15.209 Solicitation provisions and contract clauses. When contracting by negotiation— ( a ) The contracting officer shall insert the provision at 52.215-1, Instructions to Offerors—Competitive Acquisition, in all competitive solicitations where the Government intends to award a contract without discussions. ( 1 ) If the Government intends to make award after discussions with offerors within the competitive range, the contracting officer shall use the basic provision with its *Alternate I.*
( 2 ) If the Government would be willing to accept alternate proposals, the contracting officer shall alter the basic clause to add a paragraph (c)(9) substantially the same as *Alternate II.*
( b ) ( 1 ) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, the contracting officer shall insert the clause at 52.215-2, Audit and Records-Negotiation (10 U.S.C. 3841, 41 U.S.C. 4706, and Audit Requirements in the OMB Uniform Guidance at 2 CFR part 200, subpart F) , in solicitations and contracts except those for— ( i ) Acquisitions not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold;
( ii ) The acquisition of utility services at rates not exceeding those established to apply uniformly to the general public, plus any applicable reasonable connection charge; or
( iii ) The acquisition of commercial products or commercial services exempted under 15.403-1.
( 2 ) ( i ) When using funds appropriated or otherwise made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-5)— ( A ) The exceptions in paragraphs (b)(1)(i) through (b)(1)(iii) are not applicable; and
( B ) Use the clause with its Alternate I.
( ii ) ( A ) In the case of a bilateral contract modification that will use funds appropriated or otherwise made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the contracting officer shall specify applicability of Alternate I to that modification.
( B ) In the case of a task- or delivery-order contract in which not all orders will use funds appropriated or otherwise made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the contracting officer shall specify the task or delivery orders to which Alternate I applies.
( 3 ) For cost-reimbursement contracts with State and local Governments, educational institutions, and other nonprofit organizations, the contracting officer shall use the clause with its *Alternate II.*
( 4 ) When the head of the agency has waived the examination of records by the Comptroller General in accordance with 25.1001, use the clause with its *Alternate III.*
( c ) When issuing a solicitation for information or planning purposes, the contracting officer shall insert the provision at 52.215-3, Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes, and clearly mark on the face of the solicitation that it is for information or planning purposes.
( d ) [Reserved]
( e ) The contracting officer shall insert the provision at 52.215-5, Facsimile Proposals, in solicitations if facsimile proposals are authorized (see 15.203(d)).
( f ) The contracting officer shall insert the provision at 52.215-6, Place of Performance, in solicitations unless the place of performance is specified by the Government.
( g ) [Reserved]
( h ) The contracting officer shall insert the clause at 52.215-8, Order of Precedence—Uniform Contract Format, in solicitations and contracts using the format at 15.204.
[62 FR 51230, Sept. 30, 1997, as amended at 63 FR 9055, Feb. 23, 1998; 63 FR 58589, Oct. 30, 1998; 64 FR 72418, Dec. 27, 1999; 69 FR 76346, Dec. 20, 2004; 72 FR 27384, May 15, 2007; 74 FR 14648, Mar. 31, 2009; 75 FR 34281, June 16, 2010; 79 FR 24201, Apr. 29, 2014; 81 FR 45852, July 14, 2016; 86 FR 3687, Jan. 14, 2021; 86 FR 61025, Nov. 4, 2021; 87 FR 73897, Dec. 1, 2022]