BNUMBER:  B-259975
DATE:  September 18, 1995
TITLE:  Federal Supply Schedule - Debt Collection Services

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Matter of: Federal Supply Schedule - Debt Collection Services

File:     B-259975

Date:     Sepember 18, 1995

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DIGEST

Agency authority under 31 U.S.C.  3718 to contract for debt 
collection services is subject to the General Services 
Administration's authority under 40 U.S.C.  481 to prescribe the 
method of procurement, including requiring agencies to purchase from a 
mandatory federal supply schedule.
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DECISION

The Acting Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Labor has 
requested our opinion on whether the agency's Mine Safety and Health 
Administration (MSHA) is required to use a General Services 
Administration (GSA) mandatory federal supply schedule contract for 
its debt collection services.  MSHA considers section 13 of the Debt 
Collection Act of 1982, 31 U.S.C.  3718, as providing authority for 
it to contract for such services independent of GSA.  We disagree.

Under the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act (FPAS Act), 
40 U.S.C.   481, the Administrator of GSA is authorized to prescribe 
policies and methods of procurement and supply of personal property 
and nonpersonal services for executive agencies to the extent that he 
determines that so doing is advantageous to the government in terms of 
economy, efficiency or service.  40 U.S.C.  481(a)(1).  The 
Administrator is also authorized to "procure and supply personal 
property and nonpersonal services for the use of executive agencies . 
. . ."  40 U.S.C.  481(a)(3).

Pursuant to FPAS Act authority, the Administrator, GSA, established a 
federal supply schedule program.  Under this program, GSA administers 
a mandatory federal supply schedule contract for debt collection 
service.  Pursuant to       section 8.404-3 of the Federal Acquisition 
Regulations, MSHA applied to GSA for a waiver from mandatory use of 
debt collection services listed in the federal supply schedule.  48 
C.F.R.  8.404-3.[1]  Section 8.404-3(a) provides:  "When an ordering 
office that is a mandatory user under a schedule determines that items 
available from the schedule will not meet its specific needs, but 
similar items from another source will, it shall submit a request for 
waiver to the Commissioner . . . ."

MSHA maintained that it required and could get more comprehensive 
collection services from a debt collection agency that specialized in 
collecting debts within the mining industry.  MSHA stated that while 
the cost of such specialized services could be higher, because of the 
familiarity of such firms with industry participants, the rate of 
return typically more than covered the additional cost of using a 
specialist firm.  GSA denied the request for waiver because it 
concluded that the services provided by a specialist firm were no 
different than services currently provided by the schedule contractor.  
MSHA requested reconsideration of that determination and GSA 
reaffirmed its initial determination.  In its request for 
reconsideration, in addition to arguing for a waiver, MSHA asserted 
that it had authority pursuant to section 13 of the Debt Collection 
Act, 31 U.S.C.  3718, to contract on its own with a debt collection 
agency.  MSHA has asked that we review this authority.

MSHA's question is one of statutory construction.  It is a well 
established rule of statutory construction that statutes should be 
construed harmoniously so as to give maximum effect to both whenever 
possible.  B-258163, Sept. 29, 1994; 53 Comp. Gen. 853, 856 (1947).  
We can easily harmonize both statutes here.

An agency's authority to procure particular goods or services is 
distinct from GSA's authority to prescribe how the procurement is to 
be accomplished or even to conduct the procurement itself.  The 
Administrator of GSA is vested by statute with the authority and 
responsibility for determining policy and methods of procurement and 
to procure and supply personal property and nonpersonal services for 
executive agencies.  40 U.S.C.  481(a)(1), (3).  Civilian agencies 
are required to "make purchases and contracts for property and 
services in accordance with . . . implementing regulations of the 
Administrator."  41 U.S.C.  252.

GSA has issued its implementing regulations as the Federal Acquisition 
Regulations. Section 8.404(b) provides:  "Before soliciting commercial 
sources, executive agencies shall determine if the required supplies 
or services, or similar supplies or services fulfilling the same 
purpose, are available from schedules (see FPMR 101-26.4)."  48 C.F.R.  
8.404(b).[2]  Further, "[o]rdering offices shall not initiate actions 
to acquire similar items from nonschedule sources until a request for 
waiver is approved, except as otherwise provided in interagency 
agreements."  48 C.F.R.        8.404-3(b).[3]
   
Section 13 of the Debt Collection Act, 31 U.S.C.  3718(a), provides:  
"Under conditions the head of an executive or legislative agency 
considers appropriate, the head of an agency may make a contract with 
a person for collection services to recover indebtedness owed the 
United States Government . . . ."[4]  Such contracts however, as with 
any other executive agency service contract, are subject to GSA's 
Federal Acquisition Regulations.

In the case of debt collection services, the prescribed method of 
procurement is the federal supply schedule and the accompanying 
regulations in section 8.401 et seq.  We find support for this view in 
the legislative history of section 3718.  Congress enacted section 
3718 to dispel any doubts concerning the adequacy of agency authority 
to contract with debt collection agencies.  See S. Rep. No. 378, 97th 
Cong., 2d Sess. 18-20 (1982).[5]  We find nothing in section 3718 or 
its legislative history that would exempt an agency from following the 
contracting policies and methods prescribed in the Federal Acquisition 
Regulations.  The grant of authority to contract, absent more, is not 
equivalent to an exemption from the federal government procurement 
system.  Accordingly, under the circumstances, we do not think that 
MSHA may contract for debt collection services outside of the GSA 
federal supply schedule system.

/s/Robert Murphy
for Comptroller General
of the United States

f:\projects\afmd\997501d.wp5

1. The Federal Property Management Regulations (FPMR) contain a 
similar waiver provision.  41 C.F.R.  101-26.100-2.

2. The FPMR provides that:  "(a)ll executive agencies shall procure 
needed articles and services for Federal Supply Schedule contracts in 
accordance with the provision of the appropriate Federal Supply 
Schedule."  41 C.F.R.  101-26.401.   Exceptions to the mandatory use 
provision are set forth at 41 C.F.R.  101-26.401-4 and also at 48 
C.F.R.  8.404-1. 

3."Prior to initiating procurement directly from commercial sources, 
agencies shall determine whether the required commodities and services 
or similar commodities and services serving the required functional 
end-use purpose are available from a Federal Supply Schedule." 41 
C.F.R.  101-26.401.

4. The Federal Claims Collection Standards, implementing the Debt 
Collection Act,  provide that: "[a]ll agencies have authority to 
contract for collection services to recover delinquent debts . . . ."  
4 C.F.R.  102.6(a). 

5. Prior to 1981 GAO had maintained that federal agencies were 
prohibited from using private collection agencies.  Although GAO 
modified that opinion on April 17, 1981, (46 Fed. Reg. 22353), most 
agencies were still reluctant to contract with private collection 
agencies.  See S. Rep. No. 378, 97th Cong., 2d Sess. 18-20 (1982).