This part provides guidance for Federal agencies on how to implement the government-wide debarment and suspension system for nonprocurement programs and activities.

This part is organized into two segments.

(a) Sections 180.5 through 180.45 contain general policy direction for Federal agencies' use of the standards in subparts A through I.

(b) Subparts A through I contain uniform government-wide standards that Federal agencies are to use to specify:

(1) The types of transactions that are covered by the nonprocurement debarment and suspension system;

(2) The effects of an exclusion under that nonprocurement system, including reciprocal effects with the government-wide debarment and suspension system for procurement;

(3) The criteria and minimum due process to be used in nonprocurement debarment and suspension actions; and

(4) Related policies and procedures to ensure the effectiveness of those actions.

This part provides guidance to Federal agencies. Publication of this guidance in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) does not change its nature—it is guidance and not regulation. Federal agencies' implementation of this guidance governs the rights and responsibilities of other persons affected by the nonprocurement debarment and suspension system.

As Section 3 of Executive Order 12549 requires, each Federal agency with nonprocurement programs and activities covered by subparts A through I of the guidance must issue regulations consistent with those subparts.

Each Federal agency's implementing regulation:

(a) Must establish policies and procedures for that Federal agency's nonprocurement debarment and suspension programs and activities consistent with this guidance. When adopted by a Federal agency, the provisions of the guidance have a regulatory effect on that Federal agency's programs and activities.

(b) Must address some matters for which these guidelines give each Federal agency some discretion. Specifically, the regulation must:

(1) Identify either the Federal agency head or the title of the designated official who is authorized to grant exceptions under § 180.135 to let an excluded person participate in a covered transaction.

(2) State whether the Federal agency includes as covered transactions an additional tier of contracts awarded under covered nonprocurement transactions, as permitted under § 180.220(c).

(3) Identify the method(s) a Federal agency official may use when entering into a covered transaction with a primary tier participant to communicate to the participant the requirements described in § 180.435. Examples of methods are an award term that requires compliance as a condition of the award, an assurance of compliance obtained at the time of application, or a certification.

(4) State whether the Federal agency specifies a particular method that participants must use to communicate compliance requirements to lower tier participants, as described in § 180.330(a). If there is a specified method, the regulation must require Federal agency officials to communicate that requirement when entering into covered transactions with primary tier participants.

(c) May also, at the Federal agency's option:

(1) Identify any specific types of transactions the Federal agency includes as “nonprocurement transactions” in addition to the examples provided in § 180.970.

(2) Identify any types of nonprocurement transactions that the Federal agency exempts from coverage under these guidelines, as authorized under § 180.215(g)(2).

(3) Identify specific examples of types of individuals who would be “principals” under the Federal agency's nonprocurement programs and transactions, in addition to the types of individuals described in § 180.995.

(4) Specify the Federal agency's procedures, if any, by which a respondent may appeal a suspension or debarment decision.

(5) Identify by title the officials designated by the Federal agency head as debarring officials under § 180.930 or suspending officials under § 180.1010.

(6) Include a subpart covering disqualifications, as authorized in § 180.45.

(7) Include any provisions authorized by OMB.

Each Federal agency that participates in the government-wide nonprocurement debarment and suspension system must issue a regulation implementing these guidelines within its chapter in subtitle B of this title.

The Interagency Committee on Debarment and Suspension, established by section 4 of Executive Order 12549, recommends to the OMB any needed revisions to the guidelines in this part. The OMB publishes proposed changes to the guidelines in the Federal Register for public comment, considers comments with the help of the Interagency Committee on Debarment and Suspension, and issues the final guidelines.

A Federal agency may add a subpart covering disqualifications to its regulation implementing these guidelines, but the guidelines in subparts A through I:

(a) Address disqualified persons only to:

(1) Provide for their inclusion in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) Exclusions; and

(2) State the responsibilities of Federal agencies and participants to check for disqualified persons before entering into covered transactions.

(b) Do not specify the:

(1) Transactions for which a disqualified person is ineligible. Those transactions vary on a case-by-case basis because they depend on the language of the specific statute, Executive order, or regulation that caused the disqualification;

(2) Entities to which a disqualification applies; or

(3) Process that a Federal agency uses to disqualify a person. Unlike exclusion under subparts A through I of this part, disqualification is frequently not a discretionary action that a Federal agency takes and may include special procedures.