enriquem13

I'm with you H2H...the Contracting Officer is the final decision...OGC provides advice/opinions. I've been told, by counsel at both agencies I've worked for, that unless OGC states that they cannot defend your position in a court of law, the CO may proceed...as long as he/she has sufficient documentation/back-up/justification for the decision. So, in my opinion, it never hurts to go back to OGC and request that they take a second look...like I said before, unlikely that any attorney knows the FAR word-for-word, and some are very unfamiliar with cost principles.

ji20874, I have to respectfully disagree with part of what you said. We work very closely with our contractors, due to the nature of our mission. So with issues like these, we don't just say "submit it in an invoice and we'll see". We routinely include language in our contracts that direct contractors to submit authorization requests for travel (especially if it's international). We do this to ensure situations like these are handled with care upfront, so that issues don't come up after the fact. Additionally, legal advice is just that, advice/opinion; however, we also have close relationships with our OGC, and feel comfortable bringing up references such as what H2H provided. We have a lot of respect for our OGC, but I trust they don't know the FAR word-for-word...sometimes it takes a reminder. :-)

ji20874, yes, the contract includes travel costs reimbursement. Thanks here_2_help! Yes, the contractor has complied with FTR. This is the FAR reference I was looking for and was having a hard time finding. Our OGC is telling us that it's not allowed, even with medical justification, but they haven't been able to show us specific internal policy.

Travel is from the UK to the US. And yes, the contractor is seeking approval of allowability, prior to purchasing travel, since they are aware of the restrictions.

Hello, Is there a set guideline for approving business-class air travel for a contractor, due to medical necessity? I realize the FTR provides this info. for federal employees and further directs you to agency policy, but what if you can't find that. I'm being told internally that we can't approve it, but haven't seen anything in writing. Contractor can provide medical justification and note as back-up documentation. Thoughts?