FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 15: Contracting by Negotiation › Subpart 15.2
FAR 15.209 Solicitation provisions and contract clauses.
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 provisions and contract clauses they must include when buying by negotiation. It matters to contractors because it determines which instructions, audit rights, and proposal rules will appear in the solicitation and contract they respond to.
Applies to: Contracting officers conducting negotiated acquisitions
Key terms: contracting officer · solicitation · provision · clause · competitive range
Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.
The text
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.
Sections it refers to
- 52.215-1 Instructions to Offerors—Competitive Acquisition.
- 52.215-2 Audit and Records—Negotiation.
- 15.403-1 Prohibition on obtaining certified cost or pricing data (10 U.S.C. chapter 271 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 35).
- 25.1001 Waiver of right to examination of records.
- 52.215-3 Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes.
- 52.215-5 Facsimile Proposals.
- 15.203 Requests for proposals.
- 52.215-6 Place of Performance.
- 52.215-8 Order of Precedence—Uniform Contract Format.
- 15.204 Contract format.
Sections that refer to it
- 12.504 Applicability of certain laws to subcontracts for the acquisition of commercial products and commercial services.
- 25.1001 Waiver of right to examination of records.
- 52.215-1 Instructions to Offerors—Competitive Acquisition.
- 52.215-2 Audit and Records—Negotiation.
- 52.215-3 Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes.
- 52.215-5 Facsimile Proposals.
- 52.215-6 Place of Performance.
- 52.215-8 Order of Precedence—Uniform Contract Format.
← 15.208 Submission, modification, revision, and withdrawal of proposals. · 15.210 Forms. →
Rule changes for FAR Part 15
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary FAR Overhaul Parts 8, 12, 13, 15, 38, 44, and 51 ↗ · proposed 2026-09-18 · comments due 2026-10-19
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Inflation Adjustment of Acquisition-Related Thresholds ↗ · final rule 2025-08-27 · effective 2025-10-01
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Preventing Organizational Conflicts of Interest in Federal Acquisition ↗ · proposed 2025-01-15 · comments due 2025-03-17
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Controlled Unclassified Information ↗ · proposed 2025-01-15 · comments due 2025-03-17
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Inflation Adjustment of Acquisition-Related Thresholds ↗ · proposed 2024-11-29 · comments due 2025-01-28
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Reverse Auction Guidance ↗ · final rule 2024-07-30 · effective 2024-08-29
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Sustainable Procurement ↗ · final rule 2024-04-22 · effective 2024-05-22
Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.