BOP 541.1 Admin Chg 1, Contracting Authorities
The objective of this Business Operating Procedure is to define to the Federal authorities, roles, and responsibilities for contracts, financial assistance instruments, personal property, and sales activities so that Headquarters and Field Offices can successfully accomplish the NNSA mission and program.
PAS recommends cancellation without replacement.
Our NNSA model has been in place for quite some time, therefore, the roles and responsibilities have been in
place and codified in Delegations. PAS suggests cancellation with no replacement as the outdated
information may cause confusion.
Previously, BOP-03.02 Admin Chg1. The NNSA Directives Program has revised its numbering system to a three-digit system. See Crosswalk for more information.
Associated DOE Directive:
Version history and related documents
Document text
Text extracted from the attached file. Refer to the original document for the authoritative version.
Section 1
BOP 541.1 Admin Chg 1 1
10-22-13
ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGE TO
BOP 541.1, Contracting Authorities
Locations of Changes:
Page Paragraph Changed To
Cover NNSA POLICY LETTER BUSINESS OPERATING PROCEDURE
Cover
BOP-003.0303A
BOP 541.1
Update numbering to new
numbering system
Cover
Office of Acquisition & Supply
Management
Office of Acquisition and Project
Management
Cover Footer
Office of Acquisition & Supply
Management
Office of Acquisition Management
1 1 Policy Letter Business Operating Procedure
1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6
Various
locations
Site Office Field Office
1, 2, 3,
4, 6
Various
locations
removed Service Center
1, 2, 3,
4, 5
Various
location
the Administration NNSA
1 3 Added 3.a. NNSA Applicability
1
3
Added 3.b. Equivalency.; updated
NA-30, Office of Naval Reactors
statement
1 4
Office of Acquisition & Supply
Management (NA-63)(OASM)
Office of Acquisition Management
(NA-APM-10) (OAM)
1
4
The Deputy Director, OASM has
been designated as the HCA for
actions exceeding $25M.
The Deputy Director, OAM has been
designated as the Senior HCA with an
Unlimited Warrant.
1
4
The Service Center, Director of the
Office of Business Services is the
HCA for actions $25M or less.
The Contracts and Procurement
Division (CPD) is the HCA with an
Unlimited Warrant, with the
exception of Naval Reactors Program
actions.
3 6.a.
Senior Procurement Executive
(NA-63)
Senior Procurement Executive (NA-
APM-10)
4 6.a.11). nonbeverage non-beverage
6 7
Office of Acquisition &Supply
Management
Office of Acquisition Management
(NA-APM-10) (202) 586-7439
6 Signature
BY ORDER OF THE SENIOR
PROCUREMENT EXECUTIVE
BY ORDER OF THE ADMINISTRATOR
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Page Paragraph Changed To
6 Signature
David Boyd
Senior Procurement Executive
Barbara Stearrett
Acting Senior Procurement Executive
6
Attach
Added:
Attachment: NNSA Flow of
Contracting Authority
Attach
1
Added:
NNSA Flow of Contracting
Authority
BUSINESS OPERATING PROCEDURE
Approved: 02-05-09
Admin Change 1: 10-22-13
CONTRACTING AUTHORITIES
NATIONAL NUCLEAR SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
Office of Acquisition and Project Management
AVAILABLE ONLINE AT: INITIATED BY:
http://hq.na.gov Office of Acquisition Management
BOP 541.1
http://hq.na.gov/
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
BOP 541.1 1
02-05-09
CONTRACTING AUTHORITIES
1. PURPOSE. The objective of this Business Operating Procedure is to define the Federal
authorities, roles, and responsibilities for contracts, financial assistance instruments,
personal property, and sales activities so that Headquarters and Field Offices can
successfully accomplish the NNSA mission and programs.
2. CANCELLATION. BOP-003.0303A, Contracting Authority, dated 2-5-09.
3. APPLICABILITY.
a. NNSA Applicability. All NNSA Federal elements.
b. Equivalency. In accordance with the responsibilities and authorities assigned by
Executive Order 12344, codified at 50 USC sections 2406 and 2511 and to ensure
consistency through the joint Navy/DOE Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, the
Deputy Administrator for Naval Reactors (Director) will implement and oversee
requirements and practices pertaining to this Directive for activities under the
Director’s cognizance, as deemed appropriate.
4. BACKGROUND. Authority and responsibility to contract for authorized supplies and
services are vested in the agency head; in NNSA’s case, the Administrator. Also, 50
Section 2
U.S.C. 2402 designates the Administrator as the NNSA Senior Procurement Executive
for purposes of section 16(3) of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Act (41
U.S.C. 414(3)).
The Administrator has delegated Senior Procurement Executive authority to the Director,
Office of Acquisition Management (NA-APM-10) (OAM). In this capacity, the Senior
Procurement Executive has the authority to designate any Head of the Contracting
Authority (HCA) within the NNSA. The Deputy Director, OAM has been designated as
the Senior HCA with an Unlimited Warrant. The Contracts and Procurement Division
(CPD) is the HCA with an Unlimited Warrant, with the exception of Naval Reactors
Program actions. The Manager, Naval Reactors Laboratory Field Office is the HCA for
Naval Reactors Program actions of $25M or less. Each HCA has the authority to issue
and revoke Contracting Officer warrants. Below the level of the HCA only warranted
Contracting Officers may obligate NNSA by entering into contracts and financial
assistance instruments.
5. REQUIREMENTS. Authority to direct a NNSA contractor is based on formal
appointments and delegations. Staff and oversight components of NNSA are prohibited
from tasking contractors to perform any work or activity unless they have been
specifically provided with this authority.
Only a warranted NNSA Contracting Officer or a formally appointed Contracting
Officer’s Representative (COR), with requisite appointment authority, may task a
contractor to perform work. The NNSA Administrator’s procurement authorities and
responsibilities flow through the Senior Procurement Executive to the HCA who, by
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issuing a warrant, grants procurement authority and responsibility to a Contracting
Officer. NNSA Contracting Officers for Headquarters and the Field Offices are
appointed by the appropriate HCA. The NNSA Field Office Manager, for the laboratory,
test site, or production facility may be appointed as a Contracting Officer, consistent with
the requirements of DOE O 541.1B, Appointment of Contracting Officers and
Contracting Officer Representatives, and subject to the limitations established in their
appointment.
Organizationally, the NNSA HCAs combined have overall responsibility for managing
the contracting activity and are Contracting Officers based on delegation letters issued by
the NNSA Senior Procurement Executive (SPE). Each NNSA HCA appoints Contracting
Officers consistent with the OFPP standards applicable to all executive agencies.
Contracting Officers are issued a “Certificate of Appointment” that specifies their
authorized functional areas, limits of authority, and other restrictions.
The following positions are fundamental to implementation of NNSA’s contracting
authorities:
a. Contracting Officer - A Contracting Officer is a qualified person appointed by the
HCA with the authority to award, administer, and terminate contracts, financial
assistance instruments or sales instruments; make related determinations and
findings; develop and negotiate fees; change contract terms and conditions;
determine the allowability of costs; and, negotiate aggressive subcontracting plan
goals to ensure that small business have the maximum practicable opportunity to
participate in NNSA’s procurements.
b. Field Office Manager - A Field Office Manager is responsible for effective
contract administration at the site to ensure the successful implementation of
Section 3
NNSA programs. The Field Office Manager may be a Contracting Officer with
authority to administer contracts based upon the attainment of all required
certifications.
Contract administration duties typically include:
• Authorizing and directing contractor work,
• Validating detailed plans generated by contractors against mission
requirements,
• Developing detailed plans and obtaining Headquarters approval,
• Ensuring that small businesses have the maximum practicable opportunity
to participate in NNSA procurements,
• Performing oversight and review of contractor self-assessments, and
• Evaluating contractor performance.
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c. Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) - A COR is an NNSA employee
appointed by the Contracting Officer, with specific responsibilities to provide an
on-site, day-to-day presence at Laboratories, Production Facilities, Test Site, or
Headquarters. The COR’s authority to direct the contractor is limited by the
terms of their written appointment, which specifically outlines appropriate duties
and limits of authority.
d. Headquarters Programmatic Contracting Officer’s Representative - This COR is
an NNSA employee appointed by the Contracting Officer, or SPE, to perform
specific functions including federal oversight of contractor execution of detailed
planning, integrations, and execution of the nuclear weapons program and
nonproliferation programs.
NOTE: There is only one type of Contracting Officer’s Representative. The modifiers “Field
Office” and “Headquarters Programmatic” are used only to identify where certain
responsibilities are accomplished and the different nature of the responsibilities.
6. RESPONSIBILITIES. NNSA contracting authorities are carried out at two
organizational levels: Headquarters and Field Offices.
a. Senior Procurement Executive (NA-APM-10):
1) Provides overall management direction of NNSA’s acquisition and
financial assistance, and Field Offices.
2) Oversees the development of acquisition and financial assistance policy,
goals, guidelines, and innovations,
3) Measures and evaluates Field Office performance against acquisition and
assistance goals,
4) Ensures career development of the acquisition workforce,
5) Approves justifications for other than full and open competition if the
amount exceeds $50,000,000,
6) Participates with the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Utilization and
other elements in NNSA to establish small business goals.
7) Designates:
• The Head of the Contracting Activity
• A Senior Competition Advocate to perform the duties required by
the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984, Public Law 98-369
• A task and delivery order ombudsman to perform the duties
required by the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994
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• A program manager to implement an electronic commerce
capability for NNSA who reports directly to the Senior
Procurement Executive.
8) Assigns contracting functions and responsibilities to another agency, and
creates joint or combined offices with another agency to exercise
acquisition functions.
9) Enters into, approves, administers, modifies, closes-out, terminates, and
takes such other actions as may be necessary and appropriate with respect
to any procurement or financial assistance transaction binding NNSA to
the obligation and expenditure of public funds.
10) Approves extraordinary contractual actions to facilitate the national
defense that do not to exceed $50,000.
Section 4
11) Signs applications for permits to acquire tax-free spirits from a distilled
spirits plant for non-beverage purposes.
12) Determines whether to use the authority in the Defense Production Act of
1950, for priority contracting authority to expedite procurement actions to
promote National Defense. This determination is made after consultation
with the NNSA General Counsel and the DOE Assistant Secretary for
Policy and International Affairs.
13) Acquires, manages, and disposes of personal property held by NNSA for
official use by its employees or contractors.
b. The Head of the Contracting Activity (HCA):
1) Enters into, approves, and takes other actions with respect to any contract
arrangement, financial assistance agreement, sales contract, or similar
transaction, whether or not binding NNSA to the obligation and
expenditure of public funds, pursuant to applicable laws, policies,
regulations, and procedures. Such actions include rendering approvals,
determinations, and decisions, as specifically authorized in the Federal
Acquisition Regulations and the Procurement and Financial Assistance
regulations that govern NNSA’s actions in these areas.
2) Appoints Contracting Officers.
3) Designates Headquarters or Field Office Competition Advocate, as
needed, to perform the duties required by the Competition in Contracting
Act of 1984.
4) Makes the determinations required by the Federal Acquisition Regulations
in the case of mistakes in bids alleged after opening of bids and before
BOP 541.1 5
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award, and makes all administrative determinations regarding withdrawal
of bids.
5) Acquires, manages, and disposes of personal property held by NNSA for
official use by its employees or contractors.
6) Develops and maintains organizational continuity of services and contract
support needed for NNSA mission accomplishment.
7) The following NNSA organizations are designated Contracting Offices
and operate within the guidelines and authority provided by the
appropriate HCA:
NNSA Headquarters
Kansas City Field Office
Livermore Field Office
Los Alamos Field Office
Nevada Field Office
NNSA Production Office
Sandia Field Office
Savannah River Field Office
Naval Reactors Laboratory Field Office
c. The Field Office Manager:
1) Has primary responsibility for day-to-day oversight and evaluation of
program management and contract administration activities at the site.
These duties include establishing the overall safety and security
parameters within which the contractor is authorized to operate and
ensuring that the contractor is making a good faith effort to meet small
business subcontracting plan goals.
2) Integrates activities at the site with customers from other elements of the
Department of Energy, other Federal agencies, and the private sector.
d. The Contracting Officer:
1) Ensures that the requirements of FAR 1.602-1 (b) have been met, and that
sufficient funds are certified available for obligation.
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6
2) Ensures that contractors receive impartial, fair, and equitable treatment.
3) Exercises independent business judgment.
4) Elevates unresolved issues that create tension between program and
business objectives through the Field Office Manager to the HCA for
resolution.
5) Appoints qualified Contracting Officer's Representatives to assure
mission fulfillment and effective contract administration and management.
At Field Offices, COR appointments will have the Field Office Manager
Section 5
concurrence.
e. Contracting Officer's Representative :
1) Monitors contractor performance and reports status to the Field Office
Manager/Contracting Officer.
2) Recommends necessary contractual changes to the Field Office
Manager/Contracting Officer.
3) Inspects and accepts deliverables.
4) Provides technical/performance direction to the contractor subject to the
terms of their appointment.
5) Performs responsibilities and provides reports and information for the
Contracting Officer in accordance with the appointment delegation letter.
f. The Headquarters Programmatic Contracting Officer's Representatives, subject to
the terms of their appointment, provide programmatic guidance, direction and
eval uation.
7. CONTACT. Deputy Director, Office of Acquisition Management (NA-APM-10), (202)
586-7439.
BY ORDER OF THE ADMINISTRATOR:
Acting Senior Procurement Executive
Attachment: NNSA Flow of Contracting Authority
BOP 541.1
02-05-09
Attachment 1
AT1-1
Attachment 1: NNSA Flow of Contracting Authority
5
NNSA Flow of Contracting Authority