So you’ve found a solicitation you want to bid, but it requires QPL. Here’s what you need to know about QPL and how to qualify.
The defense department maintains a Qualified Parts List (QPL) of information regarding products and manufacturers, as compiled and maintained by the individual Qualifying Activities (QA). Activity is just a fancy word for government agency. Different product classes are maintained by specific agencies. For example, rubber hose is maintained by DLA Land and Maritime, a division of the Defense Logistics Agency.
Items managed under QPL are broken down by military specification and Part or Identifying Number (PIN). For example, mil-spec MIL-DTL-13444J defines the standards relating to rubber hose and hose assemblies. A subcategory of this specification is defined by the PIN, which describes the specific characteristics.
Finding the agency that maintains a particular QPL is key to applying for inclusion on that list.
Finding the right mil-spec
You start with the National Stock Number which is in the solicitation. BidLink has a vast NSN lookup which includes whether the item requires QPL.
Note the words “Competitive – Controlled by QPL”. This means that you must be on the QPL to provide this item to the government. This particular item was listed on a solicitation valued at $17,880.
Next, we need the military specification number and PIN, which is also in BidLink.
In the Part Number Cross-reference, the first number MS52103Z-160760R is the PIN. These are usually preceded by the characters MS. The second number MIL-DTL-13444 is the mil-spec Document ID.
Look up the mil-spec
The official authority on military specifications is the Government’s ASSIST database. There is a quick search but in order to drill down to the Preparing Activity, a login is required. Registration is free.
Once you’re in, click search and enter the document ID. Several results will appear. Look for the most recent one and click it. It’s usually the top result.
This takes you to a list of revisions for this spec as well as a litany of other information. Specifications are revised over time, so it’s important to have the most recent one.
Clicking the media logo next to the topmost revision (Revision J in this case) shows the most recent specification. Here’s a copy of MIL-DTL-13444 so you can see what one looks like. Within the spec you will see information relating to qualification requirements. Read it thoroughly.
Finding who manages the QPL
On the screen above, look for Preparing Activity. You can see that the QPL for this item is maintained by DLA Land and Maritime. The code next to this takes you to the agency contacts.
Clicking on a contact name will give you that person’s contact information. This is who you would reach out to regarding possible inclusion on the QPL for rubber hoses.
It takes time to be added to the QPL, but this has been shortened as DLA migrates from the legacy system to the Qualified Parts Database (QPD). As items are moved to the QPD, they will be moved off the legacy QPL. Additional information, including a list of companies which belong to a particular QPL can be found here: https://qpldocs.dla.mil/.
Belonging on a QPL proves to the government that you have the capability to build something according to the specification. This means that when bidding on a contract that requires QPL, you may be competing with fewer suppliers.
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