DIRECTOR'S ORDER NO. 90

Subject: Inclusion of Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) or Employer Identification Number (EIN) on Orders and Contracts

Sec. 1 Purpose. This Order implements Treasury Bulletin No. 95-10 for the collection and reporting of TINs and EINs.

Sec. 2 Scope. This Order is applicable to all U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees holding contracting officer warrants.

Sec. 3 Background. TINs and EINs are assigned to all individuals and businesses in reporting income tax and other returns in the United States. Individuals' Social Security Numbers serve as their TINs. For businesses, EINs, assigned by the Internal Revenue Service, serve as their respective identification number.

Sec. 4 Policy. Pursuant to Treasury Bulletin No. 95-10, Federal Departments and Agencies are required to collect TINs or EINs, as applicable, from contractors/vendors regardless of how the dollar amount of the contract/order or end product type; i.e., goods and services, since "payment to vendors will include the TIN or EIN number of the payee (individual, partnership, corporation or other business entity)."

Sec. 5 Procedures. Effective immediately, all Service warranted contracting personnel shall include TIN or EIN identifiers on all purchase/delivery orders (including those issued to Federal Supply Service schedule contractors), Blanket Purchase Agreements, Standard Form 44, and contracts. This requirement is not applicable to individual Governmentwide Commercial Purchase Card (VISA) transactions since the Division of Finance will reference the Purchase Card contractor's EIN in its monthly Purchase Card payments.

a. Micropurchases ($2,500 and less (other than by Purchase Card)) and Simplified Acquisitions (between $2,500 and $50,000): TINs or EINs shall be requested of vendors when obtaining price quotations or when placing orders. The TIN or Ein identifiers should be referenced in block 7, "Contractor" of Service Form No. 3-2103, "Order for Supplies or Services," (this also applies to the cover sheet of Blanket Purchase Agreements), or in block 17a, "Contractor/Offeror" when using Standard Form 1449, "Solicitation/Contract/Order for Commercial Items." For offices issuing purchase and delivery orders and then making the obligation via remote data entry, show the TIN or EIN on the form requesting a new vendor number assignment as well as in block 7 of the "Order for Supplies or Services" form, or block 17a of Standard Form 1449. (Use of the SF 1449 by Department of the Interior bureaus and offices is optional.) If a purchase/delivery order to a vendor is paid only through remote data entry, a copy of the obligating document should be forwarded to the Finance Center marked "VENDOR UPDATE ONLY." The Finance Center will input this data into the Federal Financial System vendor files as received. When making a purchase through issuance of Standard Form 44, "Purchase Order-Invoice-Voucher," Service personnel shall indicate the vendor's TIN or EIN in the "Payee" block.

b. Contracts: Federal Acquisition Regulation clause 52.204-3, "Taxpayer Identification," shall be included in all Service solicitations as a means of collecting contractor TINs or EINs. When awarding contracts, contracting officers shall: (1) include the contractor's TIN or EIN identifier in block 7, "Name and Address of Contractor," when using Standard Form 26, "Award/Contract;" (2) annotate block 15A, "Name and Address of Offeror" of Standard Form 33, "Solicitation, Offer and Award," to include the contractor's TIN or EIN; or (3) include contractor's TIN or EIN identifier in block 17a of Standard Form 1449.

Sec. 6 Effective Date. This Order is effective immediately. It will remain in effect until it is incorporated into the Contracting Officer's Handbook (Part 301 of the Service Manual), or until it is superseded or revoked, whichever occurs first. However, in the absence of the foregoing actions, the provisions of this Order will terminate and be considered obsolete on April 30, 1997.

BRUCE BLANCHARD

Date: MAY 17 1996