DLA TROOP SUPPORT M 4155.6

 SUBSECTION 101.1

 DLA TROOP SUPPORT-FTRE

 August 2011

DLA TROOP SUPPORT M 4155.6

DLA TROOP SUPPORT SUBSISTENCE INSPECTION MANUAL 4155.6

I. REFERENCES. The documents listed form the basis for the subsistence inspection program.

A. Acts.

 1. Humane Slaughter Act (1958: 7USC 1901-1906) Public Law 86-547.

 2. Federal Meat Inspection Act (9CFR 301-329)

 3. Poultry Products Inspection Act (9CFR 381)

 4. Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 301-392)

B. Agreements.

 1.Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)/U.S. Department of Commerce (USDC) Agreement for 

Inspection Services by USDC.

 2. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)/U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agreement 

regarding export certification.

 3. Memorandum of Understanding between U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Logistics 

Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service and Federal Grain 

Inspection Service relative to the inspection, certification, and acceptance of subsistence products.

 4. Memorandum of Agreement for Subsistence Items Between Defense Support Center 

Philadelphia and U.S. Army Natick Research and Development Center.

C. Manuals.

 1. DLAM 4140.2, Supply Operations Manual, Distribution System Procedures Vol. 1.

 2. DLAM 4140.2, Defense Supply Center Operating Procedures, Vol II Part 3.

 3. DLAM 4155.5, Appendix S, Quality Control Depot Serviceability Standards, Subsistence.(to 

be used as a historical document or reference only)

__________

This Subsection supersedes Subsection 101.1, June 2010

SUBSECTION 101.1

DLA TROOP SUPPORT M 4155.6
 4. The Federal In-Plant Food Quality Assurance Manual, USDA.

D. Regulations.

 1. DLAR 4140.21, DLA Value Engineering Program.

 2. DLAR 4155.3/AR 30-12/NAVSUPINST 4355.28/AFR 74-51/MCO 10110.21, Inspection of 

Subsistence Supplies and Services.(in revision)

 3. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

 4. DLAR 4155.26/AR 40-660/NAVSUPINST 10110.8/AFR 161-42/MCO 10110.38B, DoD 

Hazardous Food and Nonprescription Drug Recall System.

 5. AR 40-657/NAVSUPINST 4355.4/AFR 161-32/MCO P10110.31, Medical Services, 

Veterinary/Medical Food Inspection.

 6. MEDCOM 40-28 Veterinary Standardization Policies and Procedures

E. Military Standards

 1. Institutional Organization for Standards (ISO), American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 

American Society for Quality Control (ASQC) 

 2. MIL-STD 129 Marking for Shipment and Storage (in revision)

 3. MIL-STD 3006 Sanitary Standards for Food Plants

 4. MIL-STD 904 Guidelines for Detection, Evaluation and Prevention of Pest Infestation of 

Subsistence Items (in revision)

 5. ISO 10012-1 and ANSI 2540-1 or comparable standards

II. PURPOSE AND SCOPE. This Manual is published to provide technical instructions to certain 

activities which furnish subsistence quality assurance and inspection support to the DLA Troop 

Support ; to promote uniform and satisfactory accomplishment of DLA Troop Support subsistence 

inspection; to describe the interface between Quality Assurance Representatives (QAR), personnel 

performing the contract quality assurance function, contracting officers, and ordering officers, and 

to control all phases of quality assurance and inspection incident to DLA Troop Support

subsistence items.

III. POLICY.

A. The terms of the contract take legal precedence.

B. This Subsection may be used for reference purposes by DLA Troop Support, and other DLA 

Troop Support Subsistence Acquisition Elements (Defense Supply Centers)(DSC), Defense 

Subsistence Officers (DSO), Defense Contract Administration Agency(DCMA), and 

Administrative Contracting Officers (ACO)), and by others who may be interested. This Manual 

IS NOT a contractual document. It is a compilation of instructions concerning inspection and 

reporting procedures.

C. Verification procedures not pertaining to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)/U.S. 

Department of Commerce (USDC) need not be distributed to these agencies.

D. When the QAR is directed elsewhere in this Manual to report inspection findings to the 

Subsistence contracting officer or the contracting officer, reporting shall be through the appropriate 

personnel performing the contract quality assurance function. These personnel shall be the point of 

contact between such contracting officers and QARs. When the QAR is directed to report to the 

DCMA ACO, reporting shall be directly to the ACO. When the QAR is directed to report to the 

ordering officer, reporting shall be directly to the Ordering Officer as applicable.

IV. DEFINITIONS. For the purpose of this Manual, the following definitions shall apply:

A. Contract Quality Assurance. An acquisition support function assigned to Quality Assurance 

Specialists (Subsistence). This function is performed at the following locations:

 SUBSECTION 101.1
 DLA TROOP SUPPORT M 4155.6

1. DLA Troop Support, Product Services Office, Directorate of Subsistence, Philadelphia, PA. 700 

Robbins Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19111 

2. DLA Troop Support-Pacific, Office of Quality Assurance, , 440 Fuller Way, Bldg. 280, Pearl 

Harbor, HI. 96860-4967

 3. DLA Troop Support, Office of Quality Assurance, 

Kleber Kaserne, Building 3229, Mannheimerstrasse 218/219 ,Kaierslautern, Germany

B. Quality Assurance Specialists (QAS). Personnel performing administrative and technical work 

concerned with monitoring, controlling, and maintaining the quality and reliability of goods and/or 

services.

C. Quality Assurance Representatives (QAR). All Government (Military, USDA, USDC, DCAS) 

personnel acting in their official capacity as the agency or service which they represent. This term 

"QAR" excludes all contractor-paid Government grading/inspection personnel.

D. Subsistence Contracting Officer (also see subparagraph V.A.). This term applies to an 

individual warranted by the Directorate of Subsistence, located in DLA Troop Support, as well as 

in other DLA Troop Support Subsistence Contracting Elements (SCE) for the acquisition of 

subsistence items. Also referred to as contracting officer. (CO or KO) 

 1. Contracting Officers are Subsistence contracting officers, such as those located at DLA Troop 

Support and other DLA Troop Support locations, who are primarily responsible for the negotiations 

for the acquisition of subsistence supplies and services..

 2. Administrative Contracting Officers (ACO) are contracting officers located at various Defense 

Contract Administration Agency (DCMA), who are involved with administering the contract after 

the award has been made.

E. Ordering Officer. This term applies to the person or Ordering Officer authorized to place 

orders for subsistence items against a DLA Troop Support requirements type/indefinite delivery 

type/Prime Vendor (PV) contract.

F. Verification Inspection. Inspection performed by Government inspection personnel to verify 

the reliability of the contractor's inspection system. The term is not applicable to examinations and 

grading performed by USDA/USDC personnel hired by the contractor to perform those functions 

required by the contract. However, under "Optional Contractor Testing" Clause and "Certificate of 

Conformance" Clause in DLA Troop Support contracts, the USDA/USDC inspectors perform the 

verification function of sending samples of the contractor's end product and/or components to a 

Government laboratory.

V. BACKGROUND.

A. Contract Management Agency Functions performed by the Defense Contract Management 

Agency (DCMA) for certain semi perishable and non-food contracts include the major functional 

areas of production, transportation, contract administration, and contractor payment. This includes 

semiperishable contracts inspected by the USDA and Military Veterinary/Medical Services in 

addition to those inspected by DCMA QARs. This assignment of contract administration 

responsibilities results in separation of duties with some duties performed by a Subsistence 

contracting officer and some by DCMA. The contracting officer is responsible 

for contract administration duties in perishable subsistence areas and certain semiperishable areas 

(e.g., local purchase items). 

For DCMA administered contracts, the general method of operation is for the Subsistence 

contracting officer to award the contract and make the inspection assignment. Subsequently, the 

 

 SUBSECTION 101.1
 DLA Troop Support M 4155.6

contract package is transferred to the DCMA QAR’s in whose geographic area the contractor's 

plant is located. DCMA shall administer the contract through the ACO, except for non-delegated 

functions retained by the contracting officer.

 

 

B. Manual Organization and Numbering System.

 1. The Subsistence Inspection Manual is divided into two parts. Each has a number of sections 

pertaining to general topics. Within each section may be Subsections dealing with material related 

to the general topic. The sections numbered in the "100" series pertain primarily to administrative 

policies. Sections numbered in the "200" series pertain to technical quality assurance and 

inspection policies and procedures.

 2. The Subsistence Inspection Manual numbering system is a modification of the Dewey 

Decimal System. All pages are identified as to Section, Subsection, and page number.

EXAMPLE:

 

 207 TESTING (This is the Section number and General Topical Heading).

 207.3 Contractor Testing (This is the Subsection number and specific Subtopical heading).

VI. RESPONSIBILITIES. The basic responsibilities associated with the various types of 

inspection services to be performed in compliance with the quality assurance and inspection 

program are:

A. Supervisory Inspection Personnel are responsible for assuring that the QARs are properly 

trained and qualified to perform inspection on contracts assigned to them.

B. The QAR is responsible for assuring that:

 1. He/she is familiar with all phases of the quality assurance and inspection program.

 2. Subsistence offered for acceptance conforms to the terms of the contract.

 3. All pertinent contractual documents are immediately available for each assignment. 

In the event documents are not available, the QAR shall confirm requirements with the applicable 

personnel performing the contract quality assurance function.

C. The Supplier Support Office, Technical Branch (DLA Troop Support-FTSA) shall maintain 

this publication in a current status and review it tri-annually. 

D. DLA Troop Support Contracting Personnel are responsible for supplying QARs with contracts 

and other necessary documents for inspections.

For Operational Rations contract information, please visit 

http://www.troopsupport.dla.mil/subs/rations/programs/index.asp.

For Prime Vendor contracts, please visit

http://www.troopsupport.dla.mil/subs/pv/regions/index.asp.

For all Quality Assurance Publications, please visit

http://www.troopsupport.dla.mil/subs/support/qapubs/index.asp.

For all other documentation, such as CIDs, PCRs, ACRs, etc... visit

http://www.troopsupport.dla.mil/subs/support/specs/procure.asp.

VII. PROCEDURES. 

A. Normally, inspection shall not be performed unless a copy of the contract (or other acquisition 

instrument) and related documents are at hand. Every effort shall be made to accomplish prior 

notice of formal inspection assignment to field inspection activities before the contractor begins 

production on a contract.

 
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 DLA Troop Support M4155.6

Occasionally, circumstances may require initiation of inspection prior to receipt of an inspection 

assignment or formal request from the SCE awarding the contract. In such instances, the QAR may 

initiate inspection based on a contractor furnished Notice of Award, Invitation for Bid/Request for 

Proposal (IFB/RFP), Subsistence Master Solicitation, or similar document containing adequate 

information as to contract requirements. Reports shall be annotated to reflect source of data. If the 

contractor is unable to furnish this, or if there is a serious question as to its accuracy, the QAR is 

authorized to telephone (collect if necessary) the appropriate personnel performing the contract 

quality assurance function in support of the subsistence contracting element which awarded the 

contract to request the necessary information to perform the inspection. Good judgment should be 

exercised to preclude expenditure of time and monies for nonessential communications. End item 

and subsidiary specifications are generally made available to inspection personnel on a one time 

basis. Upon completion of an assignment, the Subsistence Master Solicitation, Specifications, 

Amendments and Deviations shall be retained for future use.

B. The findings of inspection personnel shall be properly reported through normal channels to the 

appropriate contracting officer, ordering officer and/or receiving officer, including use of 

appropriate forms referenced in this Manual.

C. Inspection personnel are urged to submit suggestions, comments, and recommendations 

(through appropriate channels) to DLA Troop Support, ATTN: Supplier Support Office (DLA 

Troop Support-FTSA) for improvement of quality assurance provisions, sampling plans, 

specifications and other related inspection documents, with a copy of the letter to the Commander, 

Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC), RDNS-CFF, 15 

Kansas Street, Natick, MA. 1760-5018. Generally, suggestions, comments and recommendations 

shall first be reviewed, approved, or resolved at the inspection office or supervisory inspection level 

within the scope of the contractual terms.

D. Comments are also invited on matters pertaining to procedures and instructions contained in 

this Manual or other material which affect the Quality Assurance mission. Such suggestions, 

comments and recommendations shall be acknowledged and given due and careful consideration. 

When deficiencies exist in either technical data packages or specifications referenced in 

Subsistence contracts with short lead time, the QAR shall notify DSCP-FTSA, DSCP-E or DSCPP, as applicable. Written report of technical data package deficiency shall be made by submittal of 

completed DD Form 1716, Procurement Data Package Recommendation/Deficiency Report. 

Written report of specification deficiency shall be submitted on DD Form 1716.

E. Material published in this Manual which needs interpretation shall be referred to the next in line 

of responsibility for clarification. 

 

BY ORDER OF THE COMMANDER

 

KATHRYN YONTZ

Chief, Base Supply and 

Administrative Support Division 

Directorate of Support