[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 15, Volume 1]
[Revised as of January 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 15CFR21.12]

[Page 202]
 
                  TITLE 15--COMMERCE AND FOREIGN TRADE
 
PART 21--ADMINISTRATIVE OFFSET--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 21.12  Coordinating administrative offset within the Department and with other Federal agencies.

    Departmental units will cooperate with other Federal departments and 
agencies in effecting collection by administrative offset. Whenever 
possible, Departmental units should comply with requests from within the 
Department and from other Federal agencies to initiate administrative 
offset procedures to collect debts owed the United States, unless the 
requesting office or agency has not complied with the Federal Claims 
Collections Standards, or the agency's implementing regulations, or the 
request would otherwise be contrary to law or the best interests of the 
United States.
    (a) When the Department is owed the debt. When the Department is 
owed a debt, but another Federal agency is responsible for making the 
payment to the debtor against which administrative offset is sought, the 
other agency will not initiate the requested administrative offset until 
the Department provides responsible officials at that agency with a 
written certification that the debtor owes the Department a debt 
(including the amount and basis for the debt and the due date of the 
payment) and that the Department has complied with the applicable 
provisions of Part 102, ``Standards for the Administrative Collection of 
Claims,'' of the Federal Claims Collection Standards, as well as the 
Department's implementing regulations on administrative offsets.
    (b) When another agency is owed the debt. The Department may 
administratively offset money it owes to a person who is indebted to 
another agency if requested to do so by that agency. Such a request must 
be accompanied by a certification by the requesting agency that the 
person owes the debt (including the amount and basis for the debt) and 
that the creditor agency has complied with the applicable Federal Claims 
Collection Standards, as well as the agency implementing regulations on 
administrative offsets. The request from another Federal agency for 
Department cooperation in the offset should be sent to:

Director, Office of Finance and Federal Assistance, Room 6827, Herbert 
C. Hoover Building, Washington, DC 20230