DoDI 4000.19 Support Agreements: Formats, Contents, and Approval

DoDI 4000.19 is the Department of Defense instruction, last updated December 16, 2020, that governs support agreements between DoD components and between the DoD and other federal, state, local, or tribal entities. It tells you which agreement format to use, what the document must contain, how it gets approved and reviewed, and how long it can stay in effect. If one party is providing facilities, logistics, personnel services, or similar support to another and the arrangement needs to be documented, this instruction is almost certainly the controlling authority.¹

What the Instruction Covers

The instruction reaches every OSD component, military department, and defense agency, along with their arrangements with outside federal entities and non-federal governments. An Army installation providing base security for a Department of Homeland Security tenant falls under it. So does a Navy facility sharing warehouse space with another federal agency. The common thread is one party supporting another and both needing a written record of who does what and who pays.

Most reimbursable support traces its legal authority to the Economy Act, 31 U.S.C. § 1535, which lets one agency order goods or services from another when the ordering agency’s head determines it’s in the government’s interest and the goods or services can’t be provided “as conveniently or cheaply by a commercial enterprise.”² Other statutes authorize specific categories of support. For example, 5 U.S.C. Chapter 41 covers reimbursable arrangements for the use of government training facilities and programs.³ Every agreement has to cite the specific statute that authorizes it.

Choosing the Right Agreement Format

The instruction recognizes several document types. Which one you use depends mainly on whether funds change hands.

Memorandum of Agreement

A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) documents support that involves a transfer of funds. If you’re the provider delivering maintenance services to a tenant organization and billing for the work, the MOA spells out the deliverables, cost, and payment mechanics. An MOA can also document non-reimbursable support when no payment is expected but both parties still want specific responsibilities in writing.¹

Memorandum of Understanding

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) records a mutual understanding where no payment is expected and neither party depends on the other to execute or deliver specific responsibilities.¹ It’s a framework for cooperation rather than a service contract. The documentation burden is lighter because no money moves, but the MOU still has to meet the minimum content requirements.

DD Form 1144 and FS Form 7600A

DD Form 1144 is the standardized DoD form for recurring reimbursable support where a DoD component is the provider.⁴ For interagency transactions processed through Treasury’s G-Invoicing system, FS Form 7600A serves as the general terms and conditions document and can also be used to record non-reimbursable arrangements.¹

When Reimbursement Is Waived

A provider can waive reimbursement when the cost of billing and processing the payment would exceed the actual charges for the support. Combatant Command headquarters support is another common non-reimbursable category; designated support agents provide administrative and logistics services to combatant command headquarters at no charge, as directed by DoDD 5100.03.¹

What Every Agreement Must Contain

Table 1 of the instruction lists more than twenty required elements. Regardless of format, an agreement needs the following:

A unique agreement number, the names of both parties, and whether the document is new or an amendment.
Start and end dates. The start date can’t be earlier than the latest signature date, and no agreement may stay active longer than 10 years from its original effective date unless separate legal authority permits.
The specific statutory authority for the support, such as the Economy Act.
Roles and responsibilities for each party, including who bears personnel costs.
For reimbursable agreements: cost estimates, billing methods, and whether advance payments are allowed. If advance payments are permitted, the provider’s statutory authority for accepting them must be cited.
A termination notice period agreed to by both parties. The instruction doesn’t set a specific number of days; the MOA template leaves this blank for negotiation.
Procedures for the required annual financial reviews and mid-point validation.
Primary and alternate points of contact for each party, with name, position, phone, and email.

Host-tenant agreements involving real property require extras: a listing of every real property asset the tenant uses (with a note on whether use is partial or exclusive), each party’s responsibilities for facility operations and maintenance, and a process for reconciling property data in the host’s records.¹ Agreements involving personally identifiable information must document safeguarding requirements.

Approval, Reviews, and the 10-Year Ceiling

Before an agreement takes effect, both parties confirm they have the budgetary authority to fulfill it, legal review is completed, and authorized officials from both organizations sign. The start date must match or follow the latest signature date, so backdating to cover support already delivered is not permitted.¹

Once active, an agreement carries two recurring review obligations. The provider must review cost estimates annually so billing reflects current-year actual costs. Separately, both parties must review and validate the full agreement no less often than the mid-point from its effective date. For an eight-year agreement, that’s a comprehensive check at year four. If substantial changes in resource requirements surface during any review, the agreement must be modified or terminated.¹

The hard ceiling is 10 years. No agreement under DoDI 4000.19 can remain active longer than a decade from its original effective date unless a separate legal authority permits an extension.

Dispute Resolution

Disagreements are supposed to be resolved through consultation at the lowest possible level. The MOA and MOU templates both carry a clause stating that disputes will be resolved by direct consultation between the parties, subject to applicable law and DoD issuances.¹ If working-level discussions fail, the dispute moves up to the respective DoD Component heads or their designees. When the other party is a federal agency or a state, local, or tribal government and the DoD component can’t resolve the matter on its own, the Office of the Secretary of Defense can represent the DoD.

Financial disputes between a DoD component and another federal entity follow the resolution procedures in the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Manual.¹

G-Invoicing Compatibility for New Agreements

Interagency reimbursable agreements now run through Treasury’s G-Invoicing system, which standardizes how federal agencies create, manage, and settle buy/sell transactions. The Bureau of the Fiscal Service required federal entities to use G-Invoicing for new orders beginning October 1, 2022. As of October 1, 2025, the legacy IPAC process for standard buy/sell transfers was removed, though certain relief categories remain available for in-flight orders with performance periods that began before that date.⁵

The instruction reflects this by referencing FS Form 7600A alongside DD Form 1144, and its glossary maps DoD terminology onto Treasury’s: the provider is the “Servicing Agency” on the 7600A, and the receiver is the “Requesting Agency.”¹ For transactions under $10,000, G-Invoicing offers a streamlined 7600EZ process with lighter documentation.⁵ Draft new interagency agreements with G-Invoicing compatibility in mind from the start.

What DoDI 4000.19 Does Not Cover

The instruction governs domestic and federal interagency support. When the United States provides logistics support, supplies, or services to a foreign military or an international organization, a different framework applies: the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), authorized under 10 U.S.C. § 2342.⁶ ACSAs are reciprocal arrangements with NATO countries, NATO subsidiary bodies, the United Nations, regional international organizations, and other countries designated by the Secretary of Defense. ACSA procedures explicitly do not cover agreements with other U.S. military services, other government agencies, or commercial contractors. If you’re setting up support between two DoD components or between DoD and a domestic federal agency, you’re in DoDI 4000.19 territory; providing fuel, transportation, or base access to a NATO ally’s forces is ACSA territory.

1
Department of Defense. DoDI 4000.19 – Support Agreements
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 31 USC 1535 – Agency Agreements
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC Chapter 41 – Training
4
Department of the Air Force. Air Force Instruction 25-201 – Intra-Service, Intra-Agency, and Inter-Agency Support Agreements Procedures
5
Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Bulletin No. 2025-05
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 2342 – Cross-Servicing Agreements