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FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 12: Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services › Subpart 12.2

FAR 12.204 Solicitation/contract form.

The codified text (eCFR, as of 2026-10-02). Under the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul ↗, agencies follow class deviations with new text for many parts while the formal rules go through the Federal Register: check the solicitation and your contract's clauses, which rule.

In plain English

This section tells contracting officers which solicitation or contract form to use for commercial products and services. It requires the SF 1449 when the acquisition is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold, a paper solicitation or contract is being issued, and certain procedures at 12.603 are not used. It also allows the contracting officer to shorten the notice period before a solicitation is issued in certain cases.

Applies to: Contracting officers handling commercial product and commercial service acquisitions

What it requires

  • Use Standard Form 1449 when the acquisition is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold, a paper solicitation or contract is being issued, and procedures at 12.603 are not being used.

Key terms: Standard Form 1449 · simplified acquisition threshold · commercial products · commercial services · solicitation

Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.

The text

(a)(1) The contracting officer shall use the Standard Form 1449, Solicitation/Contract/Order for Commercial Products and Commercial Services, if—

(i) The acquisition is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold;

(ii) A paper solicitation or contract is being issued; and

(iii) Procedures at 12.603 are not being used.

(2) Use of the SF 1449 is nonmandatory but encouraged for commercial acquisitions not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold.

(b) Consistent with the requirements at 5.203 (a) and (h), the contracting officer may allow fewer than 15 days before issuance of the solicitation.

Sections it refers to

  • 12.603 Streamlined solicitation for commercial products or commercial services.
  • 5.203 Publicizing and response time.

Sections that refer to it

← 12.203 Procedures for solicitation, evaluation, and award. · 12.205 Offers. →

Rule changes for FAR Part 12

Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.

FAR 12.204 Solicitation/contract form · SpendQuery