(a) Referrals and consultations can occur within the Agency or outside the Agency.

(b) If a FOIA office (other than the Office of Inspector General) receives a request for records in its possession that another NASA FOIA office has responsibility over or is substantially concerned with, it will either:

(1) Consult with the other FOIA office before deciding whether to release or withhold the records; or

(2) Refer the request, along with the records, to that FOIA office for direct response.

(c) If the FOIA office that originally received the request refers all or part of the request to another FOIA office within the Agency for further processing, they will notify the requester of the partial referral and provide that FOIA contact information.

(d) If while responding to a request, the FOIA office locates records that originated with another Federal agency, it will generally refer the request and any responsive records to that other agency for a release determination and direct response.

(e) If the FOIA office refers all the records to another agency, it will document the referral and maintain a copy of the records that it refers; notify the requester of the referral in writing, unless that identification will itself disclose a sensitive, exempt fact; and will provide the contact information for the other agency and if known, the name of a contact at the other agency.

(f) If the FOIA office locates records that originated with another Federal agency while responding to a request, the office will make the release determination itself (after consulting with the originating agency) when:

(1) The record is of primary interest to NASA (for example, a record may be of primary interest to NASA if it was developed or prepared according to Agency regulations or directives, or in response to an Agency request); or

(2) NASA is in a better position than the originating agency to assess whether the record is exempt from disclosure; or

(3) The originating agency is not subject to the FOIA; or

(4) It is more efficient or practical depending on the circumstances.

(g) If the FOIA office receives a request for records that another Federal agency has classified under any applicable executive order concerning record classification, it must refer the request to that agency for response.

(h) If the FOIA office receives a request for records that are under the purview of another Federal agency, the office will return the request to the requester and may advise the requester to submit it directly to another agency. The FOIA office will then close the request.

(i) All consultations and referrals received by the Agency will be handled according to the date that the FOIA request initially was received by the first FOIA office.