Where Industry and Security Intersect
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Under Title I of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended (DPA), the President is authorized to require preferential acceptance and performance of contracts or orders supporting certain approved national defense and energy programs, and to allocate materials, services, and facilities in such a manner as to promote these approved programs. Additional priorities authority is found in Section 18 of the Selective Service Act of 1948, in 10 U.S.C. 2538, and in 50 U.S.C. 82. The DPA priorities and allocations authority has also been extended to support emergency preparedness activities under Title VI of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act).
The Department of Commerce is delegated authority to implement these priorities and allocations provisions for industrial resources. Within Commerce, the BIS Office of Strategic Industries and Economic Security (SIES) is assigned the responsibility to administer this authority. The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) regulation (15 CFR 700) was established to carry out this responsibility.
The purpose of the DPAS is to (1) assure the timely availability of industrial resources to meet current national defense and emergency preparedness program requirements; and (2) provide an operating system to support rapid industrial response in a national emergency. In pursuing these goals we attempt to minimize disruptions to normal commercial activities.
Originally published in 1984, the DPAS was revised (63 FR 31918) on June 11, 1998, to update, streamline, modify, and clarify a number of its provisions, make it more effective and efficient in the post-Cold War era, and ensure that it is responsive to current industry practices.
The revised DPAS regulation, along with Questions and Answers about the DPAS, and the priorities and allocations provisions of the Defense Production Act, Selective Service Act, and Stafford Act, are published in a booklet that is available in PDF format below and in hard copy from SIES (see contact information below). Similarly available is a copy of Form BIS-999 (formerly BXA-999) used to request Special Priorities Assistance as provided in the regulation. This form may be prepared either electonically and submitted by email, or in writing and submitted by FAX or mail service. If you are not familiar with the DPAS, we suggest that you first read the booklet Preface for more complete introductory information.
(Note: You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these pdf documents.)
Please note that for any Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom requirement, regardless of the urgency of the requirement, no DPAS user may change the priority level designation of a contract or purchase order from the lower priority "DO" to the higher priority "DX" without express written authorization from the Secretary of Defense, or from the Department of Commerce, acting on behalf of the Secretary of Defense.
For any further information or questions about the DPAS; requests for hard copy of the DPAS booklet or Form BIS-999; or requests for any DPAS training materials, including view charts in Powerpoint and a 20 minute video tape, please contact Richard V. Meyers, DPAS Program Manager at BIS/SIES, Room 3876, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C. 20230; telephone (202) 482-3634; FAX (202) 482-5650, or send email to Mr. Meyers.