View all text of Subpart 234.70 [234.7000 - 234.7002]
234.7002 - 234.7002 Policy.
(a) Major weapon systems. (1) A DoD major weapon system may be treated as a commercial product, or acquired under procedures established for the acquisition of commercial products, only if—
(i) The Secretary of Defense determines that—
(A) The major weapon system is a commercial product as defined in FAR 2.101; and
(B) Such treatment is necessary to meet national security objectives; and
(ii) The congressional defense committees are notified at least 30 days before such treatment or acquisition occurs. Follow the procedures at PGI 234.7002.
(2) The authority of the Secretary of Defense to make a determination under paragraph (a)(1) of this section may not be delegated below the level of the Deputy Secretary of Defense.
(b) Subsystems. A subsystem of a major weapon system (other than a commercially available off-the-shelf item) shall be treated as a commercial product and acquired under procedures established for the acquisition of commercial products if—
(1) The subsystem is intended for a major weapon system that is being acquired, or has been acquired, under procedures established for the acquisition of commercial products in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section; or
(2) The contracting officer determines in writing that the subsystem is a commercial product in accordance with 212.102(a)(iii). For a subsystem of a major weapon system proposed as a commercial product that has not previously been determined to be a commercial product (see 212.102(a)(ii)), follow the procedures in paragraph (d) of this section.
(3) This paragraph (b) shall apply only to subsystems of major weapon systems that are acquired by DoD through a—
(i) Prime contract;
(ii) Modification to a prime contract; or
(iii) Subcontract under a prime contract for the acquisition of a subsystem proposed as a commercial product that has not previously been determined to be a commercial product (see 212.102(a)(ii)).
(c) Components and spare parts. (1) A component or spare part for a major weapon system (other than a commercially available off-the-shelf item) may be treated as a commercial product if—
(i) The component or spare part is intended for—
(A) A major weapon system that is being acquired, or has been acquired, under procedures established for the acquisition of commercial products in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section; or
(B) A subsystem of a major weapon system that is being acquired, or has been acquired, under procedures established for the acquisition of commercial products in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section; or
(ii) The contracting officer determines in writing that the component or spare part is a commercial product in accordance with 212.102(a)(iii). For a component or spare part proposed as a commercial product that has not previously been determined to be a commercial product (see 212.102(a)(ii)), follow the procedures in paragraph (d) of this section.
(2) This paragraph (c) shall apply only to components and spare parts that are acquired by DoD through a—
(i) Prime contract;
(ii) Modification to a prime contract; or
(iii) Subcontract under a prime contract for the acquisition of a component or spare part proposed as a commercial product that has not previously been determined to be a commercial product (see 212.102(a)(ii)).
(d) Commerciality determination. To the extent necessary to make a commercial product determination in accordance with 212.102(a)(iii) that relies on paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4), or (5) of the “commercial product” definition at FAR 2.101 for a subsystem, component, or spare part as described in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, the provision at 252.215-7010, Requirements for Certified Cost or Pricing Data and Data Other Than Certified Cost or Pricing Data, requires the offeror to—
(1) Identify the comparable commercial product the offeror sells to the general public or nongovernmental entities for other than governmental purposes;
(2) Provide a comparison between the physical characteristics and functionality of the comparable commercial product and the subsystem, component, or spare part, including—
(i) For products under paragraph (3)(i) of the “commercial product” definition at FAR 2.101, a description of the modification and documentation to support that the modification is customarily available in the marketplace; or
(ii) For products under paragraph (3)(ii) of the “commercial product” definition at FAR 2.101, a detailed description of the modification and detailed technical data to demonstrate that the modification is minor (e.g., information on production processes and material differences); and
(3) Provide the national stock number (NSN) for the comparable commercial product, if one is assigned, and the NSN for the subsystem, component, or spare part, if one is assigned; or
(4) If the offeror does not sell a comparable commercial product to the general public or nongovernmental entities for other than governmental purposes, then the offeror is required to—
(i) Notify the contracting officer in writing that it does not sell such a comparable product; and
(ii) Provide the contracting officer a comparison between the physical characteristics and functionality of the most comparable commercial product in the commercial market and the subsystem, component, or spare part, if available.
(e) Relevant information to determine price reasonableness. For products relying on paragraph (3)(ii) of the “commercial product” definition at FAR 2.101, see FAR 15.403-1(c)(3)(iii)(C). See 212.209(a) for requirements of 10 U.S.C. 3453 with regard to market research.
(1) Unless an exception at FAR 15.403-1(b)(1) or (2) applies—
(i) To the extent necessary to make a determination of price reasonableness, the contracting officer shall require the offeror to submit to or provide the contracting officer access to a representative sample, as determined by the contracting officer, of prices paid for the same or similar commercial products under comparable terms and conditions by both Government and commercial customers and the terms and conditions of such sales; or
(ii) If the contracting officer determines that the offeror cannot provide or give access to sufficient information described in this paragraph (e)(1) to determine the reasonableness of price, the contracting officer shall require the offeror to submit or provide the contracting officer access to a representative sample, as determined by the contracting officer, of the prices paid for the same or similar commercial products sold under different terms and conditions and the terms and conditions of such sales.
(2) The contracting officer shall allow the offeror to redact only information provided pursuant to paragraph (e)(1) of this section that identifies the customer, if the offeror certifies in writing for each sale that the customer is a—
(i) Government customer (e.g., Federal, State, local, or foreign government);
(ii) Commercial customer purchasing the product for governmental purposes; or
(iii) Commercial customer purchasing the product for a commercial, mixed, or unknown purpose.
(3) If the contracting officer determines that the information submitted pursuant to paragraph (e)(1) of this section is not sufficient to determine the reasonableness of price because the comparable commercial product provided by the offeror is not a valid basis for price analysis or the proposed price is not reasonable after evaluating sales data, then the contracting officer shall obtain approval from an official one level above the contracting officer, without power of delegation, and require the offeror to submit other relevant information regarding the basis for price or cost, including information on labor costs, material costs, and overhead rates.
(4) An offeror shall not be required to submit information described in paragraph (e)(1) of this section with regard to a commercially available off-the-shelf item. An offeror may be required to submit such information with regard to any other item that was developed exclusively at private expense only after the head of the contracting activity determines in writing that the information submitted pursuant to paragraph (e)(1) of this section is not sufficient to determine the reasonableness of price.
(5) An offeror may submit information or analysis relating to the value of a commercial product to aid in the determination of the reasonableness of the price of such commercial product. A contracting officer may consider such information or analysis in addition to the information submitted pursuant to paragraph (e)(1) of this section. For additional guidance see PGI 234.7002(e)(5).