SECTION II: ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY DETERMINED 54050 ACCOUNTABILITY 1. Accountability devolves upon any officially designated individual who is required to maintain an account of public property upon a prescribed form or forms, and who must submit a periodic return to the Quartermaster General of the Marine Corps in accordance with regulations contained in subsequent paragraphs of this manual. An accountable officer maintains accountability regardless of whether the property is in his possession for use or storage, or in the possession of others to whom it has been entrusted for use or for care and safekeeping. Specifically, accountability is not terminated at issue of property on memorandum receipt. This merely places with other individuals responsibility for its custody and safekeeping. Property accountability is not terminated until transfer to another accountable officer has been accomplished by methods prescribed in these regulations, or the property is disposed of by other authorized methods. 54051 RESPONSIBILITY 1. Responsibility devolves upon any individual to whom public property has been entrusted and who is charged with its care and safekeeping whether in use or in storage. Specifically, responsibility arises from possession or from right of command of others who are in possession. 54052 ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY DISTINGUISHED 1. The terms "accountable" and "responsible" are not synonymous. However, an officer appointed as an accountable officer may have both accountability and responsibility. For example, an officer who carries property on a stock record account and who has such property in his own custody, either in use or in storage, has both accountability and responsibility. An officer who carries property on a stock record account may issue it on memorandum receipt. In such cases he does not drop the property from his stock record account and he maintains accountability, but he does not have responsibility as the property has been entrusted to another who is charged with its care and safekeeping. The individual who has given the memorandum receipt has responsibility but does not have accountability as he is not required to maintain a stock record account for the property. 54053 COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY 1. Commanding officers are required to insure that the property of their commands is properly safeguarded, maintained, administered, and accounted for. The proper care, handling, and use of public property are functions of command. It is essential for both supply and tactical purposes that commanding officers be assured that the required property is on hand, that it is in serviceable condition, and that it is properly cared for and used; and equally important, that there is no accumulation of property in excess of authorized levels or allowances. 2. An officer shall not, when it can be avoided, be detailed for duty which will separate him from public property for which he is accountable. If an accountable officer is detailed for duty which temporarily separates him from such property, and thereby endangers its safekeeping, the commanding officer shall designate another officer to take charge of it and receive and issue in the name of the accountable officer. If no other officer is present, the commanding officer shall take charge of the property until the return of the accountable officer. The officer so detailed or the commanding officer shall be responsible for the disposition and handling of all government property left in his charge. If the absence of the accountable officer extends beyond a period of 30 days, a regular transfer 54053 of property to another officer shall be made. In case of death or suspension from duty of an accountable officer, the provisions of Part G shall apply. 54054 DIRECT RESPONSIBILITY 1. As distinguished from command responsibility, direct responsibility is attached to military personnel to whom public property is entrusted for care and safekeeping whether such property is in their possession, in use, or in storage. This may involve: a. Personal responsibility as in the case of property issued to an individual for his own. use and habitually under his own care; or, b. Supervisory responsibility as in the case of individuals entrusted with the care and preservation of property in a depot or warehouse; or of a company, battalion, or detachment commander with respect to the property pertaining to his command. 2. Individuals to whom public property is entrusted shall be responsible for the care and safekeeping of such property. When it is impracticable for an officer personally to supervise issues or other transactions, he will choose with great care the personnel to whom his duty is entrusted. The keys to storerooms or chests shall not be entrusted to enlisted persons or civilians without constant supervision on the part of the responsible officer. The responsible officer shall use every reasonable precaution, including frequent personal inspections and shifting of padlocks, to prevent loss of or damage to property. 54055 EXERCISE OF COMMAND 1. The officer in permanent or temporary command of a post, camp, station, organization, or other installation has command responsibility over all public property of the command, whether in use or in storage. The commanding officer shall cause frequent inquiry as to the proper care, use and handling of, maintenance, and the accounting for, the property pertaining to his command. A commanding officer finding that any individual in his command accountable or responsible for property is not exercising due account. 2. Commanding officers shall assure that Government equipment is not altered in color, finish, or in any other respect without specific authority from the Commandant of the Marine Corps. 54056 DUTIES OF RESPONSIBLE 1. A commanding officer or a person in charge a. Have in his possession, in serviceable condition, such articles of authorized equipment as are required for the proper performance of the assigned mission of his unit and which he can properly maintain, safeguard, and employ. Ch. 2 7/51 PART B: REQUISITIONING OF SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT 54200 AUTHORITY 1. Marine Corps organizations are authorized to requisition supplies and equipment within the prescribed allowances set forth in current Tables of Allowances, Tables of Equipment, Material Allowance Lists or other allowance publications as applicable. Equipment and supplies so authorized may be obtained by using organizations through the preparation and submission of requisition Form NAVMC 25-SD (Rev), or other authorized requisition form on the normal source of supply. 54201 REQUISITIONING PROCEDURE 1. In order that supply depots or other supply sources may take prompt and intelligent action on requests for supplies, it is essential that requisitions be properly prepared and submitted in a sufficient number of copies. All Marine Corps activities shall follow the procedure outlined herein when preparing requisitions. 2. Supply installations (depots of supply, supply depots, service groups, etc.) shall inform using organizations of any additional instructions that will facilitate supply and services to such organizations, provided such instructions are not in conflict with regulations contained herein. 54202 PRESCRIBED FORMS 1. Requisition, Form NAVMC 25–SD (Rev), will be used for requisitioning supplies and equipment normally carried in stock at a supply point unless excepted hereinafter. 2. Requisition, Invoice and Receipt for Stationary and Blank Forms, Form NAVMC 182– SD will be used for requisitioning stationery and blank forms listed in current allowance publications. 3. Special Shoe Measurement Form, Form NAVMC 183-SD will be used for requisitioning special sized shoes not available from stock. 4. Open Purchase Requisition, Form NAVMC 461-SD (Rev) will be used only for requisitioning articles or services that are to be procured by purchase in the open market. Articles for which a suitable substitute may be in stock at supply point will NOT be procured by purchase in the open market. (See paragraph 55050.) 5. Requisition for Rubber Stamps, Form NAVMC 637-SD (Rev) will be used for requisitioning rubber stamps. 6. Uniform Clothing Special Requisition, Form NAVMC 912-SD (Rev) will be used for requisitioning special sized uniform clothing not carried as standard stock. 54203 PREPARATION OF REQUISITIONS 1. Requisitions shall be prepared in sufficient copies to provide an original and two copies for the supply source to which submitted. Such additional copies as may be required for local administration may be prepared at this time. a. Numbering. All requisitions will be numbered consecutively, commencing with No. 1 at the beginning of the fiscal year and will continue without break in such numbered series until the end of the fiscal year. For further identification, the last two digits of the fiscal year will be suffixed to the requisition number but separated therefrom by a dash. Example: No. 1-49 for the first requisition prepared by the organization during the fiscal year of 1949, regardless of the current calendar date. In addition to the number as prescribed above, supply sources and activities having more than one supply division, will use letter prefixes to identify the supply division concerned. The same 54203 prefixes as are prescribed for basic vouchers will be used. Example: GS-1-49 would be given the first requisition prepared by the General Supply Division during the fiscal year 1949. b. From. Show proper designation of requisitioning officer. c. To. Show activity to which requisition is submitted. Include supply division concerned, i. e., (Eng), (Ord), etc. d. Required for. (1) Show organization for which articles are required. It is essential that this space denote the particular unit (company, battalion, ship's detachment, etc.) for which the articles are being requisitioned in order that allowances may be compared with "on hand" and "on order" articles for final approval. (2) Supply officers requisitioning for subordinate organizations shall further indicate number and types of units for which they are responsible for supply. Where this information is of a classified nature, it may be furnished by a covering letter. e. Ship to. Show in this space the shipping address of the organization to which the requisitioned articles are to be shipped. In view of the fact that the requisitioning unit is not always the unit which ultimately receives the supplies, the information in this space must be complete. f. Invoice to. Show in this space the designation of the accountable officer on whose accounts the requisitioned articles will be taken up. g. Purpose of Requisition. Indicate the type of requisition. (e. g. "Initial," "Replenishment," "Resupply," "Intial, plus 30 days," etc.) h. Strength of Command. In this space will be shown the total actual number of personnel comprising the command for which the requisition is being prepared, except as noted below. (1) Where organizations are below strength prescribed by Tables of Organization, but are required to maintain a level of supply based on Table of Organization strength, such authorized strength will be shown in the space (2) When an organization is over i. Item Number. All articles contained on the requisition will be listed in numerical sequence. j. Stock Number. Show stock numbers of articles requisitioned as listed in the Marine Corps allowance publications, Catalog of U. S. Marine Corps Material, Standard Nomenclature Lists, Bulletins, or other authorized publications. Every effort shall be made to arrange articles requisitioned in stock number sequence which will greatly expedite the filling of such requisitions. k. Whenever a stock number is available in any of the publications listed in subparagraph j, a short form abbreviated nomenclature consisting of the key noun and related modifier may be used. If these words are not in themselves sufficiently descriptive, additional key words selected from the full nomenclature, such as size, color, model, etc., must be used. If a stock number is not shown in these publications, the complete nomenclature will always be used. 1. Authorized Allowance. Show in this column the total prescribed allowance of the articles being requested, as authorized by applicable allowance publications. Depots of Supply, Supply Depots, and Service Groups shall show "Stock Level" in this space. m. On Hand. Show the total serviceable quantity of the articles on hand in the organization at time of preparation of the requisition. This quantity will include both articles in stock and in use. n. On Order. Show quantity previously requisitioned and not received at time of preparation of the requisition. o. Required. The amount shown in this column is the quantity actually requested by the requisition. Quantities requested should not exceed the difference between the "authorized allowance" and the total of the "on hand" and "on order" columns. Ch. 2 7/51 าย |