Blog Tags - Commercial

This definition, of course, does not apply to GSA Schedules. Please don't try to take the average GSA rate and work it through both parts of this definition - most won't make the cut. GSA Schedules are issued under FAR Part 12, so no need to further determine those rates commercial. The GSA Authorization letter along with the schedule number should actually work fine for that purpose. 

Couple of notes on using this determination: 

When the item being procured is "obviously" a commercial item, you're fairly safe leaving the determination to a checklist approach with objective evidence included. This is a common sense determination - office furniture, Dell laptops purchased online, Microsoft office products, COTS software, etc.

If it's a commercial item with minor modifications, focus your narrative on (a) determining the original item commercial; then (b) explaining how the modifications don't alter the form, fit and function of the item.

First, defining the type of commercial item being purchased. Generally you'll do this via checklist which sets out the eight (8) general types of commercial items. It's important to carefully select the type of commercial item you're procuring since the definition determines what suffices for the remaining two requirements. Like just about every other documentation requirement, this is the beginning of your process flowchart, and the choice made here affects the look and feel of the remaining file documentation.

As you slide down the list of definitions your back-up requirements increase. For definitions 1 & 2, you should be okay with a screen shot of the products being purchased. For "minor modifications," however, you may need a description of the modification from the vendor or your PM, much like a mini-tech eval, showing how the commercial form, fit and function of the item were not substantially altered by the modification.