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DA Form 3953 Purchase Request and Commitment
What Is DA Form 3953?
DA Form 3953, Purchase Request and Commitment , is a form used during acquisitions of materials, supplies, or services made through a contract between the United States and a private contractor. The form itself had three main purposes.
- To initiate the procurement process and provide a documented request that can be reviewed by the proponent prior to purchase.
- To provide a medium for fund certification or availability of funds.
- To verify the requirement
The latest version of the form - sometimes incorrectly referred to as DD Form 3953 - was released by the U.S. Department of the Army (DA) on March 1, 1991 . An up-to-date fillable version of the form is available for download and online filing below or can be found through the Army Publishing Directorate website.
Alternate Name:
- PR&C.
The form is required for the local purchase of goods or services if done through a hardcopy request. U.S. Army Forces, U.S. Central Command (ARCENT) forward directorates of contracting may utilize the online Standard Procurement System (SPS).
DA Form 3953 Instructions
Filing guidelines and additional information can be found in the DFAS-IN 37-1 Regulation. Instructions for completing and processing DA Form 3953 are as follows:
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Blocks 1 through 11 and 14 through 36 must be filled out. Blocks 12 and 13 are to be left blank.
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Block 1 is for submitting the number of the purchase instrument.
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Block 2 is for the number of requisition.
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Block 3 is for the date of requisition.
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Block 4 is for specifying the Contracting office that will be processing the requirement.
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Block 6 ("From") is for stating initiating unit/officer. The unit address must be completed for Army Post Office (APO) and base camp for requesting unit to be included.
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Block 7 ("Purchase") is for the requesting activity. The unit address must be completed for APO and base camp for requesting unit to be included.
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Block 8 ("Delivered To") must specify the property book office and address for Property Book Officer (PBO) items. For non-PBO items, the exact location item or service must be provided. This block requires as much detail as possible.
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Block 9 ("No Later Than") is for the requiry date ("as soon as possible" or "ASAP" must not be used).
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Block 10 is for providing the name of the person who is to be contacted for more information (Point of Contact (POC)) along with their unit, rank, name, and email.
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Block 11 requires the phone number for the POC specified in Block 10.
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Blocks 14 through 18b are for numbering each separate item or service requirement and providing their full description. Equipment and supplies must be authorized and approved. Three suggested sources must be provided if the estimated cost exceeds $2,500, or a memorandum of justification stating why only one source is appropriate must be attached.
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Block 25 requires a complete statement explaining why the item is unavailable or unavailable through the normal supply channels in a timely manner.
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DA Form 3953 is to be hand-carried to the approving authority who approves and completes Blocks 34-36 or disapproves the request altogether. The approving authority for purchases include:
- LTC or above for purchases under $50,000.
- COL or above for purchases under $200,000.
- General Officer for purchases over $200,000.00.
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The PR&C is then forwarded to the property book officer who approves and completes Blocks 31-33.
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The form then goes to the appropriate budget analyst for processing and funding. If a fund site is required, the budget analyst will complete Blocks 19 through 22. The budget analyst then forwards the PR&C to the contracting cell.
Download DA Form 3953 Purchase Request and Commitment
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