Subchapter C - Contracting Methods and

Contract Types

Federal Acquisition Regulation

Federal Acquisition Regulation

Part 13 - Simplified Acquisition Procedures

13.000 Scope of part.

13.001 Definitions.

13.002 Purpose.

13.003 Policy.

13.004 Legal effect of quotations.

13.005 List of laws inapplicable to contracts and subcontracts at or below the

simplified acquisition threshold.

13.006 Inapplicable provisions and clauses.

Subpart 13.1 - Procedures

13.101 General.

13.102 Source list.

13.103 Use of standing price quotations.

13.104 Promoting competition.

13.105 Synopsis and posting requirements.

13.106 Soliciting competition, evaluation of quotations or offers, award and

documentation.

13.106-1 Soliciting competition.

13.106-2 Evaluation of quotations or offers.

13.106-3 Award and documentation.

Subpart 13.2 - Actions At or Below the Micro-Purchase Threshold

13.201 General.

13.202 Unenforceability of unauthorized obligations in micro-purchases.

13.203 Purchase guidelines.

Subpart 13.3 - Simplified Acquisition Methods

13.301 Governmentwide commercial purchase card.

13.302 Purchase orders.

13.302-1 General.

13.302-2 Unpriced purchase orders.

13.302-3 Obtaining contractor acceptance and modifying purchase

orders.

13.302-4 Termination or cancellation of purchase orders.

13.302-5 Clauses.

13.303 Blanket purchase agreements (BPAs).

13.303-1 General.

13.303-2 Establishment of BPAs.

13.303-3 Preparation of BPAs.

13.303-4 Clauses.

13.303-5 Purchases under BPAs.

13.303-6 Review procedures.

13.303-7 Completion of BPAs.

13.303-8 Optional clause.
13.304 [Reserved]

13.305 Imprest funds and third party drafts.

13.305-1 General.

13.305-2 Agency responsibilities.

13.305-3 Conditions for use.

13.305-4 Procedures.

13.306 SF 44, Purchase Order-Invoice-Voucher.

13.307 Forms.

Subpart 13.4 - Fast Payment Procedure

13.401 General.

13.402 Conditions for use.

13.403 Preparation and execution of orders.

13.404 Contract clause.

Subpart 13.5 - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Products and

Commercial Services

13.500 General.

13.501 Special documentation requirements.

Part 14 - Sealed Bidding

14.000 Scope of part.

Subpart 14.1 - Use of Sealed Bidding

14.101 Elements of sealed bidding.

14.102 [Reserved]

14.103 Policy.

14.103-1 General.

14.103-2 Limitations.

14.104 Types of contracts.

14.105 Solicitations for informational or planning purposes.

Subpart 14.2 - Solicitation of Bids

14.201 Preparation of invitations for bids.

14.201-1 Uniform contract format.

14.201-2 Part I—The Schedule.

14.201-3 PartII-Contract clauses.

14.201-4 PartIII-Documents, exhibits, and other attachments.

14.201-5 PartIV-Representations and instructions.

14.201-6 Solicitation provisions.

14.201-7 Contract clauses.

14.201-8 Price related factors.

14.201-9 Simplified contract format.

14.202 General rules for solicitation of bids.

14.202-1 Bidding time.

14.202-2 [Reserved]

14.202-3 Bid envelopes.

14.202-4 Bid samples.

14.202-5 Descriptive literature.

14.202-6 Final review of invitations for bids.

14.202-7 Facsimile bids.

14.202-8 Electronic bids.

14.203 Methods of soliciting bids.

14.203-1 Transmittal to prospective bidders.

14.203-2 Dissemination of information concerning invitations for bids.

14.203-3 Master solicitation.
14.204 Records of invitations for bids and records of bids.

14.205 Presolicitation notices.

14.206 [Reserved]

14.207 Pre-bid conference.

14.208 Amendment of invitation for bids.

14.209 Cancellation of invitations before opening.

14.210 Qualified products.

14.211 Release of acquisition information.

14.212 Economic purchase quantities (supplies).

Subpart 14.3 - Submission of Bids

14.301 Responsiveness of bids.

14.302 Bid submission.

14.303 Modification or withdrawal of bids.

14.304 Submission, modification, and withdrawal of bids.

Subpart 14.4 - Opening of Bids and Award of Contract

14.400 Scope of subpart.

14.401 Receipt and safeguarding of bids.

14.402 Opening of bids.

14.402-1 Unclassified bids.

14.402-2 Classified bids.

14.402-3 Postponement of openings.

14.403 Recording of bids.

14.404 Rejection of bids.

14.404-1 Cancellation of invitations after opening.

14.404-2 Rejection of individual bids.

14.404-3 Notice to bidders of rejection of all bids.

14.404-4 Restrictions on disclosure of descriptive literature.

14.404-5 All or none qualifications.

14.405 Minor informalities or irregularities in bids.

14.406 Receipt of an unreadable electronic bid.

14.407 Mistakes in bids.

14.407-1 General.

14.407-2 Apparent clerical mistakes.

14.407-3 Other mistakes disclosed before award.

14.407-4 Mistakes after award.

14.408 Award.

14.408-1 General.

14.408-2 Responsible bidder-reasonableness of price.

14.408-3 Prompt payment discounts.

14.408-4 Economic price adjustment.

14.408-5 [Reserved]

14.408-6 Equal low bids.

14.408-7 Documentation of award.

14.408-8 Protests against award.

14.409 Information to bidders.

14.409-1 Award of unclassified contracts.

14.409-2 Award of classified contracts.

Subpart 14.5 - Two-Step Sealed Bidding

14.501 General.

14.502 Conditions for use.

14.503 Procedures.
14.503-1 Step one.

14.503-2 Step two.

Part 15 - Contracting by Negotiation

15.000 Scope of part.

15.001 Definitions.

15.002 Types of negotiated acquisition.

Subpart 15.1 - Source Selection Processes and Techniques

15.100 Scope of subpart.

15.101 Best value continuum.

15.101-1 Tradeoff process.

15.101-2 Lowest price technically acceptable source selection process.

15.101-3 Tiered evaluation of small business offers.

15.102 Oral presentations.

Subpart 15.2 - Solicitation and Receipt of Proposals and Information

15.200 Scope of subpart.

15.201 Exchanges with industry before receipt of proposals.

15.202 Advisory multi-step process.

15.203 Requests for proposals.

15.204 Contract format.

15.204-1 Uniform contract format.

15.204-2 Part I-The Schedule.

15.204-3 Part II-Contract Clauses.

15.204-4 Part III-List of Documents, Exhibits, and Other Attachments.

15.204-5 Part IV-Representations and Instructions.

15.205 Issuing solicitations.

15.206 Amending the solicitation.

15.207 Handling proposals and information.

15.208 Submission, modification, revision, and withdrawal of proposals.

15.209 Solicitation provisions and contract clauses.

15.210 Forms.

Subpart 15.3 - Source Selection

15.300 Scope of subpart.

15.301 [Reserved]

15.302 Source selection objective.

15.303 Responsibilities.

15.304 Evaluation factors and significant subfactors.

15.305 Proposal evaluation.

15.306 Exchanges with offerors after receipt of proposals.

15.307 Proposal revisions.

15.308 Source selection decision.

Subpart 15.4 - Contract Pricing

15.400 Scope of subpart.

15.401 Definitions.

15.402 Pricing policy.

15.403 Obtaining certified cost or pricing data.

15.403-1 Prohibition on obtaining certified cost or pricing data (10

U.S.C. chapter 271 and 41 U.S.C. CHAPTER 35).

15.403-2 Other circumstances where certified cost or pricing data are

not required.

15.403-3 Requiring data other than certified cost or pricing data.

15.403-4 Requiring certified cost or pricing data (10 U.S.C. chapter
271 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 35).

15.403-5 Instructions for submission of certified cost or pricing data

and data other than certified cost or pricing data.

15.404 Proposal analysis.

15.404-1 Proposal analysis techniques.

15.404-2 Data to support proposal analysis.

15.404-3 Subcontract pricing considerations.

15.404-4 Profit.

15.405 Price negotiation.

15.406 Documentation.

15.406-1 Prenegotiation objectives.

15.406-2 Certificate of Current Cost or Pricing Data.

15.406-3 Documenting the negotiation.

15.407 Special cost or pricing areas.

15.407-1 Defective certified cost or pricing data.

15.407-2 Make-or-buy programs.

15.407-3 Forward pricing rate agreements.

15.407-4 Should-cost review.

15.407-5 Estimating systems.

15.408 Solicitation provisions and contract clauses.

Subpart 15.5 - Preaward, Award, and Postaward Notifications, Protests, and

Mistakes

15.501 Definition.

15.502 Applicability.

15.503 Notifications to unsuccessful offerors.

15.504 Award to successful offeror.

15.505 Preaward debriefing of offerors.

15.506 Postaward debriefing of offerors.

15.507 Protests against award.

15.508 Discovery of mistakes.

15.509 Forms.

Subpart 15.6 - Unsolicited Proposals

15.600 Scope of subpart.

15.601 Definitions.

15.602 Policy.

15.603 General.

15.604 Agency points of contact.

15.605 Content of unsolicited proposals.

15.606 Agency procedures.

15.606-1 Receipt and initial review.

15.606-2 Evaluation.

15.607 Criteria for acceptance and negotiation of an unsolicited proposal.

15.608 Prohibitions.

15.609 Limited use of data.

Part 16 - Types of Contracts

16.000 Scope of part.

16.001 Definitions.

Subpart 16.1 - Selecting Contract Types

16.101 General.

16.102 Policies.

16.103 Negotiating contract type.
16.104 Factors in selecting contract types.

16.105 Solicitation provision.

Subpart 16.2 - Fixed-Price Contracts

16.201 General.

16.202 Firm-fixed-price contracts.

16.202-1 Description.

16.202-2 Application.

16.203 Fixed-price contracts with economic price adjustment.

16.203-1 Description.

16.203-2 Application.

16.203-3 Limitations.

16.203-4 Contract clauses.

16.204 Fixed-price incentive contracts.

16.205 Fixed-price contracts with prospective price redetermination.

16.205-1 Description.

16.205-2 Application.

16.205-3 Limitations.

16.205-4 Contract clause.

16.206 Fixed-ceiling-price contracts with retroactive price redetermination.

16.206-1 Description.

16.206-2 Application.

16.206-3 Limitations.

16.206-4 Contract clause.

16.207 Firm-fixed-price, level-of-effort term contracts.

16.207-1 Description.

16.207-2 Application.

16.207-3 Limitations.

Subpart 16.3 - Cost-Reimbursement Contracts

16.301 General.

16.301-1 Description.

16.301-2 Application.

16.301-3 Limitations.

16.302 Cost contracts.

16.303 Cost-sharing contracts.

16.304 Cost-plus-incentive-fee contracts.

16.305 Cost-plus-award-fee contracts.

16.306 Cost-plus-fixed-fee contracts.

16.307 Contract clauses.

Subpart 16.4 - Incentive Contracts

16.401 General.

16.402 Application of predetermined, formula-type incentives.

16.402-1 Cost incentives.

16.402-2 Performance incentives.

16.402-3 Delivery incentives.

16.402-4 Structuring multiple-incentive contracts.

16.403 Fixed-price incentive contracts.

16.403-1 Fixed-price incentive (firm target) contracts.

16.403-2 Fixed-price incentive (successive targets) contracts.

16.404 Fixed-price contracts with award fees.

16.405 Cost-reimbursement incentive contracts.

16.405-1 Cost-plus-incentive-fee contracts.
16.405-2 Cost-plus-award-fee contracts.

16.406 Contract clauses.

Subpart 16.5 - Indefinite-Delivery Contracts

16.500 Scope of subpart.

16.501 [Reserved]

16.501-1 Definitions.

16.501-2 General.

16.502 Definite-quantity contracts.

16.503 Requirements contracts.

16.504 Indefinite-quantity contracts.

16.505 Ordering.

16.506 Solicitation provisions and contract clauses.

Subpart 16.6 - Time-and-Materials, Labor-Hour, and Letter Contracts

16.600 Scope.

16.601 Time-and-materials contracts.

16.602 Labor-hour contracts.

16.603 Letter contracts.

16.603-1 Description.

16.603-2 Application.

16.603-3 Limitations.

16.603-4 Contract clauses.

Subpart 16.7 - Agreements

16.701 Scope.

16.702 Basic agreements.

16.703 Basic ordering agreements.

Part 17 - Special Contracting Methods

17.000 Scope of part.

Subpart 17.1 - Multi-year Contracting

17.101 Authority.

17.102 Applicability.

17.103 Definitions.

17.104 General.

17.105 Policy.

17.105-1 Uses.

17.105-2 Objectives.

17.106 Procedures.

17.106-1 General.

17.106-2 Solicitations.

17.106-3 Special procedures applicable to DoD, NASA, and the Coast

Guard.

17.107 Options.

17.108 Congressional notification.

17.109 Contract clauses.

Subpart 17.2 - Options

17.200 Scope of subpart.

17.201 [Reserved]

17.202 Use of options.

17.203 Solicitations.

17.204 Contracts.

17.205 Documentation.

17.206 Evaluation.
17.207 Exercise of options.

17.208 Solicitation provisions and contract clauses.

Subpart 17.3 - [Reserved]

Subpart 17.4 - Leader Company Contracting

17.401 General.

17.402 Limitations.

17.403 Procedures.

Subpart 17.5 - Interagency Acquisitions

17.500 Scope of subpart.

17.501 General.

17.502 Procedures.

17.502-1 General.

17.502-2 The Economy Act.

17.503 Ordering procedures.

17.504 Reporting requirements.

Subpart 17.6 - Management and Operating Contracts

17.600 Scope of subpart.

17.601 Definition.

17.602 Policy.

17.603 Limitations.

17.604 Identifying management and operating contracts.

17.605 Award, renewal, and extension.

Subpart 17.7 - Interagency Acquisitions: Acquisitions by Nondefense Agencies on

Behalf of the Department of Defense

17.700 Scope of subpart.

17.701 Definitions.

17.702 Applicability.

17.703 Policy.

Part 18 - Emergency Acquisitions

18.000 Scope of part.

18.001 Definition.

Subpart 18.1 - Available Acquisition Flexibilities

18.101 General.

18.102 System for Award Management.

18.103 Synopses of proposed contract actions.

18.104 Unusual and compelling urgency.

18.105 Federal Supply Schedules (FSSs), multi-agency blanket purchase

agreements (BPAs), and multi-agency indefinite delivery contracts.

18.106 Acquisitions from Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (FPI).

18.107 AbilityOne specification changes.

18.108 Qualifications requirements.

18.109 Priorities and allocations.

18.110 Soliciting from a single source.

18.111 Oral requests for proposals.

18.112 Letter contracts.

18.113 Interagency acquisitions.

18.114 Contracting with the Small Business Administration (The 8(a)

Program).

18.115 HUBZone sole source awards.

18.116 Service-disabled Veteran-owned Small Business (SDVOSB) sole

source awards.
18.117 Awards to economically disadvantaged women-owned small business

concerns and women-owned small business concerns eligible under the

Women-Owned Small Business Program.

18.118 Overtime approvals.

18.119 Trade agreements.

18.120 [Reserved]

18.121 Bid guarantees.

18.122 Advance payments.

18.123 Assignment of claims.

18.124 Electronic funds transfer.

18.125 Protest to GAO.

18.126 Contractor rent-free use of Government property.

18.127 Extraordinary contractual actions.

Subpart 18.2 - Emergency Acquisition Flexibilities

18.201 Contingency operation.

18.202 Defense or recovery from certain events.

18.203 Emergency declaration or major disaster declaration.

18.204 Humanitarian or peacekeeping operation.

18.205 Resources.