Non-developmental item (NDI) is a term used for products procured by the United States federal government which do not require further development or require only minimal modification. Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) and government-off-the-shelf (GOTS) are two subtypes of NDI. [1]
The term was first coined in 1986 by the US Congress. [2] According to the Federal Acquisition Regulation, a non-developmental item is: [3]
- Any previously developed item of supply used exclusively for governmental purposes by a Federal agency, a State or local government, or a foreign government with which the United States has a mutual defense cooperation agreement;
- Any item described in paragraph (1) of this definition that requires only minor modification or modifications of a type customarily available in the commercial marketplace in order to meet the requirements of the procuring department or agency; or
- Any item of supply being produced that does not meet the requirements of paragraphs (1) or (2) solely because the item is not yet in use.
The third definition can apply to fully developed items in production but not for commercial sale yet. In this way, the US Federal government can "capture" a product or technology for use before it becomes commercially available. [4]
One subtype of non-developmental items is the military-purpose non-developmental item, defined as: [5]
- A nondevelopmental item that meets a validated military requirement as determined in writing by the responsible program manager and has been developed exclusively at private expense. An item shall not be considered to be developed at private expense if development of the item was paid for in whole or in part through -
- Independent research and development costs or bid and proposal costs, per the definition in FAR 31.205-18, that have been reimbursed directly or indirectly by a Federal agency or have been submitted to a Federal agency for reimbursement; or
- Foreign government funding
NDIs are advantageous in several ways. As the product is already designed and in production, the government does not have to spend funds for research and development. Testing and evaluation have already been completed by the company, further speeding the acquisition cycle. The use of NDI COTS products also can offer improved pricing, wider variety, and access to cutting-edge technology. [2] However, there can be multiple disadvantages as well. Companies may not provide complete technical documentation, and their internal testing may not fully meet government standards. The product itself may not meet all government requirements, and modification may be complicated or cost prohibitive. [6]
Hazardous waste is waste that has substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment. Hazardous waste is a type of dangerous goods. They usually have one or more of the following hazardous traits: ignitability, reactivity, corrosivity, toxicity. Listed hazardous wastes are materials specifically listed by regulatory authorities as hazardous wastes which are from non-specific sources, specific sources, or discarded chemical products. Hazardous wastes may be found in different physical states such as gaseous, liquids, or solids. A hazardous waste is a special type of waste because it cannot be disposed of by common means like other by-products of our everyday lives. Depending on the physical state of the waste, treatment and solidification processes might be required.
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The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is the principal set of rules regarding Government procurement in the United States, and is codified at Chapter 1 of Title 48 of the Code of Federal Regulations, 48 CFR 1. It covers many of the contracts issued by the US military and NASA, as well as US civilian federal agencies.
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RTCA DO-254 / EUROCAE ED-80, Design Assurance Guidance for Airborne Electronic Hardware is a document providing guidance for the development of airborne electronic hardware, published by RTCA, Incorporated and EUROCAE. The DO-254/ED-80 standard was formally recognized by the FAA in 2005 via AC 20-152 as a means of compliance for the design assurance of electronic hardware in airborne systems. The guidance in this document is applicable, but not limited, to such electronic hardware items as
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This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Government .