B-95380, JUNE 1, 1950, 29 COMP. GEN. 489
Highlights
EVEN THOUGH ACTUAL DELIVERY OF THE COMPLETED MATERIALS WAS NOT ACCOMPLISHED UNTIL THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. 1950: REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER DATED MAY 15. YOU REQUEST A DECISION AS TO WHETHER THE CHARGE IS A PROPER ONE AGAINST THE FISCAL YEAR APPROPRIATION DESIGNATED IN VIEW OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE CIRCULAR LETTER ADDRESSED TO THE HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS. IN SAID LETTER THIS OFFICE CALLED TO THE ATTENTION OF SUCH OFFICE HEADS FOR APPROPRIATE CORRECTIVE ACTION A PRACTICE THEN IN EXISTENCE WHEREBY REQUISITIONS FOR PRINTING AND BINDING WERE PREPARED AND TRANSMITTED TO THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE DURING THE LATTER PART OF EACH FISCAL YEAR. WHEN THE SUPPLIES OR SERVICES REQUISITIONED WERE NOT INTENDED TO SERVE A BONA FIDE NEED OF THE FISCAL YEAR IN WHICH THE REQUISITIONS WERE ISSUED OR TO REPLACE STOCK USED IN SUCH FISCAL YEAR.
B-95380, JUNE 1, 1950, 29 COMP. GEN. 489
APPROPRIATIONS - FISCAL YEAR - AVAILABILITY BEYOND - PRINTING AND BINDING ORDERED, BUT NOT DELIVERED, PRIOR TO END OF FISCAL YEAR WHERE A REQUISITION FOR PRINTING AND BINDING TRANSMITTED TO THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE DURING THE LATTER PART OF A FISCAL YEAR REPRESENTED A BONA FIDE NEED OF THAT FISCAL YEAR FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF MATERIALS USED DURING THE YEAR, THE COST THEREOF MAY BE CHARGED TO THE PRINTING AND BINDING APPROPRIATION FOR SUCH FISCAL YEAR, EVEN THOUGH ACTUAL DELIVERY OF THE COMPLETED MATERIALS WAS NOT ACCOMPLISHED UNTIL THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
ACTING COMPTROLLER GENERAL YATES TO ABRAHAM STARR, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, JUNE 1, 1950:
REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER DATED MAY 15, 1950, TRANSMITTING A VOUCHER IN FAVOR OF THE PUBLIC PRINTER ( STANDARD FORM 1080), IN THE AMOUNT OF $51,049.59, REPRESENTING PAYMENT FOR SERVICES RENDERED YOUR DEPARTMENT BY THE PUBLIC PRINTER, AND CHARGEABLE TO THE APPROPRIATION ,1390101 PRINTING AND BINDING, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, 1949.' YOU CALL ATTENTION TO AN ITEM INCLUDED THEREIN, FOR $24,071.30 UNDER REQUISITION NO. 2752, DATED JUNE 29, 1949, AND YOU REQUEST A DECISION AS TO WHETHER THE CHARGE IS A PROPER ONE AGAINST THE FISCAL YEAR APPROPRIATION DESIGNATED IN VIEW OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE CIRCULAR LETTER ADDRESSED TO THE HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS, ETC., A-44006, DATED SEPTEMBER 3, 1941, 21 COMP. GEN. 1159.
IN SAID LETTER THIS OFFICE CALLED TO THE ATTENTION OF SUCH OFFICE HEADS FOR APPROPRIATE CORRECTIVE ACTION A PRACTICE THEN IN EXISTENCE WHEREBY REQUISITIONS FOR PRINTING AND BINDING WERE PREPARED AND TRANSMITTED TO THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE DURING THE LATTER PART OF EACH FISCAL YEAR, FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF OBLIGATING CURRENT APPROPRIATIONS, WHEN THE SUPPLIES OR SERVICES REQUISITIONED WERE NOT INTENDED TO SERVE A BONA FIDE NEED OF THE FISCAL YEAR IN WHICH THE REQUISITIONS WERE ISSUED OR TO REPLACE STOCK USED IN SUCH FISCAL YEAR.
IN SUPPORT OF THE PROPRIETY OF THE REQUISITION HERE INVOLVED, THERE WAS SUBMITTED A COPY OF A MEMORANDUM ADDRESSED TO YOU FROM MR. C. F. HUGHITT, CHIEF, SMALL BUSINESS DIVISION, BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, AS FOLLOWS:
ONE OF THE IMPORTANT MANAGEMENT SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE INCLUDES THE PREPARATION AND DISSEMINATION OF A LARGE NUMBER OF " SMALL BUSINESS AIDS.'
SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE PROGRAM OVER 500 SUCH AIDS HAVE BEEN PREPARED, PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT'S 42 FIELD OFFICES AND OTHER AGENCIES TO ASSIST SMALL BUSINESSMEN. BECAUSE OF THE DEMAND FOR THESE AIDS, WHICH ARE DISTRIBUTED FREE, THE FIELD OFFICES OF THE DEPARTMENT DURING THE FISCAL YEAR 1949 EXHAUSTED THEIR STOCKS OF MANY NUMBERS. IN SEPTEMBER 1948, THE FIELD OFFICES WERE ASKED TO INVENTORY THEIR STOCK OF " AIDS" ON HAND SO AS TO DETERMINE THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROBLEM. CONSIDERABLE TIME WAS REQUIRED FOR THE RETURN AND ANALYSIS OF THESE INVENTORIES FOR THE PURPOSE OF DETERMINING NECESSARY REPRODUCTION TO MEET THE FIELD OFFICE REQUIREMENTS.
IN THE COURSE OF THIS ANALYSIS IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT SOME OF THE " AIDS" WERE NO LONGER APPROPRIATE, SOME WERE NOT IN LARGE POPULAR DEMAND AND A CAREFUL REVIEW OF THE ENTIRE SERIES WAS INAUGURATED.
IN MARCH 1949 A CIRCULAR LETTER WAS AGAIN ADDRESSED TO THE FIELD OFFICES TO DETERMINE WHICH OF THE SMALL BUSINESS AID TITLES IN THEIR EXPERIENCE COULD BE DISCONTINUED IN ORDER THAT THE STOCK OF THE REMAINDER, WHICH WAS BECOMING RAPIDLY EXHAUSTED, MIGHT BE REPLENISHED.
AS A RESULT OF THIS SURVEY AND ANALYSIS, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS AN URGENT NECESSITY FOR STOCK REPLENISHMENT OF 263 TITLES AND AT THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE DATE AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE ANALYSIS, AND THE DETERMINATION OF THE TITLES TO BE RETAINED, A REQUISITION WAS FILED FOR REPRODUCTION OF THE RETAINED TITLES FOR DISTRIBUTION TO THE FIELD OFFICES, TO REPLACE STOCK USED DURING THE FISCAL YEAR 1949.
SINCE IT CLEARLY APPEARS FROM THE FOREGOING STATEMENT THAT THE ITEMS IN QUESTION REPRESENTED A BONA FIDE NEED OF THE FISCAL YEAR 1949 FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF MATERIALS USED IN THAT YEAR, THE VOUCHER, WHICH IS RETURNED HEREWITH, MAY BE CERTIFIED FOR PAYMENT IF OTHERWISE CORRECT.