DCMA Instructions

The DCMA Instruction / The DCMA Guidebook Purpose

Agency policy is deployed as "instructions" that contain processes comprised of 1) those requirements that are mandatory for all elements of the Agency (and which may not be deviated from without approval by the Agency Director) and/or 2) "guidance" that may be used to help elements implementing the process to establish or improve their performance for that process. All statutory and regulatory requirements applicable to the specific DCMA instruction are mandatory regardless of whether they are referenced in an instruction or whether they are referenced at all. "Guidance" is completely discretionary in its use by any/all elements of the Agency. The separate DCMA instructions supplement the statutory requirements of U.S. law and the regulatory guidance of the Department of Defense and other Federal agencies only where needed.

The processes contained in the DCMA Instructions are intended to be complete processes capable of producing acceptable results in a "standard" environment. Selected standard words are used to help understanding of the process - Instruction format and standards.

The DCMA Instructions, as a whole, implement Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) policy for the performance of contract management functions listed in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Defense FAR Supplement (DFARS), for implementation of DCMA policy for the administration of grants, cooperative agreements and other transactions in accordance with the Department of Defense Grant and Agreement Regulations (DODGARS), and for associated processes that provide direct and indirect organizational support for contract management. The DCMA Instructions are applicable to the Defense Contract Management Agency only. Further instruction supplementation by organizational elements of DCMA is not authorized.

Deviations from any DCMA Instruction will be obtained in accordance with the Deviations instruction. Each separate instruction is labeled with its latest revision date (month/year) which is the same date that the Instruction Change Notice transmitting the change was issued.