Fake electronics reporting changes come into effect in US

From today, US federal contractors must report instances of counterfeit or suspected counterfeit electronic parts to government contracting officers within 60 days.

The new Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) covers both civilian and defence contracts over a threshold value of $150,000 and contractors are required to retain counterfeit or suspect items until they receive instructions from the contract awarder.

The reporting can be made via the Government-Industry Data Exchange Program (GIDEP) - a cooperative activity between government and industry participants seeking to reduce or eliminate expenditures of resources by sharing technical information.

“Timely GIDEP reporting and screening allows all contractors to promptly investigate and remove suspect parts from the supply chain and to ensure that suspect parts are not installed in the equipment which would result in experiencing high failure rates,” says the FAR.