U.S. flag
          An official website of the United States Government  Main navigation
  

        

              Data Initiatives
                              Regulations
                                                                        Row 1
                                              FAR FAR
                              Smart Matrix Smart Matrix
                              Chapter 99 (CAS) Chapter 99 (CAS)
                              Row 2
                                              DFARS DFARS
                              DFARSPGI DFARSPGI
                              AFARS AFARS
                              DAFFARS DAFFARS
                              DAFFARS MP DAFFARS MP
                              DARS DARS
                              DLAD DLAD
                              NMCARS NMCARS
                              Row 3
                                              SOFARS SOFARS
                              TRANSFARS TRANSFARS
                              AGAR AGAR
                              AIDAR AIDAR
                              CAR CAR
                              DEAR DEAR
                              DIAR DIAR
                              DOLAR DOLAR
                              Row 4
                                              DOSAR DOSAR
                              DTAR DTAR
                              EDAR EDAR
                              EPAAR EPAAR
                              FEHBAR FEHBAR
                              GSAM/R GSAM/R
                              HHSAR HHSAR
                              HSAR HSAR
                              Row 5
                                              HUDAR HUDAR
                              IAAR IAAR
                              JAR JAR
                              LIFAR LIFAR
                              NFS NFS
                              NRCAR NRCAR
                              TAR TAR
                              VAAR VAAR
                              Tools
                                                                        Archives
                              Smart Matrix
                              Regulations Search
                              Acquisition Regulation Comparator (ARC)
                              Policy Network
                                                                        CAOC
                              CAAC
                              FAR Council
                              ISDC
 Breadcrumb
        Home
                            Regulations
                            FAR
                            Subpart 46.2 - Contract Quality Requirements
        
                  FAR
FAR
FAC Number: 2024-03 Effective Date: 02/23/2024
PartPart 1Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 5Part 6Part 7Part 8Part 9Part 10Part 11Part 12Part 13Part 14Part 15Part 16Part 17Part 18Part 19Part 20Part 21Part 22Part 23Part 24Part 25Part 26Part 27Part 28Part 29Part 30Part 31Part 32Part 33Part 34Part 35Part 36Part 37Part 38Part 39Part 40Part 41Part 42Part 43Part 44Part 45Part 46Part 47Part 48Part 49Part 50Part 51Part 52Part 53
Subpart46.046.146.246.346.446.546.646.746.8
Section46.20146.20246.203
Leave this field blank
        
                  

                                
                  
        « PreviousNext »
Subpart 46.2 - Contract Quality RequirementsSubpart 46.2 - Contract Quality Requirements    **Parent topic:**  Part 46 - Quality Assurance46.201 General.       (a) 						            The contracting officer shall include in the solicitation and contract the appropriate quality requirements. The type and extent of contract quality requirements needed depends on the particular acquisition and may range from inspection at time of acceptance to a requirement for the contractor’s implementation of a comprehensive program for controlling quality.                                          (b) 						            As feasible, solicitations and contracts may provide for alternative, but substantially equivalent, inspection methods to obtain wide competition and low cost. The contracting officer may also authorize contractor-recommended alternatives when in the Government’s interest and approved by the activity responsible for technical requirements.                                          (c) 						            Although contracts generally make contractors responsible for performing inspection before tendering supplies to the Government, there are situations in which contracts will provide for specialized inspections to be performed solely by the Government. Among situations of this kind are-                                                         (1) 								                Tests that require use of specialized test equipment or facilities not ordinarily available in suppliers’ plants or commercial laboratories (*e.g.,* ballistic testing of ammunition, unusual environmental tests, and simulated service tests); and                                                            (2) 								                Contracts that require Government testing for first article approval (see  subpart  9.3).                                                                             (d) 						            Except as otherwise specified by the contract, required contractor testing may be performed in the contractor’s or subcontractor’s laboratory or testing facility, or in any other laboratory or testing facility acceptable to the Government.46.202 Types of contract quality requirements.       Contract quality requirements fall into four general categories, depending on the extent of quality assurance needed by the Government for the acquisition involved.    46.202-1           Contracts for commercial products and commercial services.       When acquiring commercial products (see  part  12), the Government shall rely on contractors' existing quality assurance systems as a substitute for Government inspection and testing before tender for acceptance unless customary market practices for the commercial product being acquired include in-process inspection. Any in-process inspection by the Government shall be conducted in a manner consistent with commercial practice. The Government shall rely on the contractor to accomplish all inspection and testing needed to ensure that commercial services acquired conform to contract requirements before they are tendered to the Government.46.202-2 Government reliance on inspection by contractor.       (a) 						            Except as specified in (b) of this section, the Government shall rely on the contractor to accomplish all inspection and testing needed to ensure that supplies or services acquired at or below the simplified acquisition threshold conform to contract quality requirements before they are tendered to the Government (see  46.301).                                          (b) 						            The Government shall not rely on inspection by the contractor if the contracting officer determines that the Government has a need to test the supplies or services in advance of their tender for acceptance, or to pass judgment upon the adequacy of the contractor’s internal work processes. In making the determination, the contracting officer shall consider-                                                         (1) 								                The nature of the supplies and services being purchased and their intended use;                                                            (2) 								                The potential losses in the event of defects;                                                            (3) 								                The likelihood of uncontested replacement or correction of defective work; and                                                            (4) 								                The cost of detailed Government inspection.46.202-3 Standard inspection requirements.       (a) 						            Standard inspection requirements are contained in the clauses prescribed in  46.302 through  46.308, and in the product and service specifications that are included in solicitations and contracts.                                          (b) 						            The clauses referred to in (a) of this section-                                                         (1) 								                Require the contractor to provide and maintain an inspection system that is acceptable to the Government;                                                            (2) 								                Give the Government the right to make inspections and tests while work is in process; and                                                            (3) 								                Require the contractor to keep complete, and make available to the Government, records of its inspection work.46.202-4 Higher-level contract quality requirements.       (a) 						            Agencies shall establish procedures for determining when higher-level contract quality requirements are necessary, for determining the risk (both the likelihood and the impact) of nonconformance, and for advising the contracting officer about which higher-level standards should be applied and included in the solicitation and contract. Requiring compliance with higher-level quality standards is necessary in solicitations and contracts for complex or critical items (see  46.203)or when the technical requirements of the contract require-                                                         (1) 								                Control of such things as design, work operations, in-process controls, testing, and inspection; or                                                            (2) 								                Attention to such factors as organization, planning, work instructions, documentation control, and advanced metrology.                                                                             (b) 						            Examples of higher-level quality standards include overarching quality management system standards such as ISO 9001, ASQ/ANSI E4, ASME NQA-1, SAE AS9100, SAE AS9003, and ISO/TS 16949, and product or process specific quality standards such as SAE AS5553.46.203 Criteria for use of contract quality requirements.       The extent of contract quality requirements, including contractor inspection, required under a contract shall usually be based upon the classification of the contract item (supply or service) as determined by its technical description, its complexity, and the criticality of its application.                                       (a)                   *Technical description.* Contract items may be technically classified as-                                                         (1) 								                Commercial (described in commercial catalogs, drawings, or industrial standards; see  part  2); or                                                            (2) 								                Military-Federal (described in Government drawings and specifications).                                                                             (b) 						            Complexity.                                                         (1) 								                Complex items have quality characteristics, not wholly visible in the end item, for which contractual conformance must be established progressively through precise measurements, tests, and controls applied during purchasing, manufacturing, performance, assembly, and functional operation either as an individual item or in conjunction with other items.                                                            (2) 								                Noncomplex items have quality characteristics for which simple measurement and test of the end item are sufficient to determine conformance to contract requirements.                                                                             (c) 						            Criticality.                                                         (1) 								                A critical application of an item is one in which the failure of the item could injure personnel or jeopardize a vital agency mission. A critical item may be either peculiar, meaning it has only one application, or common, meaning it has multiple applications.                                                            (2) 								                A noncritical application is any other application. Noncritical items may also be either peculiar or common.
« PreviousNext »
FavoriteX

      Far Parts
            Regulations FAR Menu
  

        
      Index
                              List of Sections Affected
                              DOD Deviations
                              CAAC Deviations
                              1
                              2
                              3
                              4
                              5
                              6
                              7
                              8
                              9
                              10
                              11
                              12
                              13
                              14
                              15
                              16
                              17
                              18
                              19
                              20
                              21
                              22
                              23
                              24
                              25
                              26
                              27
                              28
                              29
                              30
                              31
                              32
                              33
                              34
                              35
                              36
                              37
                              38
                              39
                              40
                              41
                              42
                              43
                              44
                              45
                              46
                              47
                              48
                              49
                              50
                              51
                              52
                              53
                              Chapter 99 (CAS)Definitions
    Toggle
FAC Changes
    Toggle
Style Formatter
    Toggle

      ×
        Data Initiatives
                                                              Regulations
                                                              Tools
                                              Archives
                                                              Smart Matrix
                                                              Regulations Search
                                                              Acquisition Regulation Comparator (ARC)
                                                              Policy Network
                                              CAO.gov
                                                        CAO Home
                                                              Council Member
                                                                    Large Agencies
                                                              Small Agencies
                                                              Council Defining Documents
                                                                    CAOC History
                                                              CAOC Charter
                                                              Civilian Agency Acquisition Council (CAAC)
                                                              Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council
                                                              Interagency Suspension and Debarment Committee (ISDC)
                                                              Search
 ˄ Top Sign up for FAR News

                            Share the FAR
                        Upper Footer Menu
  

        
      Useful Links
                              FAR Resources
                              Training
                              Acquisition Systems
            
                            **Contact Us/FAQs**
                        **Privacy and Security Notice**
                        **Accessibility Aids**
                        **Last Updated 03/29/2024**
 ACQUISITION.GOV
                An official website of the General Services Administration About GSA
                Accessibility support
                FOIA requests
                No FEAR Act data
                Office of the Inspector General
                Performance reports
                Privacy policy Looking for U.S. government information and services?
            Visit USA.gov
 «
    
    Tt