1-102 General.

(a)  Significant resources are dedicated to the acquisition and management of parts for military systems and equipment. The ability to competitively buy spares must be considered early in a weapon system acquisition. Initially, repairable or consumable parts are identified and acquired through a provisioning process; repairable or consumable parts acquired thereafter are for replenishment.

(b)  The objective of the DoD Spare Parts Breakout Program is to reduce costs through the use of competitive procurement methods, or the purchase of parts directly from the actual manufacturer rather than the prime contractor, while maintaining the integrity of the systems and equipment in which the parts are to be used. The program is based on the application of sound management and engineering judgment in-

(1)  Determining the feasibility of acquiring parts by competitive procedures or direct purchase from actual manufacturers; and

(2)  Overcoming or removing constraints to breakout identified through the screening process (technical review) described in 3-302.

(c)  The breakout program includes procedures for screening and coding parts in order to provide contracting officers summary information regarding technical data and sources of supply to meet the Government's minimum requirements. This information assists the contracting officer in selecting the method of contracting, identifying sources of supply, and making other decisions in the preaward and award phases, with consideration for established parameters of system and equipment integrity, readiness, and the opportunities to competitively acquire parts (see FAR/DFARS Part 6). The identification of sources for parts, for example, requires knowledge of manufacturing sources, additional operations performed after manufacture of parts possessing safety or other critical characteristics, and the availability of technical data.

(d)  The result of the screening process (technical review is indicated by an acquisition method code (AMC) and an acquisition method suffix code (AMSC). The breakout program provides procedures for both the initial assignment of an AMC and an AMSC to a part, and for the recurring review of these codes (see 2-202 and 2-203(b)).