Military Aircraft Parts ( 2017 )


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  •                ARMED SERVICES BOARD OF CONTRACT APPEALS
    Appeal of --                                   )
    )
    Military Aircraft Parts                        )      
    ASBCA No. 60904
    )
    Under Contract No. SPE4A7-13-M-4596            )
    APPEARANCE FOR THE APPELLANT:                         Mr. Robert E. Marin
    President
    APPEARANCES FOR THE GOVERNMENT:                       Daniel K. Poling, Esq.
    DLA Chief Trial Attorney
    Edward R. Murray, Esq.
    Trial Attorney
    DLA Aviation
    Richmond, VA
    OPINION BY ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE PEACOCK
    This timely appeal involves the withdrawal of a purchase order (PO) to acquire
    eight air duct assemblies for installation in the fuselage of the KC-13 5 aircraft. Military
    Aircraft Parts (MAP or appellant) alleges that, although the due date for delivery of the
    supplies had passed, the offer to purchase was revived and thereafter appellant tendered
    four of the assemblies that substantially complied with the terms of the purchase order.
    Appellant elected to have the appeal processed pursuant to the expedited procedures of
    Board Rule 12.2.* A hearing was conducted on 2-3 March 2017 and briefing was
    completed on 21 March 2017. For the following reasons, the appeal is denied.
    FINDINGS OF FACT
    1. On 15 November 2012, the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation (DLA)
    issued Request for Quotations No. SPE4A7-13-T-2198 for eight air duct assemblies,
    National Stock Number (NSN) 1660-01-590-7060 (R4, tab 3 at 1-2, 4, 12).
    2. The duct assembly is a component of the air conditioning ductwork for the
    KC-135, which provides warm and cool air to the aircraft. The ductwork is located in
    the fuselage of the KC-13 5 and is in a '"crowded area" surrounded by other systems,
    such as hydraulic lines, watering bundles, and webbing. If this particular duct assembly
    *The Contract Disputes Act, as implemented by the Board's Rules provides that a
    decision under Rule 12.2 shall have no value as precedent, and in the absence of
    fraud, shall be final and conclusive and may not be appealed or set aside.
    failed, it would at the very least begin vibrating and break some of the brackets, causing
    the ductwork to move. If it came loose, it could begin breaking other brackets and
    potentially impact other equipment, such as a hydraulic line. (Tr. 1/183-86)
    3. For these reasons, the duct assembly is designated as a "CRITICAL
    APPLICATION ITEM" (R4, tab 1at6, tab 3 at 6). FAR 46.203(c) identifies a
    "critical application item as one in which the failure of the item could injure personnel
    or jeopardize a vital agency mission."
    4. The duct assembly includes three components at issue in this litigation. The
    first component is a lock bolt (Part No. BACB30DX) (R4, tab 34). Three of these lock
    bolts are used to fasten a metal assembly onto one end of the part, where it clamps to the
    next piece of ductwork (tr. 11196-200). This stiffens the ductwork and allows the
    attachment of two rods, which prevents the part from vibrating or moving (tr. 1/197). If
    one of the bolts failed, the part would start to come loose and likely cause the other bolts
    to fail, causing "that area to start coming apart" (tr. 11198). The BACB30DX is an
    improvement over its predecessor, Part No. BACB30AL. The BACB30DX
    specification requires the use of 8740 alloy steel, per MIL-S-6049 or AMS 6322, while
    also allowing for optional materials. (R4, tabs 10, 34 at 5; tr. 11215-19) The
    BACB30AL uses different materials (R4, tab 33 at 2; tr. 11215-19). The BACB30DX
    also provides a higher level of cadmium plating than the BACB30AL. The cadmium
    plating provides "more protection for corrosions, less likely to corrode, longer life in the
    part." (R4, tabs 33-34, 36; tr. 11219-21, 251)
    5. The second component at issue is a flange, Part No. BACF22N400 (R4,
    tab 35). The flange connects the smaller end of the duct assembly to another duct.
    The two parts are held together by a clamp. If the flange were to fail, the duct
    assembly would come loose from the neighboring duct, creating a loss of rigidity and
    leading to vibration. (Tr. 11229-31)
    6. The third component at issue is the NASM20615 rivet (R4, tabs 36-37). The
    rivets are used in various areas throughout the duct assembly (R4, tab 41; ex. A-22
    at 431-32).
    7. The solicitation described the duct assembly technical data package, which was
    available to all potential offerors (R4, tab 3 at 4-12). The technical data package
    identified specific exceptions to the drawings. Of particular importance in this case is
    Exception 11, which pertained. to the lock bolts and stated "USE BACB30DX IN LIEU
    OF BACB30AL. LOCK BOLT DASH NUMBERS REMAIN UNCHANGED."
    (R4, tab 3 at 4) The technical data package in the solicitation also referenced the Boeing
    lock bolt specification for BACB30DX (Revision V, dated 15 June 2007) and the
    specification was made available to offerors (R4, tab 3 at 9, tab 35). The technical data
    package did not include the BACB30AL specification.
    2
    8. The solicitation was a simplified acquisition and incorporated the terms and
    conditions set forth in DLA's Master Solicitation for EProcurement Automated
    Simplified Acquisitions Revision 8 (November 2012) (R4, tab 3 at 1, tab 40; tr. 1/97-98).
    The terms and conditions included several clauses relevant to the instant dispute.
    9. The Master Solicitation included FAR 52.211-5, MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS
    (AUG 2000) (R4, tab 40 at 6). Section (b) of the Material Requirements clause
    required that "the Contractor shall provide supplies that are new, reconditioned, or
    remanufactured, as defined in this clause" (R4, tab 27). Sections ( d) and (e) stated
    that, if the contractor intended to provide "used, reconditioned, or remanufactured
    supplies," it must submit "a detailed description of such supplies" to the contracting
    officer and that such supplies "may be used in contract performance ifthe Contractor
    has proposed the use of such supplies, and the Contracting Officer has authorized their
    use" (R4, tab 27).
    10. The Master Solicitation also included clause DLAD 52.211-9014,
    CONTRACTOR RETENTION OF TRACEABILITY DOCUMENTATION (OCT 2008) (R4, tab 40
    at 8). The clause stated that, "whenever the Contractor is not the manufacturer of the
    item(s) to be furnished" under the order:
    (b )( 1) The Contractor shall retain evidence to document
    that items furnished under this contract conform to contract
    requirements. Evidence will generally include information
    tracing the items back to the manufacturing source or its
    authorized distributor. At a minimum, evidence shall be
    sufficient to establish the identity of the item, its
    manufacturing source, and conformance to the item
    description.
    (R4, tab 29 at 1) (Emphasis added) The clause further required the contractor to
    provide the information "[a]t the time of Government source inspection" and required
    the contractor to "retain documentation in accordance with this clause for 5 years after
    final payment" (id. at 2).
    11. The Master Solicitation also included clause DLAD 52.246-9008,
    INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE AT ORIGIN (Nov 2011) (R4, tab 40 at 18). Subsection
    (e)( 1) states that "[i]f the Contractor is not the manufacturer of the supplies, evidence
    must be furnished to establish that the supplies were produced by the manufacturer"
    (R4, tab 31 ).
    12. The Master Solicitation also included the DLAD 52.211.9000,
    GOVERNMENT SURPLUS MATERIAL (Nov 2011) clause, (R4, tab 40 at 14). Subsection
    3
    (f) of the clause noted that "[o]ffers of commercial surplus, manufacturer's overruns,
    [and] residual inventory resulting from terminated Government contracts ... will be
    evaluated in accordance with the provision at 52.217-9002" (R4, tab 28 at 4-5). The
    latter clause, was titled CONDITIONS FOR EvALUA TION AND ACCEPTANCE OF OFFERS
    FOR PART NUMBERED ITEMS (DEC 2011) (R4, tab 40 at 9). Section (i) of the clause
    states:
    The Contracting Officer may at any time, pre-award or
    post-award, request evidence of the technical acceptability
    of the supplies offered in response to this solicitation. At a
    minimum, evidence must be sufficient to establish the
    identity of the product and its manufacturing source.
    The Contracting Officer determines the acceptability and
    sufficiency of documentation or other evidence, at his or
    her sole discretion. If the Contracting Officer requests
    evidence from a Contractor who received an award
    resulting from this solicitation and the Contracting
    Officer subsequently finds the evidence to be
    unacceptable, or if the Contractor fails to provide the
    requested evidence, the award may be cancelled.
    (R4, tab 30 at 8) (Emphasis added)
    13. The Master Solicitation further included clause DLAD 52.246-9043,
    HIGHER-LEVEL CONTRACT QUALITY REQUIREMENT (NON-MANUFACTURERS)
    (Nov 2011), which applied when the FAR 52.246.11, HIGHER-LEVEL CONTRACT
    QUALITY REQUIREMENT clause, applied to the solicitation (the Master Solicitation also
    included FAR 52.246-11) (R4, tab 40 at 11, 18). This clause also required the contractor
    to maintain evidence of the identity of the manufacturer of items provided under the
    contract, stating:
    [T]he Contractor represents that it shall ... (b) Maintain and
    provide objective evidence that items furnished under this
    contract were produced at a manufacturing facility
    conforming to the specified higher-level contract quality
    requirement and that the material meets contract
    requirements. At a minimum, evidence shall be
    sufficient to establish the identity of the product and its
    manufacturing source ....
    (R4, tab 32)
    4
    14. Traceability reduces the risk that the materials used are counterfeit rather
    than authentic (tr. 11247, 273, 2/14, 16). Extensive traceability requirements are
    standard practice in the commercial aviation industry as well (tr. 2/55, 57, 63, 69).
    15. On 27 November 2012, MAP "Bid Without Exception" in response to the
    solicitation (R4, tab 4 at 1). Under "Material Requirements," MAP answered "No"
    when asked whether it would provide "Used, Reconditioned, Remanufactured, or
    New/Unused Government Surplus" (id. at 1). MAP did not obtain authorization from
    the contracting officer to use material that was used, reconditioned, remanufactured or
    government surplus (tr. 1/109-10, 2/42-43).
    16. On 26 January 2013, DLA awarded MAP unilateral PO No. SPE4A7-13-M-4596
    for eight of the air duct assemblies at a unit price of $18, 700 (R4, tab 1 at 14 ). All eight parts
    were due on 23 October 2013 (id.). All of the above-noted provisions of the
    solicitation were incorporated into the PO (id.).
    17. A MAP engineer was assigned to develop a parts list or "production
    traveler" identifying, inter alia, the necessary parts needed for manufacturing the air
    duct assemblies. The engineer noted on the list, among other things, that the
    specifications required use of the BACB30DX lock bolt in lieu of the superseded
    BACB30AL bolt. The MAP engineer also noted the need for eight BACF22N400
    flanges four of which were in stock. (R4, tab 53 at 4, tab 54 at 7, tab 60; tr. 2/179,
    231) The in-stock flanges had been purchased from a surplus dealer, who had
    purchased them from a United Kingdom company, who had purchased them at a
    bulk sale from FLS Aerospace, an entity in an unidentified location. The latter
    firm provided no evidence regarding where it had obtained the flanges. (R4,
    tab 15 at 22-28, tab 25)
    18. The Boeing specification for BACF22N400, specified in the solicitation
    and order, includes only one authorized source, Aeroquip Corp., CAGE Code 8W928
    (R4, tab 1 at 8, tab 35 at 3; tr. 11231, 234). Accordingly, only flanges manufactured
    by Aeroquip meet the BACF22N400 specification requirements. The flanges
    purchased and installed by MAP did not meet this contract requirement. There is
    no identification of who manufactured the in-stock flanges. (R4, tab 15 at 21-28;
    tr. 1/234, 239)
    19. On 10 July 2013 appellant's president, Mr. Marin, emailed a parts supplier to
    order BACB30AL lock bolts. On 16 July 2013, the parts supplier responded that such
    bolts had been superseded by the current Boeing specification which required
    BACB30DX bolts. The supplier provided MAP a quote for the BACB30DX bolts. (R4,
    tab 62; tr. 2/75)
    5
    20. On 17 July 2013, Mr. Marin ordered superseded BACB30AL surplus lock
    bolts from another supplier (R4, tab 15 at 36).
    21. In addition to failing to meet the contract requirement to use BACB30DX
    bolts, the BACB30AL bolts purchased by MAP from the alternate supplier did not
    meet the PO requirements for traceability to the manufacturer and were over 50 years
    old and likely would have lost significant corrosion protection since their manufacture
    (R4, tab 15 at 32-33, tab 33 at 2; tr. 1/210-11, 2/5-7, 45).
    22. Although the manufacturer of the rivets used in the assemblies was
    documented by MAP, the documentation from MAP's parts supplier indicated that
    the rivets were used/repaired/overhauled surplus and not new parts (R4, tab 15 at 2, 8,
    12-19; tr. 2/41-42).
    23. On 17 September 2013, MAP also purchased four surplus BACF22N400
    flanges for the assemblies that could not be traced back to the manufacturer (R4,
    tab 64 at 14; tr. 11244-45).
    24. MAP failed to deliver any of the air duct assemblies by the contractually
    scheduled date of 23 October 2013. In late October a series of conversations occurred
    between MAP and the government regarding the status of the items. On 6 November
    2013, Mr. Marin informed the government that four assemblies were ready for
    inspection at MAP facilities. Previously, on 29 October 2013, Mr. Marin had notified
    the government that the remaining four assemblies were awaiting parts and could not
    ship until 23 February 2014. (R4, tabs 10-13; tr. 1/113-14)
    25. On 7 and 12 November 2013, the government inspected the four tendered
    assemblies. It discovered the aforementioned deficiencies with the installed bolts,
    flanges, and rivets which were extensively analyzed and discussed with MAP over
    approximately the next two weeks. (R4, tab 15 at 2-36, tab 16 at 1-2, tab 24 at 2;
    exs. A-9, A-10 at 343, ex. A-46 at 626-839; tr. 2/21-23, 26, 44-45, 118-121, 133-35,
    148-50) During this period, MAP performed very little work on the PO (R4, tab 24
    at 7-39).
    26. On 26 November 2013, the government orally notified appellant informally
    that the government was in the process of cancelling the PO and a modification to that
    effect was in process (R4, tab 20; tr. 11127-28).
    27. On 6 December 2013, the contracting officer issued Modification
    No. POOOO 1 cancelling the PO (R4, tab 2).
    28. On 28 September 2016, appellant filed a certified claim asserting damages
    of $134,553, including anticipatory profit, alleging that the PO was improperly
    6
    cancelled and the government breached its duty of good faith and fair dealing in doing
    so. MAP further asserted that the duct assemblies were substantially complete at the
    time of the PO's cancellation. (R4, tab 24)
    29. The claim was denied by a contracting officer's final decision dated
    23 November 2016 (R4, tab 25), from which this timely appeal was filed by letter
    dated 28 November 2016.
    DECISION
    Appellant contends that the government improperly cancelled the PO and ·in so
    doing breached its duty of good faith and fair dealing. In particular, it alleges that the
    government failed to evaluate MAP's offer to cure the alleged defects. MAP asserts it
    was entitled to a reasonable time beyond the contract delivery date to correct what it
    considered were "minor" defects in its supplies.
    Although all of appellant's arguments have not been expressly addressed in this
    decision, they have been considered in reaching the conclusions herein. None of
    MAP's contentions provides a basis to sustain the appeal. Moreover, inasmuch as the
    appeal is denied because appellant has failed to establish that it is entitled to recover,
    issues regarding quantum are not reached.
    "A unilateral purchase order is an offer by the Government which a contractor
    can accept by delivering the requested supplies in accordance with the terms and
    conditions specified in the order." Alsace Industrial, Inc., 
    ASBCA No. 51709
    , 99-1
    BCA ii 30,227 at 149,542. Moreover, complete performance, rather than substantial
    performance, is required. "If complete performance in accordance with the terms and
    conditions is not tendered, the Government's offer lapses by its own terms, rendering
    the purchase order incapable of being accepted by a contractor." 
    Id.
     An offeree's
    absence of performance or defective performance operates as non-occurrence of the
    "condition." RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF CONTRACTS§§ 37 cmt. b, 224 cmt. c;
    3 ERIC M. HOLMES, CORBIN ON CONTRACTS § 11.1 n.14 (rev. 1996). Generally, when
    the parties have made an event a "condition" of their agreement, there is no
    mitigating standard of materiality or substantiality which is applicable to
    non-occurrence of that event. RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF CONTRACTS § 23 7 cmt. d.;
    Comptech Corp., 
    ASBCA No. 55526
    , 08-2 BCA ii 33,982 at 168,083 (emphasis
    added).· Once the offer has lapsed, the government is not liable to the contractor for
    any costs it incurred in attempting to perform in full. "When an offer lapses by its
    terms, the offeree (supplier) bears the costs of nonperformance." TTF, L.L.C.,
    ASBCA Nos. 58495, 58516, 13 BCA ii 35,403 at 173,696. Thus, ifthe supplies
    delivered by the contractor pursuant to a unilateral PO do not comply with the PO
    requirements, the contractor has failed to perform and the contract lapses.
    7
    "[I]t is well established that the government has the right to insist on 'strict
    compliance' with its specifications." Comptech, 08-2 BCA if 33,982 at 168,085; see
    also Cascade Pacific Int'! v. United States, 
    773 F.2d 287
    , 291 (Fed. Cir. 1985) ("The
    government, just as any other party, is entitled to receive that for which it contracted
    and has the right to accept only goods that conform to the specification."). The
    government here contracted for the delivery of eight duct assemblies. The government
    also expressly required duct assemblies held together with a specific type of lock bolt,
    the BACB30DX, not the superseded BACB30AL lock bolt. The PO required parts
    with traceability to the manufacturer and manufactured using new material rather than
    "used, reconditioned, remanufactured, or new/unused government surplus" material.
    MAP never obtained authorization from the contracting officer to use other than new
    material. The government was entitled to receive duct assemblies which complied
    with all of these requirements. If the duct assemblies delivered by MAP failed to meet
    any of these requirements the government properly could reject them.
    Here, appellant failed to deliver the specified supplies by the due date.
    Ultimately, MAP later tendered only four of the eight duct assemblies required by the
    PO. Moreover, the four duct assemblies that were submitted for inspection by MAP
    were defective in multiple respects. The duct assemblies included the superseded
    BACB30AL lock bolts. In addition, the duct assemblies incorporated commercial
    surplus lock bolts and flanges without sufficient traceability to the manufacturers of
    the components. Finally, MAP agreed to provide new material rather than "used,
    reconditioned, remanufactured, or new/unused Government surplus" material, MAP
    submitted lock bolts that were over 50 years old and rivets that were certified as
    "surplus parts, used, repaired, or reconditioned" rather than "new."
    Appellant's contentions, in particular those alleging government bad faith, must
    be evaluated in the context of these multiple failures to comply with contractual
    requirements. MAP, inter alia, contends that the failures were relatively "minor" and
    either should have been waived or MAP should have been provided an opportunity to
    make corrections, including replacing the bolts. Appellant asserts that the
    government's failures to waive late delivery and allegedly "minor" non-compliances
    of the four tendered assemblies and permit purportedly "minor" corrections, evidence
    government bad faith and failure to fulfill its contractual duty of good faith and fair
    dealing. MAP's prior experiences with government leniency and issues related to
    conditional approval of first articles under prior contracts are inapt. The PO required
    fully compliant production quantities. The air duct assemblies were not first articles.
    Moreover, the merits of multifarious and unique circumstances of prior contract
    provisions/requirements and disputes with various government personnel and
    procuring entities involving primarily the adequacy of first articles, wholly fail to
    support its allegations of bad faith in the administration of the instant PO. Here, the
    government simply and properly enforced its rights under the solicitation. "The
    implied duty of good faith and fair dealing cannot expand a party's contractual duties
    8
    beyond those in the express contract or create duties inconsistent with the contract's
    provisions." Precision Pine & Timber, Inc. v. United States, 596 F .3d 817, 831 (Fed.
    Cir. 2010); see also Century Exploration New Orleans, LLC v. United States, 
    745 F.3d 1168
    , 1179 (Fed. Cir. 2014) ("Appellants cannot rely on the implied covenant of good
    faith and fair dealing to change the text of their contractual obligations."); 13 SAMUEL
    WILLISTON & RICHARD A. LORD, A TREATISE ON THE LAW OF CONTRACTS § 63 :22
    (4th ed. 2000) ("As a general principle, there can be no breach of the implied promise
    or covenant of good faith and fair dealing where the contract expressly permits the
    actions being challenged, and the defendant acts in accordance with the express terms
    of the contract.").
    With regard to the lock bolts, the specification prohibition of BACB30AL lock
    bolts was not ambiguous. MAP's own employees and supplier recognized and
    informed Mr. Marin of the prohibition. Appellant's rather circuitous contentions
    regarding its asserted right to use an "equal," misinterpret the solicitation and are
    irrelevant in any event because appellant did not use an "equal." Instead, it provided
    the superseded BACB30AL bolt. The BACB30DX not only superseded the
    BACB30AL bolt but it represented a significant "improvement" that the government
    was entitled to receive.
    The lock bolts and flanges also did not satisfy the extensive solicitation
    requirements regarding traceability of the component parts to the manufacturer. The
    traceability provisions were not merely "paperwork" exercises but were designed to
    insure in part that counterfeit items were not being provided. Overseas-sourced
    components, used by MAP in the air duct assemblies, were reasonably a particular
    concern. Further, as recognized in DCX-CHOL Enterprises, Inc., 
    ASBCA No. 54707
    ,
    08-2 BCA ~ 33,889 at 167,728, traceability requirements are included in procurements
    for critical application items, like the duct assemblies to be installed in the fuselage of
    FC-135 military aircraft here, because "Critical application items frequently must
    carry with them the assurance of superior quality and reliability." As the Board noted
    in DCX, inserting traceability requirements into the order ensured that "respondent
    paid a premium price for connectors that had been subjected to a rigorous testing .
    regimen and had been found to be 'the highest grade."' 
    Id.
     It was MAP's duty to
    retain sufficient traceability documentation and, to the extent any other evidence of
    traceability ever existed, MAP has failed to fulfill its duty.
    MAP asserts tpat none of the four traceability clauses in the solicitation/order
    applies because they apply only to the end item - the ducts themselves - and not their
    components. Thus, MAP maintains, as long as it manufactured, i.e., assembled, the
    ducts, it does not need to prove that the components it used are traceable to the
    designated manufacturers. However, MAP's interpretation runs afoul of the language
    in the contract, its own contemporaneous interpretation, established ASBCA law, and
    the primary purpose of the traceability requirements generally.
    9
    Title 41 of the United States Code defines "items" and "supplies" for purposes
    of Federal procurement. 
    41 U.S.C. § 1081
     states that:
    [T]he terms "item" and "item of supply" -
    ( 1) mean an 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, including spare parts and
    replenishment spare parts; but
    (2) do not include packaging or labeling associated
    with shipment or identification of an item.
    
    41 U.S.C. § 115
     states that "the term 'supplies' has the same meaning as the terms
    'item' and 'item of supply."'
    Thus, Congress has made clear that "items" and "supplies" include individual
    parts, components, subassemblies, assemblies, and subsystems of a major system, as
    well as any other property that may be replaced in a system. Only the packaging and
    labeling associated with an item are excluded. In addition, 
    41 U.S.C. § 105
     explains
    that "the term 'component' means an item supplied to the Federal Government as part
    of an end item or of another component." Thus, Congress specifically differentiated
    between an "item" and an "end item," meaning that (1) the definition of item is
    broader than just the particular end item purchased (in this case, the duct assemblies)
    and (2) items are "part of an end item." The components here (the bolts, flanges, and
    rivets) were part of the end item duct assembly. In short, the United States Code
    defines "items" and "supplies" as anything and everything the contractor provides to
    the government pursuant to a procurement, other than packaging or labeling. In DCX,
    08-2 BCA ii 33,889, the Board concluded that traceability requirements extend to
    components of end items. 
    Id. at 167,723
    . Additionally, during contract performance
    MAP consistently collected and maintained traceability information for most
    components contrary to its present contentions. Moreover, MAP's interpretation
    would render the traceability requirements largely meaningless and ineffective. Their
    primary purpose is to ensure that authentic material is installed on the aircraft. Under
    MAP's interpretation, the government would only be able to ensure it is receiving
    authentic components (e.g. fasteners and flanges) when it is purchasing that particular
    end item. The government would not be able to ensure manufacturing provenance and
    genuineness purchasing those same components when they are included in a
    higher-level part or assembly.
    MAP also quoted that it would submit new material and that it would not
    provide material which was "Used, Reconditioned, Remanufactured, or New/Unused
    10
    Government Surplus." MAP, however, did not exclusively provide new material in its
    duct assemblies. The surplus rivets were used, repaired, or reconditioned surplus
    parts. MAP has not introduced evidence regarding the condition of the rivets at the
    time it received them. These parts have not been established as "new."
    Further, in addition to the noncompliance of the BACB30AL lock bolts with
    the solicitation specification and traceability requirements, the BACB30AL
    specification was discontinued for procurement on 1 May 1963. If the MAP bolts
    were authentic, they likely were at least 50 years old when MAP purchased them in
    July 2013. MAP did not introduce evidence regarding the condition of the bolts at the
    time it received them.
    Finally, the record fails to establish that the deficiencies were "minor" or easily
    and expeditiously correctable. In this regard, appellant erroneously alleges that the
    government had extensive duties regarding the testing or analysis of the
    nonconforming components and further duties to assist MAP in establishing the ease
    of correcting deficiencies and traceability of the parts and the provenance of their
    manufacture. To the contrary, appellant bore the burden of proving compliance and
    traceability. If the known defects and traceability issues were as "minor" as alleged,
    appellant should have made corrections and sufficiently documented the provenance of
    the parts forthwith.
    Even assuming arguendo that MAP's noncompliance were "minor" as it alleges,
    the delivery date for the four tendered items had passed. Therefore, corrections could
    not have been timely accomplished "within the required delivery schedule." See
    FAR 46.407(b ). Whether the government revived the PO when it allowed MAP to
    tender four parts for inspection rather than withdrawing the PO is irrelevant. A revived
    PO has the same terms as the original PO. MAP delivered only four of the eight duct
    assemblies and the four assemblies tendered by MAP were deficient as detailed above.
    Cf Amplitronics, Inc., 
    ASBCA No. 33732
    , 87-2 BCA i-1 19,906.
    For the aforementioned reasons the government properly cancelled the PO and
    appellant has failed to establish that the cancellation was done in bad faith. The appeal
    is denied.
    Dated: 27 March 2017
    Administrative Judge
    Armed Services Board
    of Contract Appeals
    11
    I certify that the foregoing is a true copy of the Opinion and Decision of the
    Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals in 
    ASBCA No. 60904
    , Appeal of Military
    Aircraft Parts, rendered in conformance with the Board's Charter.
    Dated:
    JEFFREY D. GARDIN
    Recorder, Armed Services
    Board of Contract Appeals
    12
    

Document Info

Docket Number: ASBCA No. 60904

Judges: Peacock

Filed Date: 3/27/2017

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 4/10/2017