Opinion ID: 596464
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Uniqueness of Materials

Text: 39 The district court found that the Tribe's product was not substantial and important to the completion of the prime contract because, inter alia, the Tribe's product was interchangeable with products of other suppliers and the general contractor could readily find another supplier. 40 No court has adopted a uniqueness or interchangeability requirement to support a subcontractor relationship, and we decline to do so now. Such a requirement would contradict Supreme Court and Ninth Circuit cases that have found subcontractor relationships where materials were not unique. See, e.g., F.D. Rich, 417 U.S. at 119, 94 S.Ct. at 2160 (plywood and millwork); Basich, 159 F.2d at 183 (gravel); Travelers Indem. Co. v. United States for the Use and Benefit of Western Steel Co., 362 F.2d 896 (9th Cir.1966) (structural steel); see also Morrison-Knudson, 687 F.2d at 130 (fabricated pipe); Moon, 698 F.Supp. at 665 (structural steel). The Miller Act would be at least partially dismantled if the uniqueness of the work or material supplied to federal projects had to be established before a subcontractor's supplier could recover. 41