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(a) This part provides policies and procedures for—
(1) Acquisition of foreign supplies, services, and construction materials; and
(2) Contracts performed outside the United States.
(b) It implements the Buy American Act, trade agreements, and other laws and regulations.
(a) The Buy American Act—
(1) Restricts the purchase of supplies, that are not domestic end products, for use within the United States. A foreign end product may be purchased if the contracting officer determines that the price of the lowest domestic offer is unreasonable or if another exception applies (see Subpart 25.1); and
(2) Requires, with some exceptions, the use of only domestic construction materials in contracts for construction in the United States (see Subpart 25.2).
(b) The restrictions in the Buy American Act are not applicable in acquisitions subject to certain trade agreements (see Subpart 25.4). In these acquisitions, end products and construction materials from certain countries receive nondiscriminatory treatment in evaluation with domestic offers. Generally, the dollar value of the acquisition determines which of the trade agreements applies. Exceptions to the applicability of the trade agreements are described in Subpart 25.4.
(c) The test to determine the country of origin for an end product under the Buy American Act (see the various country “end product” definitions in 25.003) is different from the test to determine the country of origin for an end product under the trade agreements, or the criteria for the report on end products manufactured outside the United States (see 25.004).
(1) The Buy American Act uses a two-part test to define a “domestic end product”or “domestic construction material” (manufactured in the United States and a formula based on cost of domestic components). The component test has been waived for acquisition of commercially available off-the-shelf items.
(2) Under the trade agreements, the test to determine country of origin is “substantial transformation” (i.e., transforming an article into a new and different article of commerce, with a name, character, or use distinct from the original article).
(3) For the reporting requirement at 25.004, the only criterion is whether the place of manufacture of an end product is in the United States or outside the United States, without regard to the origin of the components.
(4) When using funds appropriated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-5), the definition of “domestic manufactured construction material” requires manufacture in the United States but does not include a requirement with regard to the origin of the components. If the construction material consists wholly or predominantly of iron or steel, the iron or steel must be produced in the United States.
The following table shows the applicability of the subparts. Subpart 25.5 provides comprehensive procedures for offer evaluation and examples.
As used in this part—
“Caribbean Basin country” means any of the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saba, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, or Trinidad and Tobago.
“Caribbean Basin country end product”—
(1) Means an article that—
(i)(A) Is wholly the growth, product, or manufacture of a Caribbean Basin country; or
(B) In the case of an article that consists in whole or in part of materials from another country, has been substantially transformed in a Caribbean Basin country into a new and different article of commerce with a name, character, or use distinct from that of the article or articles from which it was transformed; and
(ii) Is not excluded from duty-free treatment for Caribbean countries under 19 U.S.C. 2703(b).
(A) For this reason, the following articles are not Caribbean Basin country end products:
(1) Tuna, prepared or preserved in any manner in airtight containers.
(2) Petroleum, or any product derived from petroleum.
(3) Watches and watch parts (including cases, bracelets, and straps) of whatever type including, but not limited to, mechanical, quartz digital, or quartz analog, if such watches or watch parts contain any material that is the product of any country to which the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) column 2 rates of duty apply (i.e., Afghanistan, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam).
(4) Certain of the following: textiles and apparel articles; footwear, handbags, luggage, flat goods, work gloves, and leather wearing apparel; or handloomed, handmade, and folklore articles.
(B) Access to the HTSUS to determine duty-free status of articles of the types listed in paragraph (1)(ii)(A)(4) of this definition is available via the Internet at http://www.usitc.gov/tata/hts/. In particular, see the following:
(1) General Note 3(c), Products Eligible for Special Tariff treatment.
(2) General Note 17, Products of Countries Designated as Beneficiary Countries under the United States-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act of 2000.
(3) Section XXII, Chapter 98, Subchapter II, Articles Exported and Returned, Advanced or Improved Abroad, U.S. Note 7(b).
(4) Section XXII, Chapter 98, Subchapter XX, Goods Eligible for Special Tariff Benefits under the United States-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act; and
(2) Refers to a product offered for purchase under a supply contract, but for purposes of calculating the value of the acquisition, includes services (except transportation services) incidental to the article, provided that the value of those incidental services does not exceed that of the article itself.
“Civil aircraft and related articles” means—
(1) All aircraft other than aircraft to be purchased for use by the Department of Defense or the U.S. Coast Guard;
(2) The engines (and parts and components for incorporation into the engines) of these aircraft;
(3) Any other parts, components, and subassemblies for incorporation into the aircraft; and
(4) Any ground flight simulators, and parts and components of these simulators, for use with respect to the aircraft, whether to be used as original or replacement equipment in the manufacture, repair, maintenance, rebuilding, modification, or conversion of the aircraft and without regard to whether the aircraft or articles receive duty-free treatment under section 601(a)(2) of the Trade Agreements Act.
“Component” means an article, material, or supply incorporated directly into an end product or construction material.
“Construction material” means an article, material, or supply brought to the construction site by a contractor or subcontractor for incorporation into the building or work. The term also includes an item brought to the site preassembled from articles, materials, or supplies. However, emergency life safety systems, such as emergency lighting, fire alarm, and audio evacuation systems, that are discrete systems incorporated into a public building or work and that are produced as complete systems, are evaluated as a single and distinct construction material regardless of when or how the individual parts or components of those systems are delivered to the construction site. Materials purchased directly by the Government are supplies, not construction material.
“Cost of components” means—
(1) For components purchased by the contractor, the acquisition cost, including transportation costs to the place of incorporation into the end product or construction material (whether or not such costs are paid to a domestic firm), and any applicable duty (whether or not a duty-free entry certificate is issued); or
(2) For components manufactured by the contractor, all costs associated with the manufacture of the component, including transportation costs as described in paragraph (1) of this definition, plus allocable overhead costs, but excluding profit. Cost of components does not include any costs associated with the manufacture of the end product.
“Designated country” means any of the following countries:
(1) A World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement country (Armenia, Aruba, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea (Republic of), Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan (known in the World Trade Organization as “the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu” (Chinese Taipei)) or United Kingdom);
(2) A Free Trade Agreement country (Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Korea (Republic of), Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, or Singapore);
(3) A least developed country (Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Tanzania, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Yemen, or Zambia); or
(4) A Caribbean Basin country (Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saba, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, or Trinidad and Tobago).
“Designated country end product” means a WTO GPA country end product, an FTA country end product, a least developed country end product, or a Caribbean Basin country end product.
“Domestic construction material” means—
(1)(i) An unmanufactured construction material mined or produced in the United States;
(ii) A construction material manufactured in the United States, if—
(A) The cost of the components mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States exceeds 50 percent of the cost of all its components. Components of foreign origin of the same class or kind for which nonavailability determinations have been made are treated as domestic; or
(B) The construction material is a COTS item;
(2) Except that for use in subpart 25.6, see the definition in 25.601.
“Domestic end product” means—
(1) An unmanufactured end product mined or produced in the United States;
(2) An end product manufactured in the United States, if—
(i) The cost of its components mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States exceeds 50 percent of the cost of all its components. Components of foreign origin of the same class or kind as those that the agency determines are not mined, produced, or manufactured in sufficient and reasonably available commercial quantities of a satisfactory quality are treated as domestic. Scrap generated, collected, and prepared for processing in the United States is considered domestic; or
(ii) The end product is a COTS item.
“Domestic offer” means an offer of a domestic end product. When the solicitation specifies that award will be made on a group of line items, a domestic offer means an offer where the proposed price of the domestic end products exceeds 50 percent of the total proposed price of the group.
“Eligible offer” means an offer of an eligible product. When the solicitation specifies that award will be made on a group of line items, an eligible offer means a foreign offer where the combined proposed price of the eligible products and the domestic end products exceeds 50 percent of the total proposed price of the group.
“Eligible product” means a foreign end product, construction material, or service that, due to applicability of a trade agreement to a particular acquisition, is not subject to discriminatory treatment.
“End product” means those articles, materials, and supplies to be acquired for public use.
“Foreign construction material” means a construction material other than a domestic construction material.
“Foreign contractor” means a contractor or subcontractor organized or existing under the laws of a country other than the United States.
“Foreign end product” means an end product other than a domestic end product.
“Foreign offer” means any offer other than a domestic offer.
“Free Trade Agreement country” means Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Korea (Republic of), Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, or Singapore.
“Free Trade Agreement country end product” means an article that—
(1) Is wholly the growth, product, or manufacture of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) country; or
(2) In the case of an article that consists in whole or in part of materials from another country, has been substantially transformed in an FTA country into a new and different article of commerce with a name, character, or use distinct from that of the article or articles from which it was transformed. The term refers to a product offered for purchase under a supply contract, but for purposes of calculating the value of the end product, includes services (except transportation services) incidental to the article, provided that the value of those incidental services does not exceed that of the article itself.
“Israeli end product” means an article that—
(1) Is wholly the growth, product, or manufacture of Israel; or
(2) In the case of an article that consists in whole or in part of materials from another country, has been substantially transformed in Israel into a new and different article of commerce with a name, character, or use distinct from that of the article or articles from which it was transformed.
“Least developed country” means any of the following countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Tanzania, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Yemen, or Zambia.
“Least developed country end product” means an article that—
(1) Is wholly the growth, product, or manufacture of a least developed country; or
(2) In the case of an article that consists in whole or in part of materials from another country, has been substantially transformed in a least developed country into a new and different article of commerce with a name, character, or use distinct from that of the article or articles from which it was transformed. The term refers to a product offered for purchase under a supply contract, but for purposes of calculating the value of the end product, includes services (except transportation services) incidental to the article, provided that the value of those incidental services does not exceed that of the article itself.
“Noneligible offer” means an offer of a noneligible product.
“Noneligible product” means a foreign end product that is not an eligible product.
“United States” means the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and outlying areas.
“U.S.-made end product” means an article that is mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States or that is substantially transformed in the United States into a new and different article of commerce with a name, character, or use distinct from that of the article or articles from which it was transformed.
“World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement (WTO GPA) country” means any of the following countries: Armenia, Aruba, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea (Republic of), Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, or United Kingdom.
“WTO GPA country end product” means an article that—
(1) Is wholly the growth, product, or manufacture of a WTO GPA country; or
(2) In the case of an article that consists in whole or in part of materials from another country, has been substantially transformed in a WTO GPA country into a new and different article of commerce with a name, character, or use distinct from that of the article or articles from which it was transformed. The term refers to a product offered for purchase under a supply contract, but for purposes of calculating the value of the end product includes services (except transportation services) incidental to the article, provided that the value of those incidental services does not exceed that of the article itself.
(a) In accordance with the requirements of 41 U.S.C. 10a, the head of each Federal agency must submit a report to Congress on the amount of the acquisitions made by the agency from entities that manufacture end products outside the United States in that fiscal year.
(b) This report will be partially based on information collected from offerors using solicitation provision 52.225-18, Place of Manufacture (and its commercial item equivalent in 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial items). For purposes of this report, the criteria established in the law is only whether the place of manufacture of an end product is in the United States or outside the United States, without regard to the origin of the components (see 25.001(c)).
(a) This subpart implements—
(1) The Buy American Act (41 U.S.C. 10a - 10d);
(2) Executive Order 10582, December 17, 1954; and
(3) Waiver of the component test of the Buy American Act for acquisitions of commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) items in accordance with 41 U.S.C 431.
(b) It applies to supplies acquired for use in the United States, including supplies acquired under contracts set aside for small business concerns, if—
(1) The supply contract exceeds the micro-purchase threshold; or
(2) The supply portion of a contract for services that involves the furnishing of supplies (e.g., lease) exceeds the micro-purchase threshold.
(a) The Buy American Act restricts the purchase of supplies that are not domestic end products. For manufactured
end products, the Buy American Act uses a two-part test to define a domestic end product.
(1) The article must be manufactured in the United States; and
(2) The cost of domestic components must exceed 50 percent of the cost of all the components. In accordance with 41 U.S.C. 431, this component test of the Buy American Act has been waived for acquisitions of COTS items (see 12.505(a)).
(b) The Buy American Act applies to small business set-asides. A manufactured product of a small business concern is a U.S.-made end product, but is not a domestic end product unless it meets the component test in paragraph (a)(2) of this section.
(c) Exceptions that allow the purchase of a foreign end product are listed at 25.103. The unreasonable cost exception is implemented through the use of an evaluation factor applied to low foreign offers that are not eligible offers. The evaluation factor is not used to provide a preference for one foreign offer over another. Evaluation procedures and examples are provided in Subpart 25.5.
Except as provided in 25.103, acquire only domestic end products for public use inside the United States.
When one of the following exceptions applies, the contracting officer may acquire a foreign end product without regard to the restrictions of the Buy American Act:
(a) Public interest. The head of the agency may make a determination that domestic preference would be inconsistent with the public interest. This exception applies when an agency has an agreement with a foreign government that provides a blanket exception to the Buy American Act.
(b) Nonavailability. The Buy American Act does not apply with respect to articles, materials, or supplies if articles, materials, or supplies of the class or kind to be acquired, either as end items or components, are not mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available commercial quantities and of a satisfactory quality.
(1) Class determinations.
(i) A nonavailability determination has been made for the articles listed in 25.104. This determination does not necessarily mean that there is no domestic source for the listed items, but that domestic sources can only meet 50 percent or less of total U.S. Government and nongovernment demand.
(ii) Before acquisition of an article on the list, the procuring agency is responsible to conduct market research appropriate to the circumstances, including seeking of domestic sources. This applies to acquisition of an article as—
(A) An end product; or
(B) A significant component (valued at more than 50 percent of the value of all the components).
(iii) The determination in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section does not apply if the contracting officer learns at any time before the time designated for receipt of bids in sealed bidding or final offers in negotiation that an article on the list is available domestically in sufficient and reasonably available commercial quantities of a satisfactory quality to meet the requirements of the solicitation. The contracting officer must—
(A) Ensure that the appropriate Buy American Act provision and clause are included in the solicitation (see 22.1101(a), 22.1101(b), or 25.1102);
(B) Specify in the solicitation that the article is available domestically and that offerors and contractors may not treat foreign components of the same class or kind as domestic components; and
(C) Submit a copy of supporting documentation to the appropriate council identified in 1.201-1, in accordance with agency procedures, for possible removal of the article from the list.
(2) Individual determinations.
(i) The head of the contracting activity may make a determination that an article, material, or supply is not mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available commercial quantities of a satisfactory quality.
(ii) If the contracting officer considers that the nonavailability of an article is likely to affect future acquisitions, the contracting officer may submit a copy of the determination and supporting documentation to the appropriate council identified in 1.201-1, in accordance with agency procedures, for possible addition to the list in 25.104.
(3) A written determination is not required if all of the following conditions are present:
(i) The acquisition was conducted through use of full and open competition.
(ii) The acquisition was synopsized in accordance with 5.201.
(iii) No offer for a domestic end product was received.
(c) Unreasonable cost. The contracting officer may determine that the cost of a domestic end product would be unreasonable, in accordance with 25.105 and Subpart 25.5.
(d) Resale. The contracting officer may purchase foreign end products specifically for commissary resale.
(e) Information technology that is a commercial item. The restriction on purchasing foreign end products does not apply to the acquisition of information technology that is a commercial item, when using fiscal year 2004 or subsequent fiscal year funds (Section 535(a) of Division F, Title V, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004, and similar sections in subsequent appropriations acts).
(a) The following articles have been determined to be nonavailable in accordance with 25.103(b)(1)(i):
Acetylene, black.
Agar, bulk.
Anise.
Antimony, as metal or oxide.
Asbestos, amosite, chrysotile, and crocidolite.
Bamboo shoots.
Bananas.
Bauxite.
Beef, corned, canned.
Beef extract.
Bephenium hydroxynapthoate.
Bismuth.
Books, trade, text, technical, or scientific; newspapers; pamphlets; magazines; periodicals; printed briefs and films; not printed in the United States and for which domestic editions are not available.
Brazil nuts, unroasted
Cadmium, ores and flue dust.
Calcium cyanamide.
Capers.
Cashew nuts.
Castor beans and castor oil.
Chalk, English.
Chestnuts.
Chicle.
Chrome ore or chromite.
Cinchona bark.
Cobalt, in cathodes, rondelles, or other primary ore and metal forms.
Cocoa beans.
Coconut and coconut meat, unsweetened, in shredded, desiccated, or similarly prepared form.
Coffee, raw or green bean.
Colchicine alkaloid, raw.
Copra.
Cork, wood or bark and waste.
Cover glass, microscope slide.
Crane rail (85-pound per foot).
Cryolite, natural.
Dammar gum.
Diamonds, industrial, stones and abrasives.
Emetine, bulk.
Ergot, crude.
Erythrityl tetranitrate.
Fair linen, altar.
Fibers of the following types: abaca, abace, agave, coir, flax, jute, jute burlaps, palmyra, and sisal.
Goat and kidskins.
Goat hair canvas.
Grapefruit sections, canned.
Graphite, natural, crystalline, crucible grade.
Hand file sets (Swiss pattern).
Handsewing needles.
Hemp yarn.
Hog bristles for brushes.
Hyoscine, bulk.
Ipecac, root.
Iodine, crude.
Kaurigum.
Lac.
Leather, sheepskin, hair type.
Lavender oil.
Manganese.
Menthol, natural bulk.
Mica.
Microprocessor chips (brought onto a Government construction site as separate units for incorporation into building systems during construction or repair and alteration of real property).
Modacrylic fiber.
Nickel, primary, in ingots, pigs, shots, cathodes, or similar forms; nickel oxide and nickel salts.
Nitroguanidine (also known as picrite).
Nux vomica, crude.
Oiticica oil.
Olive oil.
Olives (green), pitted or unpitted, or stuffed, in bulk.
Opium, crude.
Oranges, mandarin, canned.
Petroleum, crude oil, unfinished oils, and finished products.
Pine needle oil.
Pineapple, canned.
Platinum and related group metals, refined, as sponge, powder, ingots, or cast bars.
Pyrethrum flowers.
Quartz crystals.
Quebracho.
Quinidine.
Quinine.
Rabbit fur felt.
Radium salts, source and special nuclear materials.
Rosettes.
Rubber, crude and latex.
Rutile.
Santonin, crude.
Secretin.
Shellac.
Silk, raw and unmanufactured.
Spare and replacement parts for equipment of foreign manufacture, and for which domestic parts are not available.
Spices and herbs, in bulk.
Sugars, raw.
Swords and scabbards.
Talc, block, steatite.
Tantalum.
Tapioca flour and cassava.
Tartar, crude; tartaric acid and cream of tartar in bulk.
Tea in bulk.
Thread, metallic (gold).
Thyme oil.
Tin in bars, blocks, and pigs.
Triprolidine hydrochloride.
Tungsten.
Vanilla beans.
Venom, cobra.
Water chestnuts.
Wax, carnauba.
Wire glass.
Woods; logs, veneer, and lumber of the following species: Alaskan yellow cedar, angelique, balsa, ekki, greenheart, lignum vitae, mahogany, and teak.
Yarn, 50 Denier rayon.
Yeast, active dry and instant active dry.
(b) This list will be published in the Federal Register for public comment no less frequently than once every five years. Unsolicited recommendations for deletions from this list may be submitted at any time and should provide sufficient data and rationale to permit evaluation (see 1.502).
(a) The contracting officer—
(1) Must use the evaluation factors in paragraph (b) of this section unless the head of the agency makes a written determination that the use of higher factors is more appropriate. If the determination applies to all agency acquisitions, the agency evaluation factors must be published in agency regulations; and
(2) Must not apply evaluation factors to offers of eligible products if the acquisition is subject to a trade agreement under Subpart 25.4.
(b) If there is a domestic offer that is not the low offer, and the restrictions of the Buy American Act apply to the low offer, the contracting officer must determine the reasonableness of the cost of the domestic offer by adding to the price of the low offer, inclusive of duty—
(1) 6 percent, if the lowest domestic offer is from a large business concern; or
(2) 12 percent, if the lowest domestic offer is from a small business concern. The contracting officer must use this factor, or another factor established in agency regulations, in small business set-asides if the low offer is from a small business concern offering the product of a small business concern that is not a domestic end product (see Subpart 19.5).
(c) The price of the domestic offer is reasonable if it does not exceed the evaluated price of the low offer after addition of the appropriate evaluation factor in accordance with paragraph (a) or (b) of this section. (See evaluation procedures at Subpart 25.5.)
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