Page images
PDF
EPUB

(iv) The Secretary may reserve the right to transfer the title to the Federal Government or to a third party named by the Federal Government when the third party is otherwise eligible under existing statutes. This transfer shall be subject to the following standards:

(A) The equipment must be appropriately identified in the award or otherwise made known to the recipient in writing.

(B) The Secretary issues disposition instructions within 120 calendar days after receipt of a final inventory. The final inventory must list all equipment acquired with grant funds and federally-owned equipment. If the Secretary does not issue disposition instructions within the 120 calendar day period, the recipient shall apply the standards of this section, as appropriate.

(C) When the Secretary exercises the right to take title, the equipment is subject to the provisions for federallyowned equipment.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1880-0513) (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3, 3474; OMB Circular A-110)

[59 FR 34724, July 6, 1994, as amended at 60 FR 6660, Feb. 3, 1995]

§ 74.35 Supplies and other expendable property.

(a) Title to supplies and other expendable property shall vest in the recipient upon acquisition. If there is a residual inventory of unused supplies exceeding $5,000 in total aggregate value upon termination or completion of the project or program and the supplies are not needed for any other federally-sponsored project or program, the recipient shall retain the supplies for use on non-Federal sponsored activities or sell them, but shall, in either case, compensate the Federal Government for its share. The amount of compensation shall be computed in the same manner as for equipment.

(b) The recipient may not use supplies acquired with Federal funds to provide services to non-Federal outside organizations for a fee that is less than private companies charge for equivalent services, unless specifically authorized by Federal statute as long as

the Federal Government retains an interest in the supplies.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3, 3474; OMB Circular A-110)

$74.36 Intangible property.

(a) The recipient may copyright any work that is subject to copyright and was developed, or for which ownership was purchased, under an award. ED and any other Federal awarding agency reserve a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable right to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work for Federal purposes, and to authorize others to do

[blocks in formation]

(c) The Federal Government has the right to:

(1) Obtain, reproduce, publish or otherwise use the data first produced under an award; and

(2) Authorize others to receive, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use such data for Federal purposes.

(d)(1) In addition, in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for research data relating to published research findings produced under an award that were used by the Federal Government in developing an agency action that has the force and effect of law, ED shall request, and the recipient shall provide, within a reasonable time, the research data so that they can be made available to the public through the procedures established under the FOIA. If ED obtains the research data solely in response to a FOIA request, the agency may charge the requester a reasonable fee equaling the full incremental cost of obtaining the research data. This fee should reflect costs incurred by the agency, the recipient, and applicable subrecipients. This fee is in addition to any fees the agency may assess under the FOIA (5 U.S.C. 552(a)(4)(A)).

(2) The following definitions apply for purposes of this paragraph (d):

(i) Research data is defined as the recorded factual material commonly accepted in the scientific community as necessary to validate research findings, but not any of the following: preliminary analyses, drafts of scientific papers, plans for future research, peer reviews, or communications with colleagues. This "recorded" material excludes physical objects (e.g., laboratory samples). Research data also do not include:

(A) Trade secrets, commercial information, materials necessary to be held confidential by a researcher until they are published, or similar information which is protected under law; and

(B) Personnel and medical information and similar information the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, such as information that could be used to identify a particular person in a research study.

(ii) Published is defined as either when:

(A) Research findings are published in a peer-reviewed scientific or technical journal; or

(B) A Federal agency publicly and officially cites the research findings in support of an agency action that has the force and effect of law.

(iii) Used by the Federal Government in developing an agency action that has the force and effect of law is defined as when an agency publicly and officially cites the research findings in support of an agency action that has the force and effect of law.

(e) Title to intangible property and debt instruments acquired under an award or subaward vests upon acquisition in the recipient. The recipient shall use that property for the originally-authorized purpose, and the recipient shall not encumber the property without approval of the Secretary. When no longer needed for the originally authorized purpose, disposition of the intangible property shall occur in accordance with the provisions of

§ 74.34(g).

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3, 3474; OMB Circular A-110)

[59 FR 34724, July 6, 1994, as amended at 65 FR 14407, 14416, Mar. 16, 2000]

$74.37 Property trust relationship.

Real property, equipment, intangible property, and debt instruments that are acquired or improved with Federal funds must be held in trust by the recipient as trustee for the beneficiaries of the project or program under which the property was acquired or improved. The Secretary may require recipients to record liens or other appropriate notices of record to indicate that personal or real property has been acquired or improved with Federal funds and that use and disposition conditions apply to the property.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3, 3474; OMB Circular A-110)

PROCUREMENT STANDARDS

$74.40 Purpose of procurement standards.

Sections 74.41 through 74.48 contain standards for use by recipients in establishing procedures for the procurement of supplies and other expendable property, equipment, real property, and other services with Federal funds. These standards are designed to ensure that these materials and services are obtained in an effective manner and in compliance with the provisions of applicable Federal statutes and executive orders. The Secretary does not impose additional procurement standards or requirements upon recipients, unless specifically required by Federal statute or executive order or as authorized in § 74.4 or § 74.14.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3, 3474; OMB Circular A-110)

$74.41 Recipient responsibilities.

The standards contained in this section do not relieve the recipient of the contractual responsibilities arising under its contract(s). The recipient is the responsible authority, without recourse to the Secretary, regarding the settlement and satisfaction of all contractual and administrative issues arising out of procurements entered into in support of an award or other agreement. This includes disputes, claims, protests of award, source evaluation, or other matters of a contractual nature. Matters concerning violation of statute are to be referred to Federal, State or

local authority that may have proper jurisdiction.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3, 3474; OMB Circular A-110)

$74.42 Codes of conduct.

or

The recipient shall maintain written standards of conduct governing the performance of its employees engaged in the award and administration of contracts. No employee, officer, agent shall participate in the selection, award, or administration of a contract supported by Federal funds if a real or apparent conflict of interest would be involved. A conflict would arise when the employee, officer, or agent, any member of his or her immediate family, his or her partner, or an organization which employs or is about to employ any of the parties indicated herein, has a financial or other interest in the firm selected for an award. The officers, employees, and agents of the recipient shall neither solicit nor accept gratuities, favors, or anything of monetary value from contractors, or parties to subagreements. However, recipients may set standards for situations in which the financial interest is not substantial or the gift is an unsolicited item of nominal value. The standards of conduct shall provide for disciplinary actions to be applied for violations of these standards by officers, employees, or agents of the recipient. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3, 3474; OMB Circular A-110)

§ 74.43 Competition.

All procurement transactions shall be conducted in a manner to provide, to the maximum extent practical, open and free competition. The recipient shall be alert to organizational conflicts of interest as well as noncompetitive practices among contractors that may restrict or eliminate competition or otherwise restrain trade. In order to ensure objective contractor performance and eliminate unfair competitive advantage, contractors that develop or draft specifications, requirements, statements of work, invitations for bids or requests for proposals shall be excluded from competing for procurements. Awards must be made to the bidder or offeror whose bid or offer is

responsive to the solicitation and is most advantageous to the recipient, price, quality and other factors considered. Solicitations shall clearly establish all requirements that the bidder or offeror shall fulfill in order for the bid or offer to be evaluated by the recipient. Any and all bids or offers may be rejected when it is in the recipient's interest to do so.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3, 3474; OMB Circular A-110)

§ 74.44 Procurement procedures.

(a) All recipients shall establish written procurement procedures. These procedures must provide for, at a minimum, that

(1) Recipients avoid purchasing unnecessary items;

(2) Where appropriate, an analysis is made of lease and purchase alternatives to determine which would be the most economical and practical procurement for the Federal Government;

or

(3) Solicitations for goods and services provide for all of the following:

(i) A clear and accurate description of the technical requirements for the material, product, or service to be procured. In competitive procurements, a description shall not contain features which unduly restrict competition.

(ii) Requirements which the bidder/ offeror must fulfill and all other factors to be used in evaluating bids or proposals.

(iii) A description, whenever practicable, of technical requirements in terms of functions to be performed or performance required, including the range of acceptable characteristics or minimum acceptable standards.

(iv) The specific features of brand name or equal descriptions that bidders are required to meet when these items are included in the solicitation.

(v) The acceptance, to the extent practicable and economically feasible, of products and services dimensioned in the metric system of measurement.

(vi) Preference, to the extent practicable and economically feasible, for products and services that conserve natural resources and protect the environment, and are energy efficient. (b) Positive efforts shall be made by recipients to utilize small businesses,

minority-owned firms, and women's business enterprises, whenever possible. Recipients of Federal awards shall take all of the following steps to further this goal:

(1) Ensure that small businesses, minority-owned firms, and women's business enterprises are used to the fullest extent practicable.

(2) Make information on forthcoming opportunities available and arrange time frames for purchases and contracts to encourage and facilitate participation by small businesses, minority-owned firms, and women's business enterprises.

(3) Consider in the contract process whether firms competing for larger contracts intend to subcontract with small businesses, minority-owned firms, and women's business enterprises.

(4) Encourage contracting with consortiums of small businesses, minorityowned firms and women's business enterprises when a contract is too large for one of these firms to handle individually.

(5) Use the services and assistance, as appropriate, of organizations such as the Small Business Administration and the Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency in the solicitation and utilization of small businesses, minority-owned firms and women's business enterprises.

(c) The type of procuring instruments used (e.g., fixed price contracts, cost reimbursable contracts, purchase orders, and incentive contracts) shall be determined by the recipient but must be appropriate for the particular procurement and for promoting the best interest of the program or project involved. The "cost-plus-a-percentage-ofcost" or "percentage of construction cost" methods of contracting must not be used.

(d) Contracts are made only with responsible contractors who possess the potential ability to perform successfully under the terms and conditions of the proposed procurement. Consideration is given to matters as contractor integrity, record of past performance, financial and technical resources or accessibility to other necessary re

sources. In certain circumstances, contracts with certain parties are restricted by E.O. 12549 (implemented by the Secretary in 34 CFR Part 85) and E.O. 12689-Debarment and Suspension.

(e) Recipients shall, on request, make available for the Secretary, pre-award review and procurement documents, such as request for proposals or invitations for bids, independent cost estimates, etc., when any of the following conditions apply:

(1) A recipient's procurement procedures or operation fails to comply with the procurement standards in this part.

(2) The procurement is expected to exceed the small purchase threshold fixed at 41 U.S.C. 403 (11) (currently $25,000) and is to be awarded without competition or only one bid or offer is received in response to a solicitation.

(3) The procurement, which is expected to exceed the small purchase threshold, specifies a "brand_name" product.

(4) The proposed award over the small purchase threshold is to be awarded to other than the apparent low bidder under a sealed bid procurement.

(5) A proposed contract modification changes the scope of a contract or increases the contract amount by more than the amount of the small purchase threshold.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1880-0513) (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3, 3474; OMB Circular A-110)

[59 FR 34724, July 6, 1994, as amended at 60 FR 6660, Feb. 3, 1995]

§ 74.45 Cost and price analysis.

Some form of cost or price analysis must be made and documented in the procurement files in connection with every procurement action. Price analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison of price quotations submitted, market prices and similar indicia, together with discounts. Cost analysis is the review and evaluation of each element of

[blocks in formation]

con

A system for contract administration must be maintained to ensure tractor conformance with the terms, conditions and specifications of the contract, and to ensure adequate and timely follow up of all purchases. Recipients shall evaluate contractor performance and document, as appropriate, whether contractors have met the terms, conditions, and specifications of the contract.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1880-0513) (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3, 3474; OMB Circular A-110)

[59 FR 34724, July 6, 1994, as amended at 60 FR 6660, Feb. 3, 1995]

§ 74.48 Contract provisions.

The recipient shall include, in addition to provisions to define a sound and complete agreement, the following provisions in all contracts. The following provisions must also be applied to subcontracts:

(a) Contracts in excess of the small purchase threshold shall contain contractual provisions or conditions that allow for administrative, contractual, or legal remedies in instances in which

a contractor violates or breaches the contract terms, and provide for remedial actions as may be appropriate.

(b) All contracts in excess of the small purchase threshold shall contain suitable provisions for termination by the recipient, including the manner by which termination shall be effected and the basis for settlement. In addition, contracts must describe conditions under which the contract may be terminated for default, as well as conditions where the contract may be terminated because of circumstances beyond the control of the contractor.

(c) Except as otherwise required by statute, an award that requires the contracting (or subcontracting) for construction or facility improvements must provide for the recipient to follow its own requirements relating to bid guarantees, performance bonds, and payment bonds unless the construction contract or subcontract exceeds $100,000. For those contracts or subcontracts exceeding $100,000, the Secretary may accept the bonding policy and requirements of the recipient, provided the Secretary has made a determination that the Federal Government's interest is adequately protected. If a determination has not been made, the minimum requirements are as follows:

(1) A bid guarantee from each bidder equivalent to five percent of the bid price. The "bid guarantee" must consist of a firm commitment such as a bid bond, certified check, or other negotiable instrument accompanying a bid as assurance that the bidder shall, upon acceptance of his bid, execute contractual documents as may be required within the time specified.

(2) A performance bond on the part of the contractor for 100 percent of the contract price. A "performance bond" is one executed in connection with a contract to secure fulfillment of all the contractor's obligations under a contract.

(3) A payment bond on the part of the contractor for 100 percent of the contract price. A "payment bond" is one executed in connection with a contract to assure payment as required by statute of all persons supplying labor and material in the execution of the work provided for in the contract.

« PreviousContinue »