SD-2 Dod Acquisitions Buying Commercial Items And Nondevelopmental ItemsThis document offers guidance on acquisitions involving all types of commercial and nondevelopmental items: systems, subsystems, assemblies, parts, and items of supply. Commercial services are also addressed.This document does not present a “cookbook” approach to the acquisition of commercial and nondevelopmental items; such an approach could not accommodate the vast array of potential applications. It does offer lessons learned and things to consider when participating on an integrated product team.

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regulation of the quality of raw materials, assemblies, products, and components; services related to production; and management, production, and inspection processes.

Again, like other aspects of the test and evaluation program for commercial and nondevelop- mental items, the starting point when assessing a supplier's quality assurance is to review avail- able data:

•  Objectives established and processes developed to deliver the desired results

•  Implementation of the developed process

•  Approach used to monitor and evaluate the implemented process

•  Actions taken to improve if the results of testing against the established objectives demon- strate the need for changes.

If a commercial item or NDI is already accepted in the marketplace, a quality program and history probably exist for the item.To be meaningful, the quality history should show product quality over time and the satisfaction of previous users. In-process quality data, such as process and test yields, can also be reviewed to assess product assurance.

In general, quality assurance for items of supply and consumable items is largely a function of the product description and some level of verification, usually in the form of a visual inspec- tion. Quality assurance is more involved for systems, complex equipment, items with significant support requirements, and items for which conformance to specification requirements is impor- tant. For example, quality assurance for certain items might be addressed through qualification.

Qualification is the process by which products, processes, or materials of manufacturers and distributors are examined and tested to determine conformance to specification requirements in advance of, and independent of, an acquisition. Products and manufacturers that successfully

pass the qualification process are then identified on a list of qualified products or qualified man- ufacturers:

•  A qualified products list (QPL) focuses on qualifying products or families of products.A QPL is usually appropriate for items of supply that have a stable design or composition and will be available for an extended period of time, making it practicable to qualify indi- vidual products without incurring prohibitive testing costs. A product that meets the established qualification requirements will be included on a QPL.

•  A qualified manufacturers list (QML) focuses on qualifying a manufacturer's materials and processes rather than its products.A QML is usually appropriate for items of supply that are experiencing very rapid technological advances or have numerous variations or cus- tom designs that make individual product qualification impractical or excessively expen-