FAR 34.103—Testing and qualification.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 34.103 addresses the testing and qualification of a Title III industrial resource when a contractor receives a request from a Title III project contractor. It explains who must handle the request, how the contracting officer must evaluate whether testing and qualification are justified, when the contract must be modified to require testing, and how the Defense Production Act Office, Title III Program, must support the effort by supplying the resource in quantities needed for testing. The section is aimed at ensuring that Title III resources are only qualified when they are relevant to a major system or item of supply, and that the government does not incur unnecessary qualification costs for production items that will not be needed in meaningful quantities. In practice, this provision creates a formal gatekeeping process: contractors cannot act on Title III testing requests on their own, and contracting officers must make a documented determination based on agency procedures and consultation with the Title III office. The rule matters because qualification testing can be costly, time-sensitive, and essential to integrating a new or alternative industrial source into defense supply chains.
Key Rules
Refer requests to CO
If a contractor receives a request from a Title III project contractor to test and qualify a Title III industrial resource, the contractor must refer the request to the contracting officer. The contractor does not decide whether the testing should proceed.
CO evaluates under agency procedures
The contracting officer must review the request using applicable agency procedures. The evaluation is not discretionary in the abstract; it must be based on the specific criteria stated in the regulation.
Two required findings
The contracting officer must determine both that the industrial resource is being used, or may potentially be used, in developing or manufacturing a major system or item of supply, and that for major systems already in production, the remaining quantities to be acquired are sufficient to justify the cost of testing and qualification.
Consult Title III office
In making the determination, the contracting officer must consult with the Defense Production Act Office, Title III Program, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. This consultation is part of the required decision process.
Modify contract if affirmative
If the contracting officer makes an affirmative determination under paragraph (a), the contracting officer must modify the contract to require the contractor to test the Title III industrial resource for qualification.
Government supplies test material
The Defense Production Act Office, Title III Program, must provide the contractor with the industrial resource produced by the Title III project contractor in sufficient quantities to meet testing needs.
Responsibilities
Contractor
When receiving a request from a Title III project contractor for testing and qualification of a Title III industrial resource, the contractor must refer the request to the contracting officer and await direction. The contractor must also perform testing if the contract is modified to require qualification testing.
Contracting Officer
The contracting officer must evaluate the request under agency procedures, determine whether the resource is relevant to a major system or item of supply and whether production quantities justify the cost, consult with the Defense Production Act Office, Title III Program, and, if the determination is affirmative, modify the contract to require testing and qualification.
Defense Production Act Office, Title III Program
This office must be consulted by the contracting officer during the evaluation and must provide the contractor with the industrial resource produced by the Title III project contractor in quantities sufficient for testing needs.
Title III Project Contractor
This party may request testing and qualification of a Title III industrial resource, but the request must be routed through the contractor to the contracting officer rather than handled directly by the contractor.
Agency
The agency must have procedures in place for the contracting officer to use when evaluating requests under this section and for implementing any resulting contract modification.
Practical Implications
Contractors should not treat a Title III testing request as an informal technical request; it is a procurement action that must be elevated to the contracting officer.
The contracting officer must document the two required findings carefully, especially the production-quantity justification for major systems already in production, because this is the key cost-control check in the rule.
Failure to consult the Defense Production Act Office, Title III Program, can create process defects and delay qualification decisions.
If the determination is affirmative, the contract must be modified; agencies should be prepared for the administrative and schedule impacts of adding a testing requirement.
The government must ensure enough material is provided for testing, so coordination of sample quantities and delivery timing is important to avoid bottlenecks or incomplete qualification efforts.
Official Regulatory Text
(a) Contractors receiving requests from a TitleIII project contractor for testing and qualification of a TitleIII industrial resource shall refer such requests to the contracting officer. The contracting officer shall evaluate the request in accordance with agency procedures to determine whether: (1) the TitleIII industrial resource is being or potentially may be used in the development or manufacture of a major system or item of supply; and (2) for major systems in production, remaining quantities to be acquired are sufficient to justify incurring the cost of testing and qualification. In evaluating this request, the contracting officer shall consult with the Defense Production Act Office, TitleIII Program, located at: Wright Patterson Air Force Base OH 45433-7739. (b) If the determination at 34.103 (a) is affirmative, the contracting officer shall modify the contract to require the contractor to test the TitleIII industrial resource for qualification. (c) The Defense Production Act Office, TitleIII Program, shall provide to the contractor the industrial resource produced by the TitleIII project contractor in sufficient amounts to meet testing needs.