Electric Programs
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Electric Program >> Technical Standards Committees List of Materials Technical Standards Committee "A" With more than 60 years of experience, the USDA Rural Development Electric Programs has found that electric utility construction, operation, and maintenance are best when high-quality, long-lasting materials are used. Because the quality of materials is so important to program objectives, the Electric Programs continue to require that borrowers observe Electric Programs standards and use Technical Standards Committee "A" (Electric) accepted products on their systems whether they use USDA Rural Development loan funds, their own general funds, or other sources of financing assistance. What is Technical Standards Committee "A"? Technical Standards Committee "A" (Electric) (referred to as Committee "A") is an Electric Program committee which: (1) accepts manufacturers' products as satisfactory for use on borrowers' facilities, and (2) approves all Electric Program standards and specifications, including standard construction drawings, and technical bulletins and Informational Publications. Membership of Committee "A" consists of five engineers: two from the Regional Division Engineering branches, two from the Electric Staff Division (ESD), and a permanent Committee Chair. Collectively, these members are subject matter experts in distribution and transmission engineering standards, specifications, design, and electric utility construction contracting procedures. Committee "A" considers requests from manufacturers and makes determinations as to whether the products comply with applicable Electric Program and national industry standards and specifications and if the products can be expected to perform satisfactorily in the harsh environments of rural America. The Technical Standards Committees limit acceptance to one product per manufacturer for a specific category of product; this limitation allows manufacturers to concentrate on one design for rural electric borrowers, enabling the manufacturers to pass the efficiencies of standardization on to their customers. For borrower convenience purposes, materials and equipment accepted by Committee "A" that meet the domestic origin provisions are included in Informational Publication 202-1, "List of Materials Acceptable for Use on Systems of USDA Rural Development Electrification Borrowers." The List of Materials is available on this website. It is no longer available in printed copy. Domestic Origin Provision Domestic origin means manufactured in the United States or any eligible country substantially all from materials or supplies mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States or any eligible country. Eligible countries are determined by the Office of the US Trade Representative. See Federal Register Notice published November 16, 2001, (available in pdf and html) for the list of eligible countries. Additional information and the definition of eligible country are contained in the Federal Register Notice published February 18, 1997 (available in pdf and html). Information is also available on the Electric Program Eligible Countries page. Information on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Implementation Act is contained in the Federal Register Notice published January 6, 1994 (available in html only). For your reference, Bulletin 43-9, "Buy American" Provision (July 28, 1955), is available in pdf and html formats. Types of RUS Acceptances TSC "A" considers three types of acceptances: 1. FULL ACCEPTANCE Domestic origin products for which no restrictions are placed on use. Included in the List of Materials; 2. CONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE Domestic products for which the Electric Programs has limited experience. Acceptance conditions are noted on acceptance letter to manufacturer and in the List of Materials. Contractors also need to obtain borrowers' approvals before supplying conditionally accepted items on each project; and 3. TECHNICAL ACCEPTANCE Non-domestic origin products of the same category types as accepted domestic origin products. Technically accepted products: a) may have conditions, b) are limited to a one year acceptance after which yearly renewal is considered, and c) are not included in the List of Materials. The technical acceptance letter issued indicates any conditions and date of technical acceptance expiration. Contractors need borrowers' approvals to supply technically accepted items on each project. Categories of Accepted Products Committee "A" determines the categories of products for which acceptance is considered. Committee "A" does not grant acceptance for every type of product used by Electric Programs borrowers. Instead, Committee "A" considers only categories of products central to electric transmission and distribution systems for which fairly significant use by borrowers is expected, e.g., air break switches, anchor rods, transformers, etc. Acceptance is not considered nor is it needed for office equipment, tools and work equipment, items of electric general plant, consumer-owned wiring facilities, etc. Borrowers are expected to use their own best judgment when procuring such items and assess the conformance of such products with applicable national industry standards, codes, and applicability of the product for the need. Categories are added and eliminated as conditions of borrower use and technology dictate. Product Acceptance Procedure The manufacturer of a product that falls within a product acceptance category desiring acceptance needs to submit a letter of request to:
The manufacturer needs to include the following with each request:
The manufacturer should contact the Rural Development Electric Programs for specific requirements for a particular type of equipment or material. All written and printed material has to be submitted in six copies (original and five copies). Requests need to be signed by an authorized representative of the manufacturer. The Electric Programs does permit agents to assist with certain administrative matters, but applications have to include an original signature of the manufacturer. Application Review Personnel in ESD are assigned to review applications and prepare reports to Committee "A." The ESD reviewer will contact the manufacturer if any additional information is needed in order to prepare a report to Committee "A." The manufacturer's application and the product's corresponding RUS staff report are presented to Technical Standards Committee "A" for acceptance consideration. Following discussions of the application, Technical Standards Committee "A" may act to: (1) grant any of the three types of acceptance described previously, (2) table consideration until receipt of any additional information Technical Standards Committee "A" deems necessary to make a determination, or (3) reject the request. The Chair will provide the manufacturer with written notice of the decision of Technical Standards Committee "A." Appeal Process Manufacturers may appeal any adverse Technical Standards Committee "A" decisions by writing to Technical Standards Committee "B" (Electric) (TSC "B") at USDA Rural Development Electric Programs, 1400 Independence Ave SW, Stop 1569, Washington, DC 20250-1569. Questions Questions concerning the acceptance process may be directed to the Chair of Technical Standards Committee "A" at the address above or by e-mail to: Harvey.Bowles@wdc.usda.gov. Please include your name, e-mail address, telephone number, and company affiliation in the body of your message so that we may be able to contact you for additional information, if necessary.
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