Subpart 25.2 - Buy American-Construction

Materials

Parent topic: Part 25 - Foreign Acquisition

25.200 Scope of subpart.

(a) This subpart implements-

(1) 41 U.S.C. chapter 83, Buy American;

(2) Executive Order 10582, December 17, 1954;

(3) Executive Order 13881, July 15, 2019;

(4) Executive Order 14005, January 25, 2021; and

(5) Waiver of the domestic content test of the Buy American statute for acquisitions of commercially

available off-the-shelf (COTS) items in accordance with 41 U.S.C. 1907, but see 25.201(b)(2)(ii).

(b) It applies to contracts for the construction, alteration, or repair of any public building or public

work in the United States.

(c) When using funds appropriated or otherwise provided by the American Recovery and

Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-5) (Recovery Act) for construction, see subpart 25.6.

25.201 Policy.

(a) Except as provided in 25.202, use only domestic construction materials in construction contracts

performed in the United States.

(b) The Buy American statute restricts the purchase of construction materials that are not domestic

construction materials. For manufactured construction materials, the Buy American statute, E.O.

13881, and E.O. 14005 use a two-part test to define domestic construction materials.

(1) The article must be manufactured in the United States; and

(2)

(i) Except for construction material that consists wholly or predominantly of iron or steel or a

combination of both, the cost of domestic components must exceed 60 percent of the cost of all the

components, except that the percentage will be 65 percent for items delivered in calendar years

2024 through 2028 and 75 percent for items delivered starting in calendar year 2029, but see

paragraph (c) of this section. In accordance with 41 U.S.C. 1907, this domestic content test of the

Buy American statute has been waived for acquisitions of COTS items (see 12.505(a)).

(ii) For construction material that consists wholly or predominantly of iron or steel or a combination
of both, the cost of foreign iron and steel must constitute less than 5 percent of the cost of all the

components used in such construction material (see the definition of "foreign iron and steel" at

25.003). The cost of foreign iron and steel includes but is not limited to the cost of foreign iron or

steel mill products (such as bar, billet, slab, wire, plate, or sheet), castings, or forgings utilized in the

manufacture of the construction material and a good faith estimate of the cost of all foreign iron or

steel components excluding COTS fasteners. This domestic content test of the Buy American statute

has not been waived for acquisitions of COTS items in this category, except for COTS fasteners.

(c)

(1) A contract with a period of performance that spans the schedule of domestic content threshold

increases specified in paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section shall be required to comply with each

increased threshold for the items in the year of delivery, unless the senior procurement executive of

the contracting agency allows for application of an alternate domestic content test for that contract

under which the domestic content threshold in effect at time of contract award will apply to the

entire period of performance for the contract. This authority is not delegable. The senior

procurement executive shall consult the Office of Management and Budget's Made in America Office

before allowing the use of the alternate domestic content test.

(2) When a senior procurement executive allows for application of an alternate domestic content test

for a contract, see 25.1102(a)(3) or (c)(4) for use of the appropriate Alternate clause to reflect the

domestic content threshold that will apply to the entire period of performance for that contract.

25.202 Exceptions.

(a) When one of the following exceptions applies, the contracting officer may allow the contractor to

acquire foreign construction materials without regard to the restrictions of the Buy American

statute:

(1) Impracticable or inconsistent with public interest. The head of the agency may determine that

application of the restrictions of the Buy American statute to a particular construction material

would be impracticable or would be inconsistent with the public interest. The public interest

exception applies when an agency has an agreement with a foreign government that provides a

blanket exception to the Buy American statute.

(2) Nonavailability. The head of the contracting activity may determine that a particular construction

material is not mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States in sufficient and reasonably

available commercial quantities of a satisfactory quality. The determinations of nonavailability of the

articles listed at 25.104(a) and the procedures at 25.103(b)(1) also apply if any of those articles are

acquired as construction materials. A determination is not required before January 1, 2030, if there

is an offer for a foreign construction material that exceeds 55 percent domestic content (see

25.204(b)(1)(ii) and 25.204(b)(2)(ii)).

(3) Unreasonable cost. The contracting officer concludes that the cost of domestic construction

material is unreasonable in accordance with 25.204.

(4) Information technology that is a commercial product. The restriction on purchasing foreign

construction material does not apply to the acquisition of information technology that is a

commercial product, when using Fiscal Year 2004 or subsequent fiscal year funds (section 535(a) of
Division F, Title V, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004, and similar sections in subsequent

appropriations acts).

(b) Determination and findings. When a determination is made for any of the reasons stated in this

section that certain foreign construction materials may be used, the contracting officer must list the

excepted materials in the contract. The agency must make the findings justifying the exception

available for public inspection.

(c) Acquisitions under trade agreements. For construction contracts with an estimated acquisition

value of $6,708,000 or more, see subpart 25.4.

25.203 Preaward determinations.

(a) For any acquisition, an offeror may request from the contracting officer a determination

concerning the inapplicability of the Buy American statute for specifically identified construction

materials. The time for submitting the request is specified in the solicitation in paragraph (b) of

either 52.225-10 or 52.225-12, whichever applies. The information and supporting data that must be

included in the request are also specified in the solicitation in paragraphs (c) and (d) of either

52.225-9 or 52.225-11, whichever applies.

(b) Before award, the contracting officer must evaluate all requests based on the information

provided and may supplement this information with other readily available information.

25.204 Evaluating offers of foreign construction material.

(a) Offerors proposing to use foreign construction material other than that listed by the Government

in the applicable clause at 52.225-9, paragraph (b)(2), or 52.225-11, paragraph (b)(3), or covered by

the WTO GPA or a Free Trade Agreement (paragraph (b)(2) of 52.225-11), must provide the

information required by paragraphs (c) and (d) of the respective clauses.

(b)

(1) For construction material that is not a critical item and does not contain critical components.

(i) Unless the head of the agency specifies a higher percentage, the contracting officer shall add to

the offered price 20 percent of the cost of any foreign construction material proposed for exception

from the requirements of the Buy American statute based on the unreasonable cost of domestic

construction materials. In the case of a tie, the contracting officer shall give preference to an offer

that does not include foreign construction material excepted at the request of the offeror on the

basis of unreasonable cost.

(ii) For construction material that is not a COTS item and does not consist wholly or predominantly

of iron or steel or a combination of both, if the procedures in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section result

in an unreasonable cost determination for the domestic construction material offer or there is no

domestic construction material offer received, and the low offer is for foreign construction material

that does not exceed 55 percent domestic content, the contracting officer shall—

(A) Treat the lowest offer of foreign construction material that is manufactured in the United States
and exceeds 55 percent domestic content as a domestic offer; and

(B) Determine the reasonableness of the cost of this offer by applying the evaluation factor listed in

paragraph (b)(1)(i) to the low offer.

(iii) The procedures in paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section will no longer apply as of January 1, 2030.

(2) For construction material that is a critical item or contains critical components.

(i) The contracting officer shall add to the offered price 20 percent, plus the additional preference

factor identified for the critical item or construction material containing critical components listed at

section 25.105, of the cost of any foreign construction material proposed for exception from the

requirements of the Buy American statute based on the unreasonable cost of domestic construction

materials. In the case of a tie, the contracting officer shall give preference to an offer that does not

include foreign construction material excepted at the request of the offeror on the basis of

unreasonable cost. See 25.105 for the list of critical components and critical items.

(ii) For construction material that is not a COTS item and does not consist wholly or predominantly

of iron or steel or a combination of both, if the procedures in paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section result

in an unreasonable cost determination for the domestic construction material offer or there is no

domestic construction material offer received, and the low offer is for foreign construction material

that does not exceed 55 percent domestic content, the contracting officer shall—

(A) Treat the lowest offer of foreign construction material that is manufactured in the United States

and exceeds 55 percent domestic content as a domestic offer; and

(B) Determine the reasonableness of the cost of this offer by applying the evaluation factors listed in

this paragraph (b)(2) to the low offer.

(iii) The procedures in paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section will no longer apply as of January 1, 2030.

(c) Offerors also may submit alternate offers based on use of equivalent domestic construction

material to avoid possible rejection of the entire offer if the Government determines that an

exception permitting use of a particular foreign construction material does not apply.

(d) If the contracting officer awards a contract to an offeror that proposed foreign construction

material not listed in the applicable clause in the solicitation (paragraph (b)(2) of 52.225-9, or

paragraph (b)(3) of 52.225-11), the contracting officer must add the excepted materials to the list in

the contract clause.

25.205 Postaward determinations.

(a) If a contractor requests a determination regarding the inapplicability of the Buy American statute

after contract award, the contractor must explain why it could not request the determination before

contract award or why the need for such determination otherwise was not reasonably foreseeable. If

the contracting officer concludes that the contractor should have made the request before contract

award, the contracting officer may deny the request.

(b) The contracting officer must base evaluation of any request for a determination regarding the

inapplicability of the Buy American statute made after contract award on information required by

paragraphs (c) and (d) of the applicable clause at 52.225-9 or 52.225-11 and/or other readily
available information.

(c) If a determination, under 25.202(a), is made after contract award that an exception to the Buy

American statute applies, the contracting officer must negotiate adequate consideration and modify

the contract to allow use of the foreign construction material. When the basis for the exception is the

unreasonable price of a domestic construction material, adequate consideration is at least the

differential established in 25.202(a) or in accordance with agency procedures.

25.206 Noncompliance.

The contracting officer must-

(a) Review allegations of Buy American statute violations;

(b) Unless fraud is suspected, notify the contractor of the apparent unauthorized use of foreign

construction material and request a reply, to include proposed corrective action; and

(c) If the review reveals that a contractor or subcontractor has used foreign construction material

without authorization, take appropriate action, including one or more of the following:

(1) Process a determination concerning the inapplicability of the Buy American statute in accordance

with 25.205.

(2) Consider requiring the removal and replacement of the unauthorized foreign construction

material.

(3) If removal and replacement of foreign construction material incorporated in a building or work

would be impracticable, cause undue delay, or otherwise be detrimental to the interests of the

Government, the contracting officer may determine in writing that the foreign construction material

need not be removed and replaced. A determination to retain foreign construction material does not

constitute a determination that an exception to the Buy American statute applies, and this should be

stated in the determination. Further, a determination to retain foreign construction material does

not affect the Government’s right to suspend or debar a contractor, subcontractor, or supplier for

violation of the Buy American statute, or to exercise other contractual rights and remedies, such as

reducing the contract price or terminating the contract for default.

(4) If the noncompliance is sufficiently serious, consider exercising appropriate contractual

remedies, such as terminating the contract for default. Also consider preparing and forwarding a

report to the agency suspending or debarring official in accordance with subpart 9.4. If the

noncompliance appears to be fraudulent, refer the matter to other appropriate agency officials, such

as the officer responsible for criminal investigation.