§ 800.198 Contracts.

(a) Services contracted and who may apply. The Service may enter into a contract with any person, State, or governmental agency to perform on an occasional basis: (1) Specified official sampling, laboratory testing, or other similar objective technical activities involved in the testing of grain for official factors or official criteria, and (2) Monitoring activities in foreign ports with respect to export grain that has been inspected and weighed under the Act. (b) Restrictions—(1) Conflict of interest. A person, State or governmental agency with a conflict of interest prohibited by section 11 of the Act or § 800.199 shall not be eligible to enter into a contract with the Service. (2) Appeal service. An agency or employees of agencies shall not be eligible to enter into a contract with the Service to obtain samples for, or to perform other services involved in appeal inspection or Board appeal inspection services. However, agencies may forward file samples to the Service in accordance with § 800.156(d). (3) Monitoring services. Agencies, employees of agencies, organizations, employees of organizations, and other persons that regularly provide official services to persons who export grain from the United States are eligible to enter into a contract with the Service to perform monitoring services on export grain in foreign ports only if they are under Service employees' direct supervision during monitoring activities. (c) When and how to apply. An application for a contractual arrangement shall: (1) Be typewritten or legibly written in English; (2) conform to the invitation to bid or other instructions issued by the Service or be filed on a form furnished by the Service; (3) show or be accompanied by documents which show any information requested by the Service; and (4) be signed by the applicant or its chief operating officer. All contracts shall be issued by the Department and shall follow Departmental procedures. (d) Termination and renewal. A contract with the Service shall terminate annually unless othewise provided in the contract. A contract may be renewed in accordance with Departmental procedures. (e) Cancellation. A contract may, upon request of the governmental agency or person that entered into the contract with the Service, be canceled by the Department in accordance with the terms of the contract or Departmental procedures and regulations.