The Role of Contractors in International
Codification and NSN Assignment
NATO codification, which results in the assignment of NSNs to items
of supply, is a government-to-government function. Normally, the only
role contractors play is to provide technical documentation or part
number verification to the National Codification Bureau (NCB) of the
country assigning the NSNs. NSNs are assigned by the country of manufacture,
not the country that requires an NSN assignment. Also, note that "NSN"
may stand for National Stock Number or NATO Stock Number, but they
both refer to the same thing.
An example of how the process can work is as follows: Let's say a
U.S. company has a contract to sell a system to the Italian Air Force.
The Italian Air Force should work with the Italian National Codification
Bureau to ensure that codification of the spare parts for the system
takes place. That process may include the Italian Air Force providing
tech data to the Italian NCB that it has obtained from the U.S. company.
The Italian NCB will take care of contacting the U.S. NCB for assignment
of NSNs and will forward any tech data it has obtained from the Italian
Air Force to the U.S. NCB to assist item identification and NSN assignment.
In any case, though, NATO NCBs assign NSNs, not the contractors who
sell systems and spare parts.
Countries participating in the NATO Codification System do so at different
levels:
- NATO partners (except Iceland) perform the full range of cataloging
services.
- Non-NATO countries that are sponsored at the Tier 1 level (for
example, Thailand) use the NCS data but do not catalog for NATO
countries
- Non-NATO countries that are sponsored at the Tier 2 level (for
example, Australia) perform the same role as NATO partners.
Part and parcel of codification is the assignment of NCAGE codes.
This important task identifies companies that produce goods for the
government, using a five-digit code. The code is used in the codification
data in tandem with the company's part numbers. Applicable data pertaining
to the company is gathered and maintained by the country.
A U.S. point of contact for the NCS is as follows:
Defense Logistics Information Service/U.S. National Codification Bureau
DLIS-VBC
74 North Washington Avenue
Battle Creek, MI 49037-3084 USA
PHONE: 1(269) 961-5448
FAX: 1(269) 961-4760
E-MAIL:
ncbus@dla.mil
Web Links Recommend for
Contractors
Commercial
and Government Entity Codes (CAGE) - http://www.dlis.dla.mil/cageserv.asp.
The CAGE Code is a five-position code that identifies contractors
doing business with the Federal Government, NATO member nations, and
other foreign governments. For more information on CAGE or to inquiry
about a CAGE, please visit this site.
NATO
Codification System -
http://www.nato.int/structur/AC/135/NCS/index.htm.
Overview of the NATO Codification System.
NATO
National Codification Bureau (NCB) Points of Contact - http://www.nato.int/structur/AC/135/NCS/contact.htm.
This site contains the addresses, phone, and FAX numbers of each of
the NATO NCBs.
Central
Contractor Registration (CCR) Homepage http://www.ccr.gov
- Prospective contractors must be registered in CCR prior to the award
of a contract, basic agreement, basic ordering agreement, or blanket
purchase agreement, unless the award results from a solicitation issued
on or before May 31, 1998. Start, Update, or renew a CCR registration
or search CCR from this site.
Federal Business Opportunities - http://www.dodbusopps.com.
- Educate yourself with the policies and practices of working with
the Department of Defense (DoD). Locate new business opportunities.
Research each solicitation you have found. Register with Central Contractor
Registration (CCR). Bid on the solicitations by sending proposals
and associated materials to the respective DoD Service and Agency
sites. Win new work with the DoD!
U.S.
General Supply Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Service
Information - http://www.fss.gsa.gov/ - The official
Federal source for government purchasing.
How
to Become a GSA Federal Supply Schedule Partner - http://www.fss.gsa.gov/schedules/do_biz.cfm
- This site includes steps on how to get started in applying for your
GSA Federal Supply Schedule contract, the Federal Service Contractor
Guide, and Contracting Opportunities and Solicitations.
Small Business
Offices - http://www.sba.gov/regions/states.html This site
provides small businesses wishing to do business with the U.S.
Government with a link to all of the U.S. Small Business Offices.
Federal
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Rules and Regulations
- www.eeoc.gov/ - The GSA Office of Civil Rights Employment
Opportunity Home Page.
Guide
to NATO Codification - http://www.nato.int/structur/AC/135/ncs_guide/e_guide.htm.
This booklet contains an explanation of the NATO Codification System
(NCS) as used by NATO countries and agencies. It has particular significance
for manufacturers and contractors producing and supplying items in
accordance with national or NATO contracts where use of the NATO Codification
System is specified.
FLIS on the Web - http://www.dlis.dla.mil/webflis/
- The web based application of the Department of Defense (DoD) Federal
Logistics Information System. Allows users to obtain basic information
about National Stock Numbers (NSNs).
Interactive
Government Industry Reference Data Edit and Review (iGIRDER)-
http://www.dlis.dla.mil/igirder/default.asp
- The GIRDER Program provides private companies a means to review
reference number data assigned to their CAGE code and identify obsolete,
incomplete, or inaccurate information. Since government procurement
utilizes the Federal Cataloging System (FCS), it is important that
only accurate data is recorded. Without accurate reference number
data, you could miss the opportunity to do business with the government.
The
U.S. Air Force Small Business Office - http://www.robins.af.mil/smallbusiness/index.htm
This site is an excellent resource for small businesses interested
in being considered as a potential vendor for the supplies/services
acquired by Warner-Robins Air Logistics Center (WR-ALC). Additionally,
this site contains hypertext links to other valuable sources of information
for small business.
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