Agricultural Marketing Service, Specialty Crops Program, Specialty Crops Inspection Division

Billing Divisions of the Specialty Crops Program for Inspection Services (March 2017)

SCI Division Management Series

Page 1 of 7

BILLING DIVISIONS OF THE SPECIALTY CROPS PROGRAM FOR INSPECTION 

SERVICES

The following guidance and procedures are to be used by Federal market offices and 

Federal/State inspection offices when billing divisions within the Specialty Crops Program 

(SCP) for services performed by a Specialty Crops Inspection Division (SCI) or Federal/State 

(F/S) inspector.

Billing Form and Charge Computation

A. Services Rendered to SCP Divisions: 

Federal market and Federal/State offices should prepare Form SC-213, “Inspection or 

Audit Services Rendered to Other SC Program Divisions,” whenever services are 

performed at the request of a SCP office. Typically, bills are issued to one of the 

following Divisions:

1. SCI Division. For official sampling of products.

2. PACA Division. For Inspections performed for the documentation of compliance 

under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act.

3. Marketing Order and Agreement Division (MOAD). For inspections performed 

for the documentation of compliance under the Agricultural Marketing 

Agreement Act of 1937.

B. Computation of Charges:

1. Service Time: 

Bill sampling or inspection time on an hourly basis as determined by the actual 

amount of on-site time required to perform the service.

Bill regular hours at the current SCI Division regular hourly rate, and bill 

overtime and holiday hours at the combined SCI Division regular and premium 

hourly rate. Do not charge overtime to another SCP Division when the service 

performed during overtime hours could have been performed during regular hours 

had it been given priority (e.g. when a service to a SCP Division is deferred in 
SCI Division Management Series Billing Divisions of the Specialty Crops

Program for Inspection Services

Effective Date: March 2017 Page 2 of 7

order to accommodate commercial requests for inspections of more perishable 

commodities).

2. Expenses: 

Assess travel charges in accordance with SCI Division guidance. Charge all other 

expenses (e.g. tolls, cost of shipping, etc.) incurred in travel to and from the 

service site and in performance of the service.

Preparing the SC-213 Form

To prepare the SC-213, complete each of the areas designated by column or block title with the 

information described below. If more than one inspector was provided during the period, be sure 

to enter charges for each separately. (See Example I in which the areas correspond to the areas

listed below.)

A. “SCP Division Receiving Service”: 

Enter the name of the SCP Division that received the sampling or inspection service.

B. “Location of Service” and “Month and Year of Service(s)”: 

Enter the city and state of the SCP office that requested the service and the month and 

year the service(s) were provided.

C. “Month and Year of Corresponding FV-218”: 

This block is only for the use of F/S offices. Enter the month and year of the FV-218 

upon which the State received credit for the service.

D. “Service Description” Enter the following items:

1. Date(s) the service was performed;

2. Name and title of the SCI Division or F/S inspector who conducted the service;

3. Name(s) of the commodity(ies) upon which the service was conducted, name of 

the applicant, and location where the service was performed; and

4. Notice of Sampling or Certificate Number.

E. “Hours Worked’ and ‘Hourly Rate”: 

Enter the number of regular hours utilized to conduct the service and the hourly rate 

charged; also enter the number of overtime or holiday hours and the hourly rate charged.
SCI Division Management Series Billing Divisions of the Specialty Crops

Program for Inspection Services

Effective Date: March 2017 Page 3 of 7

F. “Total Charge for Time”: 

Enter the total charged for the hours of service (multiply regular hours by the hourly rate 

and add any overtime charged).

G. “Expenses Incurred”:

1. Travel Charges. Enter the standard service mileage for regularly serviced sites, or 

actual round-trip mileage for infrequently serviced sites. Multiply this by the 

travel expense rate to determine the total travel charge.

2. Other Expenses. Enter the total charged for each additional expense incurred. 

Identify the expenses as specifically as possible.

H. “Total Charge for Service”: 

Enter the total of all charges for each inspector. It is important to specify the charges for 

each inspector individually.

I. “Grand Total for All Services”: 

Enter the sum of all amounts listed in the “Total” column.

J. “Credit the Inspection Program of the State of ...”: 

This block is only for the use of F/S offices. Enter the name of the State which has 

provided the inspector(s) and taken a credit for the “Grand Total” on its FV-218.

K. “Federal Market Office Providing Service(s)”: 

This block is only for the use of FM offices. Enter the name of the Federal market office 

providing the inspector(s) for the service.

L. “Signature of Federal Supervisor or Officer-In-Charge”: 

The officer-in-charge (if a FM office provided the service) or the Federal Program 

Manager or designee (if the State provided the service) must sign in this block to validate 

the SC-213.
SCI Division Management Series Billing Divisions of the Specialty Crops

Program for Inspection Services

Effective Date: March 2017 Page 4 of 7

Distributing the Documentation of Services Rendered to Other Branches

A. General

1. Original SC-213: 

Federal market offices will promptly send the completed form to Inspection 

Services at the address below. 

Randle Macon, Associate Director 

USDA, AMS, SCP, SCI

Inspection Services 

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Room 1536-S, Stop 0240

Washington, DC 20250-0240

A copy of the SC-213 and either one copy of the certificate or one copy of the 

Notice of Sampling with its corresponding inspection request form, FV-237 or 

FV-356, must also be sent to the appropriate Regional office. 

2. F/S offices will retain the completed form and attach it to the FV-218 upon which 

the State receives credit for the service; the FV-218 and the attached SC-213 

form(s) should be sent by the 20th day of the following month to the appropriate 

Federal Program Managers for review.

3. One copy of the SC-213 to remain on file at the issuing office.

B. Distribute to the Division serviced: 

1. SCI Division: 

One copy of the SC-213 and one copy of both the Notice of Sampling and the 

inspection request, form FV-237 or FV-356, to the SCI office requesting services.

Note: 

The Notice of Sampling is a serially numbered document only in the Fresh 

Electronic Inspection Reporting/Resource System (FEIRS). For paper 

documents, it is suggested that for record-keeping purposes a number be assigned 

and placed in the upper right hand corner. The number may be created as follows: 

• The first numeral indicates the month of the date of the sampling and 

• The second numeral indicates the position in the sequence of bills issued 

that month; e.g. “5-1” would signify “May, first bill.” 
SCI Division Management Series Billing Divisions of the Specialty Crops

Program for Inspection Services

Effective Date: March 2017 Page 5 of 7

The assigned number would be shown on the SC-213 (see Preparing the SC-213 

Form).

2. PACA Division: 

One copy of the SC-213 along with the original certificate(s) and one copy of the 

certificate(s) to:

Misbranding Officer

United States Department of Agriculture

AMS – Specialty Crops Program

Investigative Enforcement Branch, PACA Division

1400 Independence Ave., SW Rm. 1509-S

Washington, DC 20250-0242

3. Marketing Order and Agreement Division: 

One copy of the SC-213 along with the original certificate(s) and one copy of the 

certificate(s) to:

Deputy Director, Marketing Order and Agreement Division

USDA, AMS, SCP, MOAD

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Room 1406-S, Stop 0237

Washington, DC 20250-0237

The electronic version of the SC-213 is located on the AMS web site at the following 

link: https://www.ams.usda.gov/resources/sc213.
SCI Division Management Series Billing Divisions of the Specialty Crops

Program for Inspection Services

Effective Date: March 2017 Page 6 of 7

Example I:
SCI Division Management Series Billing Divisions of the Specialty Crops

Program for Inspection Services

Effective Date: March 2017 Page 7 of 7

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