Abacus Contract Management Definitions"Identical bids" means bids for the same line item that are determined to be identical as to unit price or total line item amount, with or without the application of evaluation factors (e.g., discount or transportation cost). "Idle capacity" means the unused capacity of partially used facilities. It is the difference between that which a facility could achieve under 100 percent operating time on a one-shift basis, less operating interruptions resulting from time lost for repairs, setups, unsatisfactory materials, and other normal delays, and the extent to which the facility was actually used to meet demands during the accounting period. A multiple-shift basis may be used in the calculation instead of a one-shift basis if it can be shown that this amount of usage could normally be expected for the type of facility involved. "Idle facilities" means completely unused facilities that are excess to the contractor's current needs. "IEEE," or the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., is a non-profit, technical professional association. "ILC." See "Irrevocable letter of credit." "Illegal drugs," as used in this clause, means controlled substances included in Schedules I and II, as defined by section 802(6) of Title 21 of the United States Code, the possession of which is unlawful under Chapter 13 of that Title. The term "illegal drugs" does not mean the use of a controlled substance pursuant to a valid prescription or other uses authorized by law. "Immediate-gain actuarial cost method" means any of the several actuarial cost methods under which actuarial gains and losses are included as part of the unfunded actuarial liability of the pension plan, rather than as part of the normal cost of the plan. "Immigration and Naturalization Act." Executive Order 12989, 13 Feb 1996 provides for "Economy and efficiency in Government procurement through compliance with certain Immigration and Naturalization Actprovisions, " generally prohibiting contracting agencies from contracting with employers that have not complied with the Immigration and Nationality Act provisions prohibiting the unlawful employment of aliens. "Imprest fund" means a cash fund of a fixed amount established by an advance of funds, without charge to an appropriation, from an agency finance or disbursing officer to a duly appointed cashier, for disbursement as needed from time to time in making payment in cash for relatively small amounts. "Improper influence" means any influence that induces or tends to induce a Government employee or officer to give consideration or to act regarding a Government contract on any basis other than the merits of the matter. "In excess of $10,000,000" means-- "in rem" means [in or against a thing] to one's advantage; (legal) against a particular thing as distinguished from a particular person. "In the open" means located wholly outside of buildings on the Contractor's premises or other places described in the Schedule as being "in the open." Government furnished aircraft shall be considered to be located "in the open" at all times while in the Contractor's possession, care, custody, or control. "In writing," "writing," or "written" means any worded or numbered expression that can be read, reproduced, and later communicated, and includes electronically transmitted and stored information. "Incentive contracts" as described in this subpart are appropriate when a firm-fixed-price contract is not appropriate and the required supplies or services can be acquired at lower costs and, in certain instances, with improved delivery or technical performance, by relating the amount of profit or fee payable under the contract to the contractor's performance. Incentive contracts are designed to obtain specific acquisition objectives by-- "Incidentals" may include telephone calls, telegrams, and postage incurred by the advertising agency on behalf of the Government. "Indefinite-quantity contract" provides for an indefinite quantity, within stated limits, of supplies or services during a fixed period. The Government places orders for individual requirements. Quantity limits may be stated as number of units or as dollar values. "Indefinite term contract" means a month-to-month contract for utility services which may be terminated by the Government upon proper notice. "Independent regulatory body" means the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, a state-wide agency, or an agency with less than state-wide jurisdiction when operating pursuant to state authority. The body has the power to fix, establish, or control the rates and services of utility suppliers. "Independent research and development (IR&D)" means a contractor's IR&D cost that consists of projects falling within the four following areas: "Independent research and development (IR&D) cost" means the cost of effort which is neither sponsored by a grant, nor required in performing a contract, and which falls within any of the following four areas-- "Indian" means any person who is a member of any Indian tribe, band, group, pueblo, or community that is recognized by the Federal Government as eligible for services from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in accordance with 25 U.S.C. 1452(c) and any "Native" as defined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601). "Indian organization" means the governing body of any Indian tribe or entity established or recognized by the governing body of an Indian tribe for the purposes of 25 U.S.C., chapter 17. "Indian-owned economic enterprise" means any Indian-owned (as determined by the Secretary of the Interior) commercial, industrial, or business activity established or organized for the purpose of profit, provided that Indian ownership constitutes not less than 51 percent of the enterprise. "Indian tribe" means any Indian tribe, band, pueblo, or community, including native villages and native groups (including corporations organized by Kenai, Juneau, Sitka, and Kodiak) as defined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, that is recognized by the Federal Government as eligible for services from BIA in accordance with 25 U.S.C. 1452(c). "Indian tribe" and "tribal organization," as used
in this section, have the meaning provided in section 4 of the Indian
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C.
450B) and include Alaskan Natives. "Indictment" means indictment for a criminal offense. An information or other filing by competent authority charging a criminal offense is given the same effect as an indictment. "Indirect cost" means any cost not directly identified with a single, final cost objective, but identified with two or more final cost objectives or an intermediate cost objective. "Indirect cost pools" means (except for Subparts 31.3 and 31.6) groupings of incurred costs identified with two or more cost objectives but not identified specifically with any final cost objective. "Indirect cost rate" means the percentage or dollar factor that expresses the ratio of indirect expense incurred in a given period to direct labor cost, manufacturing cost, or another appropriate base for the same period (see also "final indirect cost rate"). "Individual" means an offeror/contractor that has no more than one employee including the offeror/contractor. "Individual" means a citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence. "Individual contract plan" means a subcontracting plan that covers the entire contract period (including option periods), applies to a specific contract, and has goals that are based on the offeror's planned subcontracting in support of the specific contract, except that indirect costs incurred for common or joint purposes may be allocated on a prorated basis to the contract. "Individual item record," as used in this subpart, means a separate card, form, document or specific line(s) of computer data used to account for one item of property. "Industrial base" means that part of the total privately-owned and Government-owned industrial production and maintenance capacity of the United States and Canada, which will be available during national emergencies to manufacture and repair items required by the departments. "Industrial plant equipment (IPE)" means plant equipment in Federal stock group 34(sic) with an acquisition cost of $15,000 or more used for cutting, abrading, grinding, shaping, forming, joining, heating, treating, or otherwise altering the physical properties of materials, components or end items entailed in manufacturing, maintenance, supply, processing, assembly, or research and development operations. IPE is further identified in AR 700-43/NAVSUP PUB 5009/AFM 78-9/DLAM 4215.1, Management of Defense-Owned Industrial Plant Equipment. "Industrial preparedness production planning" means planning designed to maintain an adequate industrial base to support DoD requirements for selected essential military items in a national emergency. "Industry" means all concerns primarily engaged in similar lines of activity, as listed and described in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) manual (available via the Internet at http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html). "Ineligible" means excluded from Government contracting (and subcontracting, if appropriate) pursuant to statutory, Executive order, or regulatory authority other than this regulation (48 CFR Chapter 1) and its implementing and supplementing regulations; for example, pursuant to the Davis-Bacon Act and its related statutes and implementing regulations, the Service Contract Act, the Equal Employment Opportunity Acts and Executive orders, the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act, the Buy American Act, or the Environmental Protection Acts and Executive orders. "Influencing or attempting to influence," as used in this section, means making, with the intent to influence, any communication to or appearance before an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with any covered Federal action. "Information other than cost or pricing data" means any type of information that is not required to be certified in accordance with 15.406-2 and is necessary to determine price reasonableness or cost realism. For example, such information may include pricing, sales, or cost information, and includes cost or pricing data for which certification is determined inapplicable after submission. "Information technology" means any equipment, or interconnected system(s) or subsystem(s) of equipment, that is used in the automatic acquisition, storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or information by the agency. "Inherently governmental function" means, as a matter of policy, a function that is so intimately related to the public interest as to mandate performance by Government employees. This definition is a policy determination, not a legal determination. An inherently governmental function includes activities that require either the exercise of discretion in applying Government authority, or the making of value judgments in making decisions for the Government. Governmental functions normally fall into two categories: the act of governing, i.e., the discretionary exercise of Government authority, and monetary transactions and entitlements. "Inspection" means examining and testing supplies or services (including, when appropriate, raw materials, components, and intermediate assemblies) to determine whether they conform to contract requirements. "Inspector General" means an Inspector General appointed under the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended. In the Department of Defense that is the DOD Inspector General. In the case of an executive agency that does not have an Inspector General, the duties shall be performed by an official designated by the head of the executive agency. "Installment payment financing" [for commercial items] is payment by the Government to a contractor of a fixed number of equal interim financing payments prior to delivery and acceptance of a contract item. The installment payment arrangement is designed to reduce administrative costs. However, if a contract will have a large number of deliveries, the administrative costs may increase to the point where installment payments are not in the best interests of the Government. "Instant contract" means the contract under which the VECP is submitted. It does not include increases in quantities after acceptance of the VECP that are due to contract modifications, exercise of options, or additional orders. If the contract is a multiyear contract, the term does not include quantities funded after VECP acceptance. In a fixed-price contract with prospective price redetermination, the term refers to the period for which firm prices have been established. "Instant contract savings." See "Acquisition Savings." "Instant unit cost reduction" means the amount of the decrease in unit cost of performance (without deducting any contractor's development or implementation costs) resulting from using the VECP on the instant contract. In service contracts, the instant unit cost reduction is normally equal to the number of hours per line-item task saved by using the VECP on the instant contract, multiplied by the appropriate contract labor rate. "Institution of higher education," as used in this clause, means an institution that meets the requirements of 20 U.S.C. 1001 and includes all subelements of such an institution. "Institution of higher learning" means any public or private post-secondary school, junior college, college, university, or other degree granting educational institution that- "Insurance" means a contract that provides that for a stipulated consideration, one party undertakes to indemnify another against loss, damage, or liability arising from an unknown or contingent event. "Insurance administration expenses" means the contractor's costs of administering an insurance program; e.g., the costs of operating an insurance or risk-management department, processing claims, actuarial fees, and service fees paid to insurance companies, trustees, or technical consultants. "Intangible capital asset" is an asset that has no physical substance, has more than minimal value, and is expected to be held by an enterprise for continued use or possession beyond the current accounting period for the benefit it yields. "Intangible capital asset" means an asset that has no physical substance, has more than minimal value, and is expected to be held by an enterprise for continued use or possession beyond the current accounting period for the benefits it yields. "Integrated logistics managers" or "third-party logistics providers" means providers of multiple logistics services. Some examples of logistics services are the management of transportation, demand forecasting, information management, inventory maintenance, warehousing, and distribution. "Integrated materiel management" means assignment of acquisition management responsibility to one department, agency, or the General Service Administration for all of DoD's requirements for the assigned item. Acquisition management normally includes computing requirements, funding, budgeting, storing, issuing, cataloging, standardizing, and contracting functions. "Intellectual Property." See Intellectual Property: Navigating through Commercial Waters, USD (AT&L), Oct 15, 2001. "Interagency Committee on Debarment and Suspension" is comprised of debarring officials from agencies governmentwide. The Interagency Committee has coordinative and advisory roles with regard to unified federal policy about administrative sanctions. "Interagency acquisition," as used in this subpart, means a procedure by which an agency needing supplies or services (the requesting agency) obtains them from another agency (the servicing agency). "Interested party" means a prime contractor or an actual or prospective offeror whose direct economic interest would be affected by the award of a subcontract or by the failure to award a subcontract. "Interested party'' means a contractor or an actual or prospective offeror whose direct economic interest would be affected by the award of a subcontract or by the failure to award a subcontract. "Interested party for the purpose of filing a protest" means an actual or prospective offeror whose direct economic interest would be affected by the award of a contract or by the failure to award a contract. "Internal controls" means those policies and procedures established by contractor management to provide reasonable assurance that applicable laws and regulations are complied with and that actual and estimated costs are equitably allocated within the accounting system. "International air transportation" means transportation by air between a place in the United States and a place outside the United States or between two places both of which are outside the United States. "Intervention" means action by GSA or a delegated agency to formally participate in a utility regulatory proceeding on behalf of all Federal executive agencies. "Invention" means any invention or discovery that is or may be patentable or otherwise protectable under title 35 of the U.S. Code or any novel variety of plant that is or may be protectable under the Plant Variety Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 2321, et seq.). "Investment" means arising from the offset agreement, taking the form of capital invested to establish or expand a subsidiary or joint venture in the foreign country. "Invoice" as used in this subpart, includes vouchers and means a contractor request for payment including partial payments and final payments under fixed price contracts; or interim and final payments on cost type contracts. The term does not include requests for progress payments. "Invoice" means a contractor's bill or written request for payment under the contract for supplies delivered or services performed (see also "proper invoice"). "Invoice payment" means a Government disbursement of monies to a contractor under a contract or other authorization for supplies or services accepted by the Government. "IP." See Intellectual Property: Navigating through Commercial Waters, USD (AT&L), Oct 15, 2001. "IPE." See "Industrial plant equipment." "Irrevocable letter of credit" means a written commitment by a federally insured financial institution to pay all or part of a stated amount of money, until the expiration date of the letter, upon the Government's (the beneficiary) presentation of a written demand for payment. Neither the financial institution nor the offeror/contractor can revoke or condition the letter of credit. "ISO" is the International Organization for Standardization. See USD (AT&L) memo of March 19, 2001, ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management Systems - Requirements, Transition (PDF). "Israeli end product" means an article that-- "Issue in controversy" means a material disagreement between the Government and the contractor that-- "Issue in Controversy" is any issue where there is disagreement between the DON and a person(s) outside the department or between two or more persons within the department. "Item" includes components or processes. "Item of supply," as used in this subpart, means any individual part, component, subassembly, assembly, or subsystem integral to a major system, and other property which may be replaced during the service life of the system. The term includes spare parts and replenishment parts, but does not include packaging or labeling associated with shipment or identification of an "item." Need a definition? Clarification? Suggest a new term or definition? |