§ 910.133 Deviation authority.

(a) General.

(1) A deviation is the use of any policy, procedure, form, standard, term, or condition which varies from a requirement of this part, or the waiver of any such requirement, unless such use or waiver is authorized or precluded by Federal statute. The use of optional or discretionary provisions of this part, including special restrictive conditions used in accordance with § 910.372, exceptions under 2 CFR 200.102, and the waiver of the cost sharing requirements in § 910.130 are not deviations. Awards to foreign entities are not subject to this section.

(2) A single-case deviation is a deviation which applies to one financial assistance transaction and one applicant, recipient, or subrecipient only.

(3) A class deviation is a deviation which applies to more than one financial assistance transaction, applicant, recipient, or subrecipient.

(b) Conditions for approval. The DOE/NNSA officials specified in paragraph (c) of this section may authorize a deviation only upon a written determination that the deviation is—

(1) Necessary to achieve program objectives;

(2) Necessary to conserve public funds;

(3) Otherwise essential to the public interest; or

(4) Necessary to achieve equity.

(c) Approval procedures.

(1) A deviation request must be in writing and must be submitted to the responsible DOE/NNSA Contracting Officer. An applicant for a subaward or a subrecipient shall submit any such request through the recipient.

(2) Except as provided in paragraph (c)(3) of this section—

(i) A single-case deviation may be authorized by the responsible HCA.

(ii) A class deviation may be authorized by the Director, Office of Acquisition Management, for DOE actions, and the Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of Acquisition and Project Management for NNSA, for NNSA actions, or designee.

(3) Whenever the approval of OMB, other Federal agency, or other DOE/NNSA office is required to authorize a deviation, the proposed deviation must be submitted to the Director, Office of Acquisition Management, for DOE actions, and the Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of Acquisition and Project Management for NNSA, for NNSA actions, or designee for concurrence prior to submission to the authorizing official.

(d) Notice. Whenever a request for a class deviation is approved, DOE/NNSA will identify this class deviation (as applicable) in the Notice of Funding Opportunity(s) that may be affected.

(e) Subawards. A recipient may use a deviation in a subaward only with the prior written approval of a DOE/NNSA Contracting Officer.

[85 FR 32979, June 1, 2020]