(1) The following costs are not allowable under a covered contract:
(A) Costs of entertainment, including amusement, diversion, and social activities and any costs directly associated with such costs (such as tickets to shows or sports events, meals, lodging, rentals, transportation, and gratuities).
(B) Costs incurred to influence (directly or indirectly) legislative action on any matter pending before Congress, a State legislature, or a legislative body of a political subdivision of a State.
(C) Costs incurred in defense of any civil or criminal fraud proceeding or similar proceeding (including filing of any false certification) brought by the United States where the contractor is found liable or has pleaded nolo contendere to a charge of fraud or similar proceeding (including filing of a false certification).
(D) Payments of fines and penalties resulting from violations of, or failure to comply with, Federal, State, local, or foreign laws and regulations, except when incurred as a result of compliance with specific terms and conditions of the contract or specific written instructions from the contracting officer authorizing in advance such payments in accordance with applicable provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
(E) Costs of membership in any social, dining, or country club or organization.
(F) Costs of alcoholic beverages.
(G) Contributions or
donations, regardless of the recipient.
(H) Costs of advertising designed to promote the contractor or its products.
(I) Costs of promotional items and memorabilia, including models, gifts, and souvenirs.
(J) Costs for travel by commercial aircraft which exceed the amount of the standard commercial fare.
(K) Costs incurred in making any payment (commonly known as a golden parachute payment) which is
(i) in an amount in excess of the normal severance pay paid by the contractor to an employee upon termination of employment; and
(ii) is paid to the employee contingent upon, and following, a change in management control over, or ownership of, the contractor or a substantial portion of the contractors assets.
(L) Costs of commercial insurance that protects against the costs of the contractor for correction of the contractors own defects in materials or workmanship.
(M) Costs of severance pay paid by the contractor to foreign nationals employed by the contractor under a service contract performed outside the United States, to the extent that the amount of severance pay paid in any case exceeds the amount paid in the industry involved under the customary or prevailing practice for firms in that industry providing similar services in the United States, as determined under the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
(N) Costs of severance pay paid by the contractor to a foreign national employed by the contractor under a service contract performed in a foreign country if the termination of the employment of the foreign national is the result of the closing of, or the curtailment of activities at, a United States military facility in that country at the request of the government of that country.
(O) Costs incurred by a contractor in connection with any criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding commenced by the United States or a State, to the extent provided in subsection (k).
(P) Costs of compensation of senior executives of contractors for a fiscal year, regardless of the contract funding source, to the extent that such compensation exceeds the benchmark compensation amount determined applicable for the fiscal year by the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy under section 39 of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (
41 U.S.C.
435).
(2)
(A) The Secretary of Defense may provide in a military banking contract that the provisions of paragraphs (1)(M) and (1)(N) shall not apply to costs incurred under the contract by the contractor for payment of mandated foreign national severance pay. The Secretary may include such a provision in a military banking contract only if the Secretary determines, with respect to that contract, that the contractor has taken (or has established plans to take) appropriate actions within the contractors control to minimize the amount and number of incidents of the payment of severance pay by the contractor to employees under the contract who are foreign nationals.
(B) In subparagraph (A):
(i) The term military banking contract means a contract between the Secretary and a financial institution under which the financial institution operates a military banking facility outside the United States for use by members of the armed forces stationed or deployed outside the United States and other authorized personnel.
(ii) The term mandated foreign national severance pay means severance pay paid by a contractor to a foreign national employee the payment of which by the contractor is required in order to comply with a law that is generally applicable to a significant number of businesses in the country in which the foreign national receiving the payment performed services under the contract.
(C) Subparagraph (A) does not apply to a contract with a financial institution that is owned or controlled by citizens or nationals of a foreign country, as determined by the Secretary of Defense. Such a determination shall be made in accordance with the criteria set out in paragraph (1) of section 4(g) of the Buy American Act
(
41 U.S.C.
10b–1) and the policy guidance referred to in paragraph (2)(A) of that section.
(3)
(A) Pursuant to the Federal Acquisition Regulation and subject to the availability of appropriations, the head of an agency awarding a covered contract (other than a contract to which paragraph (2) applies) may waive the application of the provisions of paragraphs (1)(M) and (1)(N) to that contract if the head of the agency determines that
(i) the application of such provisions to the contract would adversely affect the continuation of a program, project, or activity that provides significant support services for members of the armed forces stationed or deployed outside the United States;
(ii) the contractor has taken (or has established plans to take) appropriate actions within the contractors control to minimize the amount and number of incidents of the payment of severance pay by the contractor to employees under the contract who are foreign nationals; and
(iii) the payment of severance pay is necessary in order to comply with a law that is generally applicable to a significant number of businesses in the country in which the foreign national receiving the payment performed services under the contract or is necessary to comply with a collective bargaining agreement.
(B) The head of an agency shall include in the solicitation for a covered contract a statement indicating
(i) that a waiver has been granted under subparagraph (A) for the contract; or
(ii) whether the head of the agency will consider granting such a waiver, and, if the agency head will consider granting a waiver, the criteria to be used in granting the waiver.
(C) The head of an agency shall make the final determination regarding whether to grant a waiver under subparagraph (A) with respect to a covered contract before award of the contract.