Agencies Authorized to Use OT's
Agencies must be explicitly authorized by Congress to use OTs and Government Contracting Officers must have Agreement Officer authority to award OTs. The following federal agencies currently have Congressional authorization for OTs:
| Agency | OT Authority | Agency Specific OT Authority Uses, Limitations, or Restrictions | Policy and Guidance |
| Dept of Commerce (DOC) | 15 U.S.C. § 4659 | No limitations or restrictions. | |
| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) | 15 U.S.C. § 8531(d) | Research and development activities to enhance effectiveness of data, satellite, and other observing systems to meet NOAA missions. | NOAA OTA Policy and Procedures (April 2023) |
| Dept of Defense (DOD) | 10 U.S.C. § 4021 | Research projects to carry out basic, applied, and advanced research projects. | Guide to Research Other Transactions Under 10 U.S.C. §4021 (September 2023) |
| 10 U.S.C. § 4022 | Prototype projects to enhance mission effectiveness of DoD personnel, platforms, systems, components, or materials. | DoD Other Transactions Guide (July 2023) | |
| Dept of Energy (DOE) | 42 U.S.C. § 7256 | Authorizes use of 10 U.S.C. §4021 for research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects. | DOE Guide to Other Transactions (August 2023) |
| Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) | 42 U.S.C. § 16538(f) | Advanced technology projects in support of ARPA-E objectives. | |
| Dept of Health & Human Services (HHS) | 42 U.S.C. § 247d-7e | Promote countermeasure and product advanced research and development, including establishing and maintaining domestic manufacturing surge capacity and capabilities. | |
| Centers for Disease Control (CDC) | 42 U.S.C. § 242c(e) | Infectious disease research, biosurveillance, infectious disease modeling, and public health preparedness and response. | |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | 42 U.S.C. § 282(n) | Projects to carry out Precision Medicine Initiative, Common Fund, and high impact cutting-edge research that increases fundamental biological understanding leading to the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of diseases and disorders, or research urgently required to respond to a public health threat. | Other Transaction Award Policy Guide for NIH Precision Medicine Initiative Research Programs (November 2015) |
| NIH Other Transaction Award Policy Guide for Common Fund HuBMAP (March 2020) | |||
| NIH Other Transaction Guide for the SPARC Program (January 2017) | |||
| 42 U.S.C. § 285(b)(3) | Conduct National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHBLI) Director’s functions. | NIH Other Transactions Policy Guide (May 2017) | |
| 42 U.S.C. § 284n | Demonstration projects for high-impact, cutting-edge research that increases fundamental biological understanding leading to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and disorders. | ||
| 42 U.S.C. § 287a(e)(3)(C) | Projects to carry out Cures Acceleration. | ||
| Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) | 42 U.S.C. § 290c(g) | Authorizes use of 42 U.S.C. §247d–7e for advanced research and development. | |
| Dept of Homeland Security (DHS) | 6 U.S.C. § 391 | Prototype projects leveraging 10 U.S.C. § 4022. | |
| Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) | 6 U.S.C. § 596 | No limitations or restrictions. | |
| Transportation Security Agency (TSA) | 49 U.S.C. § 114(m) | Authorizes authority provided under 49 U.S.C. § 106(l). | |
| U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) | 14 U.S.C. § 1158(a) | Authorized for use to operate, test, and acquire cost-effective technology for meeting USCG mission needs. | |
| Dept of Transportation (DOT) | 49 U.S.C. § 5312 | Research, development, demonstration, to advance innovation of public transportation. | |
| Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) | 49 U.S.C. § 106(l) | No limitations or restrictions. | FAA Other Transaction Guide (April 2023) |
| National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) | 51 U.S.C. § 20113(e) | No limitations or restrictions. | NASA Space Act Agreements Guide (December 2023) |
| National Science Foundation (NSF) | 42 U.S.C. § 19116 | Carry out activities of the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships Directorate. | Other Arrangements/Transactions Guide (April 2024) |
| Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) | 50 U.S.C. § 3024(n)(5) | Authorizes use of 10 U.S.C. § 4021 and 10 U.S.C. § 4022 for basic, applied, and advanced research projects and prototype projects. | |
| Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) | 6 U.S.C. § 1500(e)(1)(F) | Conduct the work of the ONCD. |