# 1302.101 Definitions.

Accountable Personal Property means all personal property for which responsibility for control is formally assigned to an individual, and official property records are maintained as set forth in DOC PPMM Chapter 4.

Agency Head (or Head of Agency) (HA) means the Secretary of Commerce, except, pursuant to Department Organization Order (DOO) 10-5, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration, the head of the agency for procurement matters shall be the Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration (CFO/ASA), unless a statute provides that the authority of the Secretary is non-delegable.

Chief Acquisition Officer (CAO) means the Department's executive-level non-career employee designated pursuant to the Services Acquisition Reform Act to advise and assist the head of the agency and other agency officials to ensure the mission of the agency is achieved through the management of the agency's acquisition activities. The CFO/ASA has been designated by the Head of the Agency as the Chief Acquisition Officer for the Department of Commerce.

Civilian Agency Acquisition Council (CAAC) means the council that assists the Administrator of General Services in developing and maintaining the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) System by developing or reviewing all proposed changes to the FAR. The Council is comprised of a representative designated by each of several Federal departments and agencies, including the DOC. The CAAC coordinates its activities with the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (DARC). The CAAC is authorized under 48 CFR 1.2.

Commerce Acquisition Manual (CAM) means non-regulatory uniform policies and procedures for internal operations associated with acquiring supplies and services within the Department that implements and supplements the FAR and CAR.

Commerce Acquisition Regulation (CAR) means uniform acquisition policies and procedures, which implement and supplement the FAR.

Contracting Activity means the operating units identified under the definition of “Operating Units” below. Contracting activities may or may not have authority to operate contracting offices (see definition for Contracting Office).

Contracting Office means an office that awards or executes contracts for supplies or services and performs post-award functions. The operating units authorized to operate contracting offices are identified in DAO 208-2.

Contracting Officer means an individual designated authority by the Senior Bureau Procurement Official (BPO) to enter into, administer, and/or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings. Only those individuals who have been certified as contracting officers, through the issuance of a Certificate of Appointment (Contracting Officer Warrant (SF 1402)), by the BPO in accordance with the requirements and procedures of the CAR and the CAM may exercise the authorities of contracting officers. However, by virtue of their positions, the Head of the Agency, the Procurement Executive, and the Heads of Operating Units are also designated as contracting officers.

Department or Departmental or DOC means the Department of Commerce.

Head of Agency (HA) - see definition for “Agency Head.”

Head of Contracting Office (HCO) means those individuals designated by the BPO to head the contracting offices within each operating unit that has designated contracting authority to award and administer contracts. In performing their duties, HCOs are empowered to the full limits of the Department's contracting authority. The HCO must be a procurement professional in the GS-1102 occupational series (or equivalent OPM occupational designation). BPOs will issue each HCO a Contracting Officer Warrant that delegates the authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate contracts and to make related determinations and findings.

Head of the Contracting Activity (HCA) means, for purposes of delegation of contracting authority, officials who are designated as Heads of Operating Units (those who are assigned by the President or by the Secretary to manage the primary or constituent operating units of the DOC) in orders establishing the respective operating units, with the exception of the Office of the Secretary. Such officials are designated as the HCA for procurements initiated in support of the procurement activities of that operating unit. The Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration has been designated as the HCA for procurements initiated in support of the programs and activities of the Office of the Secretary and all other Secretarial Offices and Departmental Offices.

Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU), The means the advocacy and advisory office responsible for promoting the use of small, small disadvantaged, 8(a), women-owned, veteran-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, and HUBZone small businesses within the Department acquisition process.

Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Administration, Employment & Labor Law Division means the Department Legal Office that provides advice and guidance to management regarding employment and labor law issues, including the legal standards for taking adverse and performance-based actions.

Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Administration, Ethics Law and Program Division means the Department Legal Office that provides advice and guidance regarding conflict of interest statutes, ethics regulations, and related laws.

Operating Units are organizational entities outside the Office of the Secretary charged with carrying out specified substantive functions (i.e., programs) of the Department and are identified in DAO 208-2.

Procurement Counsel means, except for the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), the Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Finance & Litigation, Contract Law Division, the office responsible for providing legal review of applicable contract actions and procurement legal advice to all operating units, and handling procurement-related litigation. “Procurement Counsel” for all PTO procurement-related actions means Office of General Law.

Procurement Executive (or Senior Procurement Executive (PE)) means the official appointed pursuant to Executive Order 12931 and the Services Acquisition Reform Act of 2003 to carry out the responsibilities identified in both the Executive Order and the Act. The Director for Acquisition Management is the Procurement Executive for the Department of Commerce.

Senior Bureau Procurement Official (BPO) means the senior career procurement official, within each operating unit that has been delegated contracting authority, who is designated as the Senior Bureau Procurement Official. The BPO must be a procurement professional who has both experience and training in the area of Federal procurement and contracting. HCAs may designate one BPO within their organization to carry out the day-to-day functions of managing the contracting activity. BPOs may also serve as the Head of Contracting Office. The Procurement Executive will issue each BPO a Contracting Officer Warrant which delegates the authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate contracts and to make related determinations and findings.