The following definitions apply to this part:

Agency means a department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States Government (31 U.S.C. 101).

Bill of lading (BOL), sometimes referred to as a commercial bill of lading, but includes a Government bill of lading (GBL), means the document used as a receipt of goods, a contract of carriage, and documentary evidence of title.

Cash means cash, personal checks, personal charge cards, and travelers checks. Cash may only be used to pay for transportation expenses in extremely limited cases where government payment mechanisms are not available or acceptable.

Claim means—

(1) Any demand by an agency upon a transportation service provider (TSP) for the payment of overcharges, ordinary debts, fines, penalties, administrative fees, special charges, and interest; or

(2) Any demand by the TSP for amounts not included in the original bill that the TSP believes an agency owes them. This includes amounts deducted or offset by an agency; amounts previously refunded by the TSP, which is believed to be owed; and any subsequent bills from the TSP resulting from a transaction that was prepayment or postpayment audited by the GSA Transportation Audits Division.

Document reference number (DRN) means the unique number on a bill of lading, Government Transportation Request (GTR), or transportation ticket used to track the movement of shipments and individuals.

EDI signature means a discrete authentication code which serves in place of a paper signature and binds parties to the terms and conditions of a contract in electronic communication.

Electronic commerce means electronic techniques for performing business transactions (ordering, billing, and paying for goods and services), including electronic mail or messaging, Internet technology, electronic bulletin boards, charge cards, electronic funds transfers, and electronic data interchange.

Electronic data interchange means electronic techniques for carrying out transportation transactions using electronic transmissions of the information between computers instead of paper documents. These electronic transmissions must use established and published formats and codes as authorized by the applicable Federal Information Processing Standards.

Electronic funds transfer means any transfer of funds, other than transactions initiated by cash, check, or similar paper instrument, that is initiated through an electronic terminal, telephone, computer, or magnetic tape, for the purpose of ordering, instructing, or authorizing a financial institution to debit or credit an account. The term includes Automated Clearinghouse transfers, Fed Wire transfers, and transfers made at automatic teller machines and point of sale terminals.

Government bill of lading (GBL) means the transportation document used as a receipt of goods, evidence of title, and a contract of carriage for Government international shipments (see Bill of lading (BOL) definition).

Government contractor-issued charge card means the charge card used by authorized individuals to pay for official travel and transportation related expenses for which the contractor bills the employee. This is different than a centrally billed account paying for official travel and transportation related expenses for which the agency is billed.

Government Transportation Request (GTR) (Optional Form 1169)—means a Government document used to procure passenger transportation services from a TSP. The document obligates the Government to pay for transportation services provided and is used when a Government contractor issued charge card is not.

Offset means something that serves to counterbalance or to compensate for something else. These are funds owed to a TSP that are not released by the agency but instead used to repay the agency for a debt incurred by the TSP.

Ordinary debt means an amount that a TSP owes an agency other than for the repayment of an overcharge. Ordinary debts include, but are not limited to, payments for transportation services ordered and not provided (including unused transportation tickets), duplicate payments, and amounts for which a TSP is liable because of loss and/or damage to property it transported.

Overcharge means those charges for transportation that exceed those applicable under the executed agreement for services such as bill of lading (including a GBL, contract, rate tender or a GTR).

Postpayment audit means an audit of transportation billing documents, and all related transportation documents after payment, to decide their validity, propriety, and conformity of rates with tariffs, quotations, agreements, contracts, or tenders. The audit process may also include subsequent adjustments and collection actions taken against a TSP by the Government (31 U.S.C. 3726).

Prepayment audit means an audit of transportation billing documents before payment to determine their validity, propriety, and conformity of rates with tariffs, quotations, agreements, contracts, or tenders (31 U.S.C. 3726).

Privately Owned Personal Property Government Bill of Lading, Optional Form 1203, means the agency transportation document used as a receipt of goods, evidence of title, and generally a contract of carriage. It is only available for the transportation of household goods. Use of this form is mandatory for Department of Defense, but optional for other agencies.

Rate authority means the document that establishes the legal charges for a transportation shipment. Charges included in a rate authority are those rates, fares, and charges for transportation and related services contained in tariffs, tenders, contracts, bills of lading, and other equivalent documents.

Reparation means a payment to or from an agency to correct an improper transportation billing as determined by a postpayment audit involving a TSP. Improper routing, overcharges, or duplicate payments may cause such improper billing. This is different from a payment to settle a claim for loss and damage.

Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC) is a unique code, typically two to four characters, used to identify transportation companies.

Statement of difference means a statement issued by an agency or its designated audit contractor during a prepayment audit when they determine that a TSP has billed the agency for more than the proper amount for the services. This statement tells the TSP on the invoice, the amount allowed and the basis for the proper charges. The statement also cites the applicable rate references and other data relied on for support. The agency issues a separate statement of difference for each transportation transaction.

Statement of difference rebuttal means a document used by the agency to respond to a TSP's claim about an improper reduction made against the TSP's original bill by the paying agency.

Supplemental bill means the bill for services that the TSP submits to the agency for additional payment of the services provided.

Taxpayer identification number (TIN) means the number required by the Internal Revenue Service to be used by the TSP in reporting income tax or other returns. For a TSP, the TIN is an employer identification number.

Transportation means service involved in the physical movement (from one location to another) of people, household goods, and freight by a TSP or a Third Party Logistics (3PL) entity for an agency, as well as activities directly relating to or supporting that movement. These activities are defined in 49 U.S.C. 13102.

Transportation document (TD) means any executed document for transportation services, such as a bill of lading, a tariff, a tender, a contract, a GTR, invoices, paid invoices, any transportation bills, or other equivalent documents, including electronic documents.

Transportation service provider (TSP) means any party, person, agent, or carrier that provides freight, household goods, or passenger transportation or related services to an agency.

Virtual GBL (VGBL) means the use of a unique GBL number on a commercial document, which binds the TSP to the terms and conditions of a GBL.

[65 FR 24569, Apr. 26, 2000, as amended at 69 FR 57618, Sept. 24, 2004; 74 FR 30475, June 26, 2009; 81 FR 65299, Sept. 22, 2016]