As counterfeiters become more sophisticated and discontinued parts circulate in growing numbers, it has never been more important for government and industry to share information about nonconforming parts.

That’s why NASA GIDEP Program Manager Bill Loewy is spearheading the NASA “Know Your Part” outreach campaign to promote use of the Government-Industry Data Exchange Program (GIDEP).

Through GIDEP, industry and U.S. and Canadian government engineers and procurement professionals exchange data about problem and nonconforming parts, materials and software.

“At NASA, we deal with a lot of parts, components and materials,” said Loewy. “GIDEP keeps track of parts — whether anyone has reported a part counterfeit, substandard or discontinued, or whether there have been claims against the suppliers.”

The use of problem or nonconforming parts in spacecraft, aircraft, facilities and equipment can compromise NASA’s mission, result in unanticipated replacement, repair or maintenance costs, and jeopardize safety. By checking GIDEP data, advisories and alerts, Loewy explains, members can ensure that parts and materials are genuine, safe and reliable, thereby saving NASA considerable time and money.

GIDEP originated as the Interservice Data Exchange Program (IDEP) in 1959; NASA joined it in 1965. Since its inception, its members have reported savings of more than $2.1 billion, including NASA’s estimated cost avoidance of more than $52 million from fiscal year 2010 to 2014.

Loewy and his team have launched a website to promote the use of GIDEP, gidep.nasa.gov, and have presented at center Safety Days and events. They encourage all NASA employees involved with engineering, design, production or procurement of electronic parts, materials or software to request a free account through GIDEP’s website.

NASA employees and contractors can learn more about GIDEP and the NASA Advisory System by taking the SATERN course “Overview of the NASA Alert System.”