Suspect/Counterfeit Items (S/CIs)

An item which is suspect when inspection or testing indicates that it may not conform to established Government or industry-accepted specifications or national consensus standards, or whose documentation, appearance, performance, material, or other characteristics may have been misrepresented by the vendor, supplier, distributor, or manufacturer. A counterfeit item is one that has been copied or substituted without legal right or authority or whose material, performance, or characteristics have been misrepresented by the vendor, supplier, distributor, or manufacturer.

An item which is suspect when inspection or testing indicates that it may not conform to established Government or industry-accepted specifications or national consensus standards or whose documentation, appearance, performance, material, or other characteristics may have been misrepresented by the vendor, supplier, distributor, or manufacturer. A counterfeit item is one that has been copied or substituted without legal right or authority or whose material, performance, or characteristics have been misrepresented by the vendor, supplier, distributor, or manufacturer. Items that do not conform to established requirements are not normally considered S/CIs if non-conformity results from one or more of the following conditions (which must be controlled by site procedures as nonconforming items):

(1) defects resulting from inadequate design or production quality control;

(2) damage during shipping, handling, or storage;

(3) improper installation;

(4) deterioration during service;

(5) degradation during removal;

(6) failure resulting from aging or misapplication; or,

(7) other controllable causes. (IAEA-TECDOC-1169)