Acceptance

ContractMO said:

Can acceptance be made just based on what the recipient enters as confirmation of goods into our automated system?

Currently, the vendor enters information about what they will ship and the recipient confirms. Acceptance happens after receipt of delivery reports and invoice. The confirmation of goods is crossed checked against the invoice and supporting documents.

Can we accept goods based off what the recipient enters without crosschecking against supporting documents?

By "acceptance", do you mean as defined in FAR 46.101? Are you asking whether you can accept without inspection or are you asking whether you can accept without verification of receipt?

In addition to Vern's question, what do you mean by "confirmation of goods"?

The vendors that we purchase from deliver directly to the recipient. The recipient inspects (counts quantity and condition) and enters this information into our system. I'm wondering if the information is already entered into the system, if we are required to check a hard document. This document is uploaded, by the vendor, along with their invoice. Acceptance happens when our contracting staff receives delivery document, with invoice, and checks it against what the recipient has reported.

Does this language from FAR 46.501 help "Acceptance shall ordinarily be evidenced by execution of an acceptance certificate on an inspection or receiving report form or commercial shipping document/packing list"?  To me, the operative word is "ordinarily."  This indicates there can be other ways of evidencing acceptance by the government.

I looked at that language, yesterday. I thought I would ask to see if anyone came across this situation because processes seem to be moving toward more automation.