Government agencies have made proposed amendments to the Federal Acquisition Regulation that would avoid use of generic contract identifiers in their records, according to a Federal Computer Week report.Contractors use Data Universal Numbering System numbers in their records, some of which lack in specificity. It has been the case that generic numbers have been used in the past, which “adversely affects the transparency of the government’s data,†according to the Federal Register notice posted Monday.
The proposal from the Defense Department, General Services Administration and NASA wants to, “limit the use of generic substitutes,” since it causes the contractor to not associated with the contract and, therefore, makes the contractor unable to access and perform reporting.
Generic numbers should only be used if it’s the only option, according to the report. The proposal also further limits use of the generic DUNS number to foreign contract actions valued at or below $25,000. It also says that if a generic code is assigned, it should serve its assignment through the contract life and include documentation as to why a more specific code was not used.
The agencies are also looking to clarify the contracting officer’s responsibilities, as evident in the notice. They propose that the chief acquisition officer “of each agency now submit its annual certified contract action report data report to GSA within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year.”
Reports should include updated information into the Federal Procurement Data System. In addition, the accuracy of the data in the database is on the contractor’s hands, making them liable for any inaccuracies or lack of complete information.
FCW says that the officials are accepting comments on these proposals through Jan. 30.
