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On March 22, 2023, the Department of Defense (DoD) issued a proposed rule that would amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to require certain contractors to provide export authorizations to the Defense Authorization Management Agency (DCMA).

DCMA performs quality assurance reviews for manufacturing operations to ensure contractors have the appropriate systems in place to meet quality and functionality standards along with contractual requirements regarding testing and validation.  In some cases, DCMA will engage a foreign auditor to perform the quality assurance review.  However, to do so DCMA needs insight into applicable export authorizations to see if engaging the foreign auditor is permissible.      

The proposed rule would require contractors to provide export authorizations to DCMA when the contract requires (i) government quality assurance surveillance oversight and (ii) performance in or delivery to a government quality assurance country (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Republic of Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom).  Export authorizations include export licenses, exemptions, exceptions, and other approvals.  The contractor must also provide the contact information for an empowered official or export point of contact.  

Currently, DCMA uses Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 4.703(a) to obtain access to customer export authorizations.  Notably, the current provision only requires contractors to make export authorizations available to DCMA.  As a result, DCMA has to travel to the contractor’s location to review the export authorizations.  The proposed change would eliminate the need for travel because contractors would be required to provide the export authorization itself to DCMA.  This change would make it easier for DCMA to determine if a foreign auditor can perform the required quality assurance review.  

The proposed rule makes this change by updating DFARS 252.225-7048, Export Controlled Items to include this requirement.  Comments on the proposed rule are due on May 22, 2023.   

Key Takeaways

  • Contractors should be aware of this potential change that would require them to provide DCMA with relevant export authorizations.
Tags: contractors, DCMA, DFARS, DoD, government contractors
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Photo of Adelicia R. Cliffe Adelicia R. Cliffe

Adelicia Cliffe is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office, a member of the Steering Committee for the firm’s Government Contracts Group, and a member of the International Trade Group. Addie is also co-chair of the firm’s National Security practice. Addie has been…

Adelicia Cliffe is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office, a member of the Steering Committee for the firm’s Government Contracts Group, and a member of the International Trade Group. Addie is also co-chair of the firm’s National Security practice. Addie has been named as a nationally recognized practitioner in the government contracts field by Chambers USA.

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Photo of Jana del-Cerro Jana del-Cerro

Maria Alejandra (Jana) del-Cerro is a partner in Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. office. She is a member of the firm’s International Trade Group. Jana’s practice focuses primarily on counseling and defending clients with respect to U.S. export controls, including the International Traffic…

Maria Alejandra (Jana) del-Cerro is a partner in Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. office. She is a member of the firm’s International Trade Group. Jana’s practice focuses primarily on counseling and defending clients with respect to U.S. export controls, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and the sanctions programs administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Controls (OFAC), as well as the U.S. Antiboycott Laws and the Helms-Burton Act.

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Photo of Chandler Leonard Chandler Leonard

Chandler S. Leonard is an associate in Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. office and a member of the firm’s International Trade Group. Chandler’s practice focuses on export controls and economic sanctions issues, including voluntary disclosures and enforcement matters before the Departments of Commerce…

Chandler S. Leonard is an associate in Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. office and a member of the firm’s International Trade Group. Chandler’s practice focuses on export controls and economic sanctions issues, including voluntary disclosures and enforcement matters before the Departments of Commerce, State, and Treasury. Chandler has experience analyzing and advising U.S. and non-U.S. companies with respect to proposed transfers of U.S. origin technology, software, hardware, and services. She has performed jurisdictional and classification analyses under the ITAR and EAR, including drafting Commodity Jurisdiction requests and CJ Reconsideration requests. She assists in developing and/or reviewing U.S. export and sanctions compliance programs, including risk assessments. Chandler also has experience training a wide variety of audiences, both U.S. and foreign, on compliance with U.S. export control and sanctions requirements.

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Photo of Rachel Schumacher Rachel Schumacher

Rachel Schumacher is an associate in the International Trade and Government Contracts groups in Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. office. Rachel’s practice focuses on transactions, investigations, and compliance and advisory matters involving a variety of government contracts and international trade issues.

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