Appendix I

Loss or Damage

Glossary of Transportation Terms

Appendix II Railroad and Transportation Company Abbreviations

Rel.60 8/30/50

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LIBRARIES

Engen
Direct

12-15-51

Vol. XIX Procurement

.1

Part 1 Authority, Sources, and Procedures

CHAP. 1.1 PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY

1.1.1

ESTABLISH-
MENT OF
OFFICE OF
DIRECTOR

By Circular Letter 3366, dated February 27, 1946, the Office of the Director of Supply was established "in order to enable the Office of the Commissioner to perform more adequately its responsibilities with respect to policy direction and general control of Supply function," such as procurement, property management, and office services. The Director of Supply is under the direct supervision OF SUPPLY of the Commissioner.

.2 The Director of Supply formulates and reviews all procurement policies and procedures and prepares and submits to the Commissioner detailed recommendations regarding such policies and procedures and the placement and performance of procurement authorities and responsibilities throughout the Bureau. It is the responsibility of the Director of Supply to see that procurement policies and procedures, approved and promulgated by the Commissioner, are properly established and followed by the officers authorized to exercise procurement authority in Paragraph 1.1.7 below.

A. All matters pertaining to procurement policy shall be submitted to the
Director of Supply, Washington, D. C.

B. All matters pertaining to procurement procedure should be addressed to the Chief, Supply Services Division, Denver, Colorado, who will in turn submit the request, along with his comments, to the Director of Supply for approval and release.

.3 Under the direct supervision of the Director of Supply it is the responsibility of the Chief of the Procurement Division to make recommendations regarding policies and procedures on all matters relative to the procurement of materials, supplies, equipment, services (other than personal), leases, and surplus property. When such policies and procedures are approved and established by the Commissioner, the application thereof by purchasing officers throughout the Bureau is under the technical supervision of the Chief of the Procurement Division.

.4

.5

The operational functions of the regional, district, and project offices'
procurement activities shall be the responsibility of the Regional Director.

The officer exercising contracting authority, acting within the scope of his
delegated authority, shall be responsible for the legality and legal sufficiency
of his Government contracts, including all related documents; legality and legal
sufficiency of modifications or terminations thereof; extra work orders; change
orders; determination that all applicable statutes and regulations, including
Bureau regulations and procedures, have been complied with; obtaining pre-
validation as to the availability of funds before finally executing any contract or
for obtaining such prevalidation before a bid is accepted, or a contract executed.
It is also the responsibility of the contracting officer to ascertain and require
complete satisfaction of all contractual obligations.

6 Under the technical supervision of the Director of Supply, it shall be the responsibility of all personnel engaged in procurement activities to comply with instructions and regulations contained in this Handbook. There shall be no deviation therefrom without prior approval of the Director of Supply. In carrying out this program the services of the staff of the Director of Supply are available at all times to render assistance or advice in procurement matters.

Contracting authority for procurement has been delegated as shown in
Subparagraphs A and B below, to approve, award, and execute contracts, to
approve and execute change orders and extra work orders, to approve and
enter into modification of contracts which are legally permissible, and to term-
inate such contracts if such action is legally authorized. The contracting
authority so delegated to contracting officers in the Bureau shall not be redele-
gated unless approved by the Commissioner in writing. (Project heads, as

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RESPONSI

BILITY OF DIRECTOR OF SUPPLY

RESPONSIBILITY OF CHIEF OF PROCUREMENT DIVISION

RESPONSI-
BILITY OF
REGIONAL
DIRECTOR

RESPONSIBILITY OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

RESPONSIBILITY OF PROCUREMENT PERSONNEL

CONTRACT-
ING

AUTHORITY

1.1.7A

CHAP. 1.1 PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY

CONSTRUC-
TION,
SUPPLY &
SERVICES

SUPPLIES &

SERVICES

DEFINITION

PURCHASING
AGENT

PROCUREMENT--STAFF OFFICES OF THE COMMISSIONER

FORWARDING
OF
CONTRACTS
FOR

APPROVAL

used herein, means the administrative heads of projects, including project engineers, project superintendents, construction engineers, and supervising engineers.)

C. For purposes of contracting authority only the term "Supply" will be interpreted to include all types of supplies and equipment, not involving installation or construction at the site by the supplier.

D. The head of each office and such employee as may be specifically designated
by him in writing to act as purchasing agent may, subject to all applicable
provisions of law and regulations, including Bureau regulations:

(1) Approve and execute purchase orders for open-market purchases of
supplies, equipment, and services without advertisement when the
aggregate payment for the purchase or the services does not exceed
$500 in any instance, as provided for by Public Law 152, Sec. 502 (e);
memorandum from the Chief Clerk, Department of the Interior, dated
July 28, 1949.

(2) Approve and execute purchase orders for items listed in Federal
Supply Schedules, or for procurement from other mandatory sources.
(3) Approve and execute purchase orders for transfer of supplies and
equipment, when authorized by law, from other bureaus or offices
of the Department, or from other agencies of the Federal Government,
when the aggregate payment does not exceed $500 in any instance.

E. With respect to the staff offices of the Commissioner located in Washington
and Denver, all necessary purchasing and procurement for those offices
shall be handled and supplied by the Office of the Director of Supply, and
the Supply Services Division, respectively.

F. When a contracting officer receives an otherwise acceptable bid that is in excess of the limitation of his contracting authority, an abstract of the bids, a statement of all qualifications and stipulations made by the bidders, financial reports on the bidders, and any other pertinent data together with the recommendation of the contracting officer as to award will be sent to the Office of the Commissioner, Washington, D. C. for consideration. If approved, the Commissioner will authorize the contracting officer to execute the contract in whatever amount may be involved. Otherwise acceptable bids received by other contracting officers which are in amounts

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