses, up to $500 per Federal fiscal year of any interest earned on funds advanced under an agreement. The recipient must remit to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Payment Management System, any additional interest earned during a Federal fiscal year on such funds, in accordance with the procedures in 2 CFR 200.305(b)(9).

(g) If a recipient is required to pay funds to FAS in connection with an agreement, the recipient must make such payment in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise approved in advance by FAS

(1) An agreement may authorize a recipient to use FAS-provided funds to procure qualified commodities, through a local or regional procurement or both, to implement a project. The provisions of this section will apply in such a situation.

(2) The agreement will specify the types of qualified commodities approved for procurement; the approved purchase country(ies); and the approved method(s) of procurement (local procurement, regional procurement, or a combination of these methods). The agreement will prohibit the recipient from procuring qualified commodities from any country not specified in the agreement or utilizing methods of procurement that differ from those approved in the agreement.

(b) In carrying out an agreement, the recipient must comply with the following requirements, as applicable, relating to the procurement of qualified commodities under the agreement:

(1) The recipient must procure qualified commodities at a reasonable market price with respect to the economy of the purchase country, as determined by FAS.

(2) If the recipient procures qualified commodities that are grains, legumes, or pulses, the commodities must meet the food safety standards of the target country; provided, however, that if the target country does not have food safety standards for grains, legumes, or pulses, as applicable, then the recipient must ensure that such commodities meet the food safety standards specified in the agreement.

(3) If the recipient procures qualified commodities that are food products other than grains, legumes or pulses, such as processed foods, fortified blended foods, and enriched foods, the commodities must comply, in terms of raw materials, composition, or manufacture, with the food safety standards specified in the agreement.

(4) If the recipient procures qualified commodities that are cereals, groundnuts, or tree nuts, or food products derived from or containing cereals, groundnuts, or tree nuts, the commodities must be tested for aflatoxin and have their moisture content certified. The maximum acceptable total aflatoxin level is 20 parts per billion, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration action level for aflatoxin in human foods.

(5) If the recipient procures an unprocessed commodity, it must ensure that the commodity has been produced either in the target country or in another developing country within the target region.

(6) If the recipient procures a processed commodity, it must ensure that the processing took place, and the primary ingredient has been produced, either in the target country or in another developing country within the target region. The primary ingredient is determined on the basis of weight in the case of solid foods, or volume in the case of liquids.

(7) If the recipient procures qualified commodities through a competitive tender, the recipient must specify the minimally acceptable commodity specifications and food safety and quality assurance standards in the tender. Purchases that are made from commercial wholesalers in a local or regional market must meet the food safety and quality assurance standards specified in paragraphs (b)(2), (3), and (4) of this section.

(8) The recipient must enter into a contract that complies with this paragraph (b) for every local or regional procurement of qualified commodities from a commodity vendor. The recipient must ensure that the contract between the recipient and the commodity vendor clearly specifies the country of origin and the specific market(s) in which the procurement will take place, commodity safety and quality assurance standards, product specifications, price per metric ton, and delivery terms. The recipient will be required to make such contract available to FAS upon request.

(9) The recipient must enter into a contract with an established inspection service to survey and report on the safety, quality, and condition of all procured commodities, prior to their shipment and distribution. The recipient will be required to submit any survey reports or certificates issued by such inspection service to FAS upon request.

(c) The agreement will require the recipient to submit a procurement plan for FAS's approval within the time period specified in the agreement. The procurement plan will include time periods, broken down by month, for commodity procurement, delivery, and distribution. The agreement will require the recipient to comply with the procurement plan, as approved by FAS, and will prohibit the recipient from making any changes to the procurement plan without obtaining the prior written approval of FAS.