Government Property (SEP 2009)

(a) The contractor shall not fabricate or acquire, on behalf of the Government, either directly or indirectly through a subcontract, any item of property without prior written approval from the Contracting Officer. If the Contracting Officer authorizes the contractor to acquire and/or fabricate equipment for use in the performance of this contract, the equipment shall be subject to the provisions of the “Government Property” clause and listed on the contract via contract modification.

(b) If the Government provides item(s) of Government property to the contractor for use in the performance of this contract, this property shall be used and maintained by the contractor in accordance with the provisions of the “Government Property” clause.

The “EPA Contract Property Administration Requirements” provided below apply to this contract.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Contract Property Administration Requirements

1. Purpose. This document sets forth the requirements for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contractors performing Government property management responsibilities under EPA contracts. These requirements supplement those contained in the Government Property clause(s) and Part 45 Government Property of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

2. Contract Property Administration (CPAR)

a. EPA Delegation. EPA delegates all contract property administration to the EPA Contract Property Coordinator (CPC). The delegations apply to all EPA contracts issued with or that have the potential to receive, purchase or acquire Government Property or include the Government Property clauses. In addition to administering all contract property, the CPC provides technical expertise and assistance to the Contracting Officer (CO) and Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR) relative to Government Property.

b. DCMA Re-delegation. The CPC may request support for contract property management oversight, including property administration and plant clearance, from the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA). If DCMA agrees to provide support, DCMA will notify the contractor of the assigned property administrator (PA) and plant clearance officer (PLCO). The DCMA PA is available to the contractor for assistance in all matters of property administration. Notwithstanding the delegation, as necessary, the contractor may contact the EPA CO. In the event of a disagreement between the contractor and the DCMA PA, the contractor should seek resolution from the CO. Unless, otherwise directed in the contract, or this document, all originals of written information or reports, except direct correspondence between the contractor and the DCMA PA, relative to Government property, should be forwarded to the administrative CO assigned to this contract and the CPC.

c. Disagreements. Notwithstanding the delegation(s), as necessary, the contractor may contact the CO. In the event of a disagreement between the contractor and the PA or the CPC the contractor should seek resolution from the CO.

3. Requests for Government Property.

In accordance with FAR 45.102, the contractor shall furnish all property required for performing Government contracts. If a contractor believes that Government property is required for performance of the contract, the contractor shall submit a written request to the CO. At a minimum, the request shall contain the following elements:

a. Contract number for which the property is required.

b. An item(s) description, quantity and estimated cost.

c. Certification that no like contractor property exists which could be utilized.

d. A detailed description of the task-related purpose of the property.

e. Explanation of negative impact if property is not provided by the Government.

f. Lease versus purchase analysis shall be furnished with the request to acquire property on behalf of the Government, with the exception of requests for material purchases. The contractor may not proceed with acquisition of property on behalf of the Government until receipt of written authorization from the Contracting Officer.

4. Transfer of Government Property. The Contracting Officer initiates the transfer of the government property via a contract modification. The transferor (EPA or another contractor) shall provide to the transferee, the receiving contractor, the information needed to establish and maintain the property records required of FAR 52.245-1, as well as all of the applicable data elements required by Attachment 1 of this clause. The transferee, the receiving contractor, should perform a complete inventory of the property before signing the acceptance document for the property. Accountability will transfer to the receiving contractor upon receipt and acceptance of the property, in accordance with FAR 45.106.

5. Records of Government Property.

a. In accordance with FAR 52.245-1, the contractor shall create and maintain records of all Government property, regardless of value, including property provided to and in the possession of a subcontractor. Material provided by the Government or acquired by the contractor and billed as a direct charge to the contract is Government property and records must be established as such.

b. The Contractor shall identify all Superfund property and designate it as such both on the item and on the Government property record. If it is not practicable to tag the item, the contractor shall write the ID number on a tag, card or other entity that may be kept with the item or in a file.

c. Support documentation used for posting entries to the property record shall provide complete, current and auditable data. Entries shall be posted to the record in a timely manner following an action.

d. For Government vehicles, in addition to the data elements required by EPA, the contractor shall also comply with the General Services Administration (GSA) and Department of Energy (DOE) record and report requirements supplied with all EPA provided motor vehicles. If the above requirements were not provided with the vehicle, the contractor shall notify the designated CPC and the Fleet Manager.

e. When Government property is disclosed to be in the management and/or control of the contractor but not provided under any contract, the contractor shall record and report the property in accordance with FAR 52.245-1.

6. Inventories of Government Property. The contractor shall conduct a complete physical inventory of EPA property at least once per year. The contractor shall report the results of the inventory, including any discrepancies, to the CO. Reconciliation of discrepancies shall be completed in accordance with the schedule negotiated with the CO. See section 10 herein, Contract Closeout, for information on final inventories.

7. Reports of Government Property. EPA requires an annual summary report, for each contract, by contract number, of Government property in the contractor's possession. The annual summary is due as of September 30th of each year, and upon contract termination or expiration.

a. For each classification listed on the EPA Property Report form, with the exception of material, the contractor shall provide the total acquisition cost and total quantity. If there are zero items in a classification, or if there is an ending balance of zero, the classification must be listed with zeros in the quantity and acquisition cost columns.

b. For material, the contractor shall provide the total acquisition cost only.

c. Property classified as Plant Equipment, Superfund and Special Test Equipment must be reported on two separate lines. The first line shall include the total acquisition cost and quantity of all items or systems with a unit acquisition cost of $25,000 or more. The second line shall include the total acquisition cost and quantity of all items with a unit acquisition cost of less than $25,000.

d. For items comprising a system, which is defined as “a group of interacting items functioning as a complex whole,” the contractor may maintain the record as a system noting all components of the system under the main component or maintain individual records for each item. However, for the annual report of Government property the components must be reported as a system with one total dollar amount for the system, if that system total is $25,000 or more.

e. The reports are to be received at EPA by the CPC by October 5th of each year.

f. Distribution shall be as follows:

Original to: CPC

One copy: CO

g. Contractors are required to comply with GSA and DOE special reporting requirements for motor vehicles. A statement of these requirements will be provided by the EPA Facility Management and Services Division (FMSD) concurrent with receipt of each vehicle.

h. The contractor shall provide detailed reports on an as-needed basis, as may be requested by the CO or the CPC.

8. Disposition of Government Property. The disposition process is composed of three distinct phases: identification, reporting, and final disposition.

a. Identification. The disposition process begins with the contractor identifying Government property that is no longer required for contract performance. Effective contract property management systems provide for identification of excess as it occurs. Once Government property has been determined to be excess to the accountable contract, it must be screened against the contractor's other EPA contracts for further use. If the property may be reutilized, the contractor shall notify the CO in writing. Government property will be transferred via contract modifications to other contracts only when the COs on both the current contract and the receiving contract authorize the transfer.

b. Reporting.

(i) EPA. Government property shall be reported in accordance with FAR 52.245-1. The Standard Form, SF 1428, Inventory Disposal Schedule, provides the format for reporting excess Government property. Instructions for completing and when to use the form may be found at FAR 52.245-1(j). Forward the completed SF 1428 to the CPC. The SF 1428 is available at http://www.arnet.gov/far/current/html/FormsStandard54.html. Superfund property must contain a Superfund notification and the following language must be displayed on the form: “Note to CO: Reimbursement to the EPA Superfund is required.”

(ii) DCMA. If the EPA contract has been re-delegated to DCMA, the excess items will be entered into the Plant Clearance Automated Reutilization Screening System (PCARSS). Access and information pertaining to this system may be addressed to the DCMA Plant Clearance Officer (PLCO).

c. Disposition Instructions.

(i) Retention. When Government property is identified as excess, the CO may direct the contractor in writing to retain all or part of the excess Government Property under the current contract for possible future requirements.

(ii) Return to EPA. When Government property is identified as excess, the CO may direct the contractor in writing to return those items to EPA inventory. The contractor shall ship/deliver the property in accordance with the instructions provided by the CO.

(iii) Transfer. When Government property is identified as excess, the CO may direct the contractor in writing to transfer the property to another EPA contractor. The contractor shall transfer the property by shipping it in accordance with the instructions provided by the CO. To effect transfer of accountability, the contractor shall provide the recipient of the property with the applicable data elements set forth in Attachment 1 of this clause.

(iv) Sale. If GSA or the DCMA PLCO conducts a sale of the excess Government property, the contractor shall allow prospective bidders access to property offered for sale.

(v) Abandonment. Abandoned property must be disposed of in a manner that does not endanger the health and safety of the public. If the contract is delegated to DCMA and the contractor has input EPA property into the PCARSS system, the EPA Property Utilization Officer (PUO) shall notify the CO. The CO shall notify the contractor in writing of those items EPA would like to retain, have returned or transferred to another EPA contractor. The contractor shall notify the DCMA PLCO and request withdrawal of those items from the inventory schedule. The contractor shall update the Government property record to indicate the disposition of the item and to close the record. The contractor shall also obtain either a signed receipt or proof of shipment from the recipient. The contractor shall notify the CO when all actions pertaining to disposition have been completed. The contractor shall complete an EPA Property report with changes, to include supporting documentation of completed disposition actions and submit it to the CPC.

9. Decontamination. In addition to the requirements of the “Government Property” clause and prior to performing disposition of any EPA Government Property, the contractor shall certify in writing that the property is free from contamination by any hazardous or toxic substances.

10. Contract Closeout. The contractor shall complete a physical inventory of all Government property at contract completion and the results, including any discrepancies, shall be reported to the CO. If the contract is delegated to DCMA, the physical inventory report will be submitted to the EPA CO and a copy submitted to the DCMA PA. In the case of a terminated contract, the contractor shall comply with the inventory requirements set forth in the applicable termination clause. The results of the inventory, as well as a detailed inventory listing, must be forwarded to the CO and if delegated, a copy to the DCMA PA. In order to expedite the disposal process, contractors may be required to, or may elect to submit to the CPC, an inventory schedule for disposal purposes up to six (6) months prior to contract completion. If such an inventory schedule is prepared, the contractor must indicate the earliest date that each item may be disposed. The contractor shall update all property records to show disposal action. The contractor shall notify the CO, and, if delegated, the DCMA PA, in writing, when all work has been completed under the contract and all Government property accountable to the contract has been disposed. The contractor shall complete a FINAL EPA Property report with all supporting documentation to the CPC.

Attachment 1

Required Data Element - In addition to the requirements of FAR 52.245-1(f)(vi), Reports of Government Property, the contractor is required to maintain, and report the following data elements for EPA Government property (all elements are not applicable to material): Name and address of the administrative Contracting Officer; Name of the contractor representative; Business type; Name and address of the contract property coordinator; Superfund (Yes/No); No. of Subcontractor/Alternate Locations.