Government Furnished Resources (GFR)

Government Furnished Resources (GFR) are resources that the government supplies or makes available to a contractor so the contractor can perform a contract. In UK Ministry of Defence contract wording, "resources" normally means military or government personnel allocated to carry out trials or tests. A related UK contract definition describes GFR as authority-funded personnel provided by the authority to the contractor to deliver services under the contract.

GFR is a category inside a wider defence-procurement concept called Government Furnished Assets (GFA). It sits alongside Government Furnished Equipment (GFE), Government Furnished Information (GFI) and Government Furnished Facilities (GFF). The term also appears in Canadian federal procurement guidance, where responsibility for defining GFR is assigned within the Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and Department of National Defence (DND) process.

How UK defence contracts define GFR

UK Ministry of Defence contract material gives the most detailed wording. One UK Ministry of Defence contract notice attachment explains that resources normally means the allocation of military or government personnel to conduct trials or tests. A UK Ministry of Defence contract template carries a heading titled Government Furnished Resources (GFR) and states that no GFR will be issued when the contract does not require it.

A separate UK contract defines GFR as authority-funded personnel provided by the authority to the contractor to provide services under the contract. In these documents, GFR is generally tied to government people supporting trials, testing or contracted services, rather than to physical items.

GFR as one part of Government Furnished Assets

UK Ministry of Defence material lists GFR as one component of Government Furnished Assets, together with GFE, GFI and GFF, as shown in this contract attachment. UK government guidance on subcontracting under the DSPCR describes Government Furnished Assets as government-owned assets, including equipment, material and resources, supplied to industry in support of government contracts.

• GFE: equipment supplied by the government.
• GFR: resources supplied by the government, in UK usage mainly personnel.
• GFF: facilities supplied by the government.
• GFI: information supplied by the government.

GFR is related to these terms but is not interchangeable with any of them. Each names a different kind of government contribution to a contract.

Where GFR appears in Canadian federal guidance

The clearest Canadian occurrence is in the PSPC Supply Manual. The Supply Manual chapter 1 annexes contain a responsibility matrix between PSPC and DND. It lists "Define Government Furnished Resources (e.g. tools, test equipment)" as a responsibility, placing the definition of GFR with the project or technical authority side of the requirement.

Related guidance appears in the Supply Manual chapter 2 annexes. Requisition-review guidance there asks whether government-furnished equipment or government-supplied materiel is specified in the requirement. That passage uses related terminology and does not itself use the abbreviation GFR.

Canadian contract documents more often use the item-specific term GFE. In a Canadian ISS contract annex, the contractor must retain, use, care for and identify GFE in accordance with the contract and the approved quality-plan requirements.

What GFR means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

Read the solicitation and draft contract for any government-furnished resources, equipment, materiel or other assets. If the requirement specifies them, your bid should reflect that the government is providing them and that you are responsible for handling them as the contract directs.

• Identify which government-furnished items the contract names, and which category each falls into.
• Use or manage supplied resources, equipment or materiel according to the contract's instructions.
• Follow stated requirements for care, identification, retention, return and quality-control treatment. The Canadian ISS annex is an example of how these obligations are written for GFE.
• Check the exact wording used. Canadian contracts may say GFE or government-supplied materiel where UK documents say GFR.

The clauses in each solicitation set your obligations, so confirm the defined terms in the documents you are bidding on.