Department of the Interior Acquisition Policy Release (DIAPR) 2007 - 02

SUBJECT: Central Contractor Registration (CCR) Waiver Process

REFERENCE: Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 4.11

1. Purpose:

This policy release establishes a Departmentwide requirement for a Central Contractor Registration (CCR) waiver to be obtained from the Bureau Procurement Chief (BPC) prior to the award of any acquisition to an organization that is not registered in CCR. The signed waiver will serve as a validation that a CCR exemption, as defined by FAR 4.1102, exists and has been reviewed and authorized by the BPC.

2. Effective Date:

Effective immediately upon issuance.

3. Expiration Date:

No expiration unless superseded or canceled.

4. Background and Explanation:

FAR Subpart 4.11 requires all prospective contractors to be registered in CCR prior to the award of a contract or agreement. The exemptions to CCR registration include:

• Purchases that use a Govemmentwide commercial purchase card as both the purchasing and payment mechanism, as opposed to using the purchase card only as a payment method, i.e., transactions valued at $3,000 or less;
• Classified contracts (defined in FAR Subpart 2.101) when registration in the CCR database, or use of CCR data, could compromise the safeguarding of classified information or national security;
• Contracts awarded by deployed contracting officers in the course of military operations, including, but not limited to, contingency operations as defined in 10 U.S.C. 101(a)(l3) or humanitarian or peacekeeping operations as defined in 10 U.S.C. 2302(7);
• Contracts awarded by contracting officers in the conduct of emergency operations, such as responses to natural or environmental disasters or national or civil emergencies, e.g., Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121);
• Contracts to support unusual or compelling needs as defined in FAR Subpart 6.302-2 (e.g., purchases made in response to a forest fire that has not been declared a natural disaster by the President of the United States of America);
• Awards made to foreign vendors for work performed outside the United States, if it is impractical to obtain CCR registration; and
• Micro-purchases that do not use the electronic funds transfer (EFT) method for payment and are not required to be reported to FPDS-NG (see FAR Subpart 4.6), e.g., convenience checks for less than $3,000.

Discussions with Department acquisition personnel as well as a review of the data in the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation (FPDS-NG) indicate that the CCR exemptions are being misapplied. A waiver process is being initiated in an effort to correct this situation and to support internal controls as required by OMB Circular A-123.

5. Action Required:

Effective immediately, all new DOl acquisitions (i.e., new purchase orders, delivery\task orders, blanket purchase agreements\calls, contracts) awarded to an organization that is not registered in CCR must first receive a signed waiver from the Bureau Procurement Chief. The BPC signature authority may NOT be delegated. The BPC is expected to review each waiver request thoroughly and by their signature, attest to the validity of the CCR exemption and the appropriateness of the exemption cited. Waivers may be granted by the BPC via e-mail or facsimile but must be followed up with a signed hard copy of the waiver.

6. Additional Information:If you have questions about this matter, please contact Kate Oliver at (202) 208-3345.