RUS Accepted Materials

Harvey Bowles, Senior Engineer, Electric Staff Division, RUS

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Executive Summary

The List of Materials is a convenient compilation of those items that have been

granted acceptance by the Technical Standards Committees. This paper briefly

describes the Technical Standards Committees, the process by which an item

gains acceptance, and the various types of acceptances.

The List of Materials

• Case-by-case approval

• What is the List of Materials?

• What if I need to use a product that is not in the List of Materials?

• What are the Technical Standards Committees?

• How does an item become accepted?

• What are the types of acceptances?

• How is a product removed from the List of Materials?

What is the List of Materials? - The List of Materials is short for List of

Materials Acceptable for Use on Systems of RUS Electrification Borrowers,

also known as RUS Informational Publication 202-1, and formerly known as

Bulletin 1728C-100 or Bulletin 43-5. It is a convenient compilation of those

items that have granted acceptance by the Technical Standards Committees

(Electric). The List of Materials is not a manufacturers catalog and does not

contain every product from a particular manufacturer. The printed version of

the List of Materials is approximately 340 pages long. It is issued each July 1

with quarterly supplements issued October, January, and April. One copy is

mailed to each borrower; additional copies (subscriptions) may be purchased
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from the Government Printing Office. The List of Materials may also be

downloaded in Adobe Acrobat PDF format from the RUS website.

http://www.usda.gov/rus/electric/listof.htm

What if I need to use a product that does not have acceptance? - RUS may

grant case-by-case approval to use a non-accepted product. What is the

difference between acceptance and case-by-case approval? - Case-by-case

approval is initiated by the borrower and the action is by the regional office. It

is for the use of a non-accepted product which is in a category in the List of

Materials. It is also for products used in non-standard construction. RUS is

prohibited from issuing blanket approvals – it must be case-by-case. The

request must include a description of the product, the number to be used, as

well as a justification.

Acceptance is normally initiated by the manufacturer and the action is by the

Technical Standards Committees. Domestic products which have been granted

acceptance are added to the List of Materials. If there is any question whether

a particular product has acceptance, please give us a call. The phone number is

202-720-0980.

What are the Technical Standards Committees? - Technical Standards

Committee "A" considers applications from manufacturers that desire

acceptance for products, as well as RUS specifications and standards. The

Committee consists of two members from the Electric Staff Division, two

members from the Electric Program regional divisions, and a non-voting chair.

There is also an appeals committee, known as Technical Standards Committee

“B”.

For an item to be considered “domestic,” the item must be manufactured in the

United States or eligible country, and the item must be substantially all from

articles, materials, and supplies mined, produced, or manufactured in the

United States or eligible country.

Eligible country?? - An “eligible country” is any country that applies with

respect to the United States an agreement ensuring reciprocal access for United

States products and services and United States suppliers to the markets of that

country, as determined by the United States Trade Representative. RUS does

not determine which countries are “eligible.”
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How does a product become "accepted"? - The manufacturer or authorized

agent must submit a written application to Technical Standards Committee

"A". The application must include the item's catalog number or other

identifier, a description of the item, drawings, catalog sheets, and test reports

indicating that the product meets appropriate national and RUS standards and

specifications. The application must also include a "statement of origin."

Samples of smaller items are requested.

When the application is received, it is assigned to a specialist in the Electric

Staff Division. The specialist verifies that the item meets RUS requirements.

If necessary, the specialist contacts the manufacturer to obtain additional

information. A written recommendation is then prepared for Technical

Standards Committee "A".

The Committee may vote to accept, reject, or table an item. All decisions of

Committee "A" must be unanimous. If an item is found to be acceptable, it is

added to the List of Materials. An acceptance may be full, conditional, or

technical. A conditional acceptance means that there are certain conditions or

restrictions tied to the acceptance. A contractor must obtain the borrowers

permission before using any conditionally or technically accepted materials.

What is Technical Standards Committee “B”? - Some of you may have

heard of Technical Standards Committee "B". All non-unanimous decisions of

Committee "A" are referred to Committee "B". Also, in cases of adverse

decisions, the manufacturer may appeal the decision to Committee "B".

Committee "B" membership consists of the directors of the Electric Staff

Division and the two regional divisions.

What are the types of acceptances? – Most items receive full acceptance, that

is an acceptance with no conditions attached. A conditional acceptance, as the

term implies, has one or more conditions, such as “to obtain experience” or

“not to be used in areas subject to contamination.” Full and conditional

acceptance is for products considered to be domestic. For an item to be

considered “domestic,” the item must be manufactured in the United States or

eligible country, and the item must be substantially all from articles, materials,

and supplies mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States or eligible

country.

A technical acceptance is for an item that does not meet the provisions of the

“Buy American” requirement of the Rural Electrification Act; in other words a
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product that is not manufactured in the United States or “eligible country,” or a

product made of components from outside the United States or “eligible

country.” A technical acceptance is valid for one year; however, it is

renewable. The acceptance is in the name of the manufacturer, not the

distributor. The manufacturer is provided with a letter of technical acceptance

which should be available to you as a purchaser.

How is a product removed from the List of Materials? - In order for a

product to have its acceptance voided and be removed from the List of

Materials, either it must be requested by the manufacturer (such as in the case

of obsolete items), or there must be a recommendation from staff to void the

acceptance for good cause. In this case, the manufacturer is given time to

submit additional information to the Technical Standards Committees.

Questions concerning the List of Materials or the acceptance process should be

directed to the Chairman – telephone 202-720-0980 or by e-mail to

tscae@rus.usda.gov.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

HARVEY L. BOWLES

Mr. Bowles received his BS in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech in 1973. He

joined the Rural Electrification Administration in 1976 as an engineer in the Distribution

Branch of what is now the Electric Staff Division. From November 1991 to May 1997, he

served as Chairman of Technical Standards Committee "A" (Electric). In November 1995,

he returned to the Distribution Branch as the Branch Chief. He was reassigned to the

position of Senior Electrical Engineer in September 1999 and his duties include those of

Chairman of Technical Standards Committee “A” (Electric) and Electric Program

webmaster.

Mr. Bowles has served on a number of industry committees, including the IEEE Switchgear

Committee, the IEEE Insulated Conductors Committee, and the Rural Electric Power

Committee. In addition he has served as the RUS liaison to various subcommittees of the

NRECA T&D Engineering Committee. He is also a registered professional engineer in the

Commonwealth of Virginia.

March 15, 2000 1

List of Materials

Harvey L. Bowles, PE

Electric Staff Division

Rural Utilities Service

March 15, 2000 2
March 15, 2000 3

List of Materials

What is it?

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List of Materials

• Convenient compilation of those

“domestic” items that have been accepted

by the Technical Standards Committees

• Published each July

• Supplements in October, January, April

• Copy sent to each borrower
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List of Materials

• For sale by Government Printing Office:

Phone 202-720-8674 for ordering information

• Available on RUS web site:

www.usda.gov/rus/electric/listof.htm

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List of Materials - What it isn’t

• It is not a manufacturer’s catalog

• It is not meant to include every product

from a manufacturer

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Questions

If there is a question concerning whether

a product has received acceptance,

contact the Chair of Technical Standards

Committee “A”.

202-720-0980
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How does a product show up

in the List of Materials?

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Technical Standards Committees

What are they?

What do they do?
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Rural Utilities Service

Northern Regional Division Power Supply Division

Southern Regional Division

Distribution Branch Transmission Branch

Technical Standards Committee "A" Energy Forecasting Branch

Electric Staff Division

RUS Electric Program

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Technical Standards Committees

• Established in 1941

• Considers -

– Items of material and equipment

– Drawings

– Specifications and standards

• Two Committees - “A” and “B”
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Technical Standards Committee “A”

• Membership

– Chairman - Permanent (Non-voting)

– Four Voting Members (Rotating)

• Two engineers from Electric Staff Division

• One engineer from Northern Regional Division

• One engineer from Southern Regional Division

– Four Alternates

– Staggered four month terms

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Technical Standards Committee “A”

• Considers items of material and equipment

– In general, RUS requires the same information

that most utilities would require

– In some cases, RUS requirements may be more

stringent than national standards because of the

area we serve. For example:

• Telephone Influence Factor (TIF)

• Radio Interference Voltage (RIV)
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Technical Standards Committee “A”

– Application submitted by manufacturer

• Production item

• Test data showing compliance with standards

• Catalog data

• Engineering data

• Drawings

• Production samples

• Statement of origin

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Technical Standards Committee “A”

– Review by specialist (Electric Staff Division)

• Uniform requirements

• National standards

• RUS requirements

• Test or evaluate sample

• Prepares recommendation

for TSC”A” ESD

Distribution
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Creative Product Testing

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"Non-standard" product designs

• Insulator pins with non-lead threads

– What parameters need to be considered?

• Ground rod clamps

– What parameters need to be considered?
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Technical Standards Committee “A”

• Agenda distributed a week

prior to meeting to allow

the Committee time to

review the staff

recommendation and

the material submitted

by the manufacturer

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Technical Standards Committee “A”

• Actions

– Accept

– Reject

– Table

• Vote must be unanimous
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Technical Standards Committee “A”

• Also considers RUS issued

technical publications,

including specifications,

standards, and drawings

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Technical Standards Committee “A”

• Letter of acceptance is

provided to the manufacturer

Acceptance
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Technical Standards Committee “B”

• Considers appeals of adverse decisions of

Technical Standards Committee “A”

• Considers those items where a unanimous

decision was not reached at Committee “A”

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Technical Standards Committee “B”

• Membership

– Director, Electric Staff Division (Chair)

– Director, Northern Regional Division

– Director, Southern Regional Division

– Non-voting secretary (Chair, TSC”A”)

– Alternates
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Technical Standards Committee “B”

• Actions

– Accept

– Reject

– Table

– Vote - majority (not unanimous)

• Manufacturer notified of action

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Technical Standards Committees

• Committee “A” has met 1574 times

• Committee “B” has met 62 times
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Types of Acceptance

• Domestic (U.S. or Eligible Country)

– Full

– Conditional

• May be used only under conditions listed

• Contractor must have permission of borrower

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Types of Acceptance

• Non-Domestic

– Technical

• With or without conditions

• Valid for one year

• Renewable
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Eligible Country?

What is an eligible country?

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• An “eligible country” is any country that

applies with respect to the United States an

agreement ensuring reciprocal access for

United States products and services and

United States suppliers to the markets of

that country, as determined by the United

States Trade Representative.

Eligible Countries
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Eligible Countries

– The United States Trade Representative

determines if a country is eligible, not RUS

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List of countries

Austria Germany

Belgium Greece

Canada Ireland

Denmark Israel

Finland Italy

France Japan
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List of countries

Korea Singapore

Luxembourg Spain

Mexico Sweden

Netherlands Switzerland

Norway United Kingdom

Portugal

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Two Part Test

• Item must be manufactured in the United

States or eligible country, and

• Item must be substantially all from articles,

materials, and supplies mined, produced, or

manufactured in the United States or

eligible country
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 What if I need to

use something

that does not

have acceptance?

March 15, 2000 36

Product Acceptance

VS

Case-by-Case Approval
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Product Acceptance

• Initiated by manufacturer

• Action by Technical Standards Committees

• Accepted “domestic” products included in

List of Materials

March 15, 2000 38

Case-by-case Approval

• Initiated by borrower

• Action by regional office

• For use of a non-accepted product which is

in a category shown in the List of Materials

(standard construction)

• Products used in non-standard construction
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Case-by-case Approval

• RUS is prohibited from issuing blanket

approvals - must be case-by-case

• Justification, Justification, Justification

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Design changes

Manufacturers are required to notify RUS of

any change in the product that affects the

product electrically or mechanically
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Equipment Failures

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Equipment failures

• Is it an isolated case, or the tip of an

iceberg?

• Talk to the manufacturer

– Provide details

• Talk to your neighbors

• Notify RUS
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Voiding of Acceptance Actions

• Recommendation from staff

• Notice provided to manufacturer

• Manufacturer has ten days to indicate that

additional information will be submitted

• Additional information must be provided

within twenty days

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Voiding of Acceptance Actions

• Technical Standards Committee “A” may:

– Order the immediate voiding of acceptance

– Condition the item's continued acceptance

– Recommend a basis of settlement which will

adequately protect the interest of the

Government
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Voiding of Acceptance Actions

• Technical Standards Committee “A” may:

– Delay the effectiveness of its decision to allow

for appeal to Technical Standards

Committee “B”

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How to avoid problems

• Incoming product inspection

• Certified test reports

• Plant visits

• Follow manufacturer’s recommendations

for special handling

– Some manufacturers offer video tapes, etc.
March 15, 2000 47

Alternative materials

• Compare apples to apples, not apples to

oranges

• Look at entire product, not just one feature

• Compare differences in application and

handling

March 15, 2000 48

Questions?

• What does the future

hold?

– List of Materials in

database format

– More subcategories

(ratings, etc.)

– Removal of obsolete

items