[Code of Federal Regulations] [Title 48, Volume 5] [Revised as of October 1, 2006] From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access [CITE: 48CFR811.202] [Page 168-169] TITLE 48--FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM CHAPTER 8--DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PART 811_DESCRIBING AGENCY NEEDS--Table of Contents Subpart 811.2_Using and Maintaining Requirements Documents Sec. 811.202 Maintenance of standardization documents. (a) Military and departmental specifications. Contracting officers may, when they deem it to be advantageous to the Department of Veterans Affairs, utilize these specifications when procuring supplies and equipment costing less than the simplified acquisition threshold. However, when purchasing items of perishable subsistence, contracting officers shall observe only those exemptions set forth in paragraphs (b)(2) and (b)(3) of this section. (b) Nutrition and Food Service specifications. (1) The Department of Veterans Affairs 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 Department of Veterans Affairs use, are contained in Part IV of the Federal Supply Catalog, Stock List, FSC Group 89, Subsistence, Publication No. C8900-SL. A copy of Part IV of this catalog and the IMPS may be obtained from any Department of Veterans Affairs contracting officer. (2) The military specifications for meat and meat products contained in Part IV of the Federal Supply Catalog, Stock List, FSC Group 89, Subsistence, shall be used by the Department of Veterans Affairs 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. [[Page 169]] (3) Except as authorized in part 846 of this chapter, contracting officers shall 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 of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Materiel Management. (4) Items of meat, cured pork and poultry not listed in either Part IV of the Federal Supply Catalog, Stock List, FSC Group 89, Subsistence, or the IMPS, will not be purchased without prior approval of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Materiel Management. (c) Department of Veterans Affairs specifications. (1) The Director, Publications Service, is responsible for developing, publishing, and distributing Department of Veterans Affairs specifications covering printing and binding. (2) Department of Veterans Affairs specifications, as they are revised, are placed in stock in the VA Forms and Publications Depot. Facility requirements for these specifications will be requisitioned 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, will require that such paper stocks be in accordance with the Government Paper Specification Standards issued by the Joint Committee on Printing of Congress. (2) All binding or rebinding of books, magazines, pamphlets, newspapers, slip cases and boxes will be procured in accordance with Government Printing Office (GPO) specifications and will 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 will be procured to satisfy the requirements, based upon the intended use of the bound material.