DCMA CMOs shall issue, review and disseminate appropriate GIDEP Failure Experience Data (FED) about potential or known nonconforming products, process or material not meeting manufacturing specifications, design, composition or other contract requirements.  These nonconformances could present a significant health or safety risk, or could negatively impact operational readiness or mission success.  (OFPP Policy Letter No. 91-3)

• To facilitate this requirement, the Division/CMO GIDEP Representative shall enroll eligible DCMA personnel as GIDEP Users and administer and monitor their activities.

• To assist with the dissemination of information or allegations on nonconforming products/processes, DCMA shall use the GIDEP-DCMA Forum, referred to simply as the "DCMA Forum" within GIDEP to collect/refine information and internally discuss/share knowledge about defective/nonconforming products, processes, services, and quality escapes between all CMOs, Divisions and Headquarter activities.

CMO specialists who become aware of nonconforming products/processes, even though they may not be completely defined, shall report their findings to the GIDEP Representative to determine if those findings warrant the submittal of an Agency Action Notice with limited government-only distribution (AAN-L) to GIDEP.   Further distribution will follow via a Problem Advisory (PA).  The criteria for issuance of an AAN-L and a PA are:

• Potentially nonconforming products/processes do not meet the requirements of contracts (including purchase orders), catalogue descriptions or referenced specifications, and;
• Continued supply or use of these products/processes could adversely affect other Government agencies (buying activities and/or weapon system programs) or contractors/suppliers, if not reported to GIDEP. 

The AAN-L shall be issued by the GIDEP Representative within 5 working days of the above criteria being met.  Release of GIDEP documents must be coordinated with the DCMA CIC (office locations) or local counsel.  The document shall make clear whether the established facts indicate the contractor has/has not caused the reported defect/nonconformance.  The AAN-L shall be followed by a GIDEP PA (which requires a contractor 15 day comment period) within 25 working days of the above criteria being established, unless:  

• It has been determined that the nonconformance does not impact other Government agencies or contractors/suppliers; or 
• Special circumstances do not warrant its release such as DCIS investigation, or the nonconformance was determined to be in error; or
• The Contractor has already issued a PA or Alert within the same 15 day comment timeframe.   

All product/process investigations shall be evaluated by the GIDEP Representative and if they meet FED notification criteria, the results of those investigations shall be released to GIDEP using the appropriate FED notification document.

All DCMA personnel whose duties require that they have knowledge of the quality of a supplier's product (Engineers, Quality Assurance Specialists, Industrial Specialists, Program Integrators, Packaging Specialists, etc.), and their Team Leaders, shall participate in the DCMA Forum, DCMA's internal information exchange within GIDEP, as Users. Only DCMA personnel shall be given access to the DCMA Forum.  Types of information meeting the above criteria to be posted, developed or refined in the DCMA Forum are:

• Systemic Deficiency Reports
• Bellringers reporting issues that affect product performance
• Level III & IV Corrective Action Requests (CARs), and systemic Level II CARs, and
• Any other information on contractually nonconforming or defective parts, processes or material. 

All DCMA Forum Users and DCMA GIDEP Representatives will receive, via "push mail", summary information on both the GIDEP FED and DCMA Forum notifications, and shall review notifications of potential interest or concern to their activity.  All documents submitted into the Forum will be reviewed by the Forum Administrator (senior engineering and/or quality specialist) prior to their posting in the Forum to ensure technical accuracy and suitability.  The Forum Administrators shall receive training in International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR) sufficient to enable them to identify ITAR and EAR restricted information so that it is not released to foreign national DCMA personnel.

• If known ITAR or EAR restricted information is submitted to the DCMA Forum, it should be identified as such in the Forum document; identification of data protected by ITARs and EARs may be found in the contract, weapon systems blueprints, drawings, plans, instructions, computer software and/or other contract documentation. 

• Foreign National employees will have limited access to the DCMA Forum and will not be enrolled in GIDEP, or provided access to the FED when they apply to become DCMA Forum Users due to ITARs and EARs requirements.  Foreign National employees will only receive DCMA Forum documents that have been reviewed and scrubbed by properly trained Forum Administrators to remove potential ITARs & EARs material.   

• Company proprietary material and trade secrets, classified material, information on nuclear technology or cryptographic equipment/techniques and NOFORN documents shall not be submitted to the DCMA Forum.

As much of the information within the DCMA Forum may not have been verified / substantiated to the degree necessary for it to become public information, no DCMA Forum information shall be released to any activity outside DCMA (for example, customers, contractors or other Government entities) without the permission of the originator of the document and DCMA CIC or local counsel.  After the information from the DCMA Forum has been verified, it shall be evaluated by the GIDEP Representative to determine if it should be released into the main GIDEP FED Database.