(a) Military and departmental specifications. Contracting officers may, when it is advantageous to VA, use these specifications when procuring supplies and equipment costing less than the simplified acquisition threshold. When purchasing items of perishable subsistence, contracting officers may take into account only those exemptions set forth in paragraphs (b)(2) and (b)(3) of this section.
(b) Nutrition and Food Service specifications.
(1) VA has adopted for use in the procurement of packinghouse products the purchase descriptions and specifications set forth in the Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications (IMPS) and the IMPS General Requirements, which have been developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Purchase descriptions and specifications for dairy products, poultry, eggs, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, as well as certain packinghouse products selected from the IMPS especially for VA use, are contained in Part IV of the Federal Supply Catalog, Stock List, FSC Group 89, Subsistence, Publication No. C8900-SL.
(2) The military specifications for meat and meat products contained in Part IV of the Federal Supply Catalog, Stock List, FSC Group 89, Subsistence, must be used by VA only when purchasing such items of subsistence from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). Military specifications for poultry, eggs, and egg products contained in Part IV of the Federal Supply Catalog, Stock List, FSC Group 89, Subsistence, may be used when purchasing either from DLA or from local dealers.
(3) Except as authorized in Part 846, a contracting officer must not deviate from the specifications contained in Part IV of the Federal Supply Catalog, Stock List, FSC Group 89, Subsistence, and the IMPS without prior approval from the DSPE.
(4) Items of meat, cured pork and poultry purchased under the Subsistence Prime Vendor national contract or other local procurement sources should be purchased via Commercial Item Descriptions (CID) that require all products meet USDA Grading standards and/or the IMPS as applicable.
(c) Department of Veterans Affairs specifications.
(1) The Director, Publications Staff, is responsible for developing, publishing, and distributing VA specifications covering printing and binding.
(2) VA specifications, as they are revised, are placed in stock in the VA Forms and Publications Depot. The contracting officer may requisition facility requirements for these specifications from that source.
(d) Government paper specification standards.
(1) Invitations for bids, requests for proposals, purchase orders, or other procurement instruments covering the purchase of paper stocks to be used in duplicating or printing, or which specify the paper stocks to be used in buying printing, binding, or duplicating, must require that the paper stocks be in accordance with the Government Paper Specification Standards issued by the Congressional Joint Committee on Printing.
(2) All binding or rebinding of books, magazines, pamphlets, newspapers, slip cases, and boxes must be procured in accordance with Government Printing Office (GPO) specifications and must be procured from the servicing GPO Regional Printing Procurement Office or, when appropriate, from commercial sources.
(3) There are three types of binding/rebinding: Class A (hard cover); Perfect (glued); and Lumbinding (sewn). The most suitable type of binding must be procured to satisfy the requirements, based upon the intended use of the bound material.
