FAR and DFARS › DFARS Part 252: Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses › Subpart 252.2

DFARS 252.236-7007 Additive or deductive items.

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 provision explains how the government determines the low offeror and selects which additive or deductive items to award when funds are limited. It matters because your bid may be evaluated based on a combination of base and optional items that fits within available funds, not necessarily all items you bid.

Applies to: Offerors on solicitations that include additive or deductive items

Key terms: additive items · deductive items · low offeror · base bid item · list of priorities

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

The text

As prescribed in 236.570(b)(5), use the following provision:

Additive or Deductive Items (DEC 1991)

(a) The low offeror and the items to be awarded shall be determined as follows—

(1) Prior to the opening of bids, the Government will determine the amount of funds available for the project.

(2) The low offeror shall be the Offeror that—

(i) Is otherwise eligible for award; and

(ii) Offers the lowest aggregate amount for the first or base bid item, plus or minus (in the order stated in the list of priorities in the bid schedule) those additive or deductive items that provide the most features within the funds determined available.

(3) The Contracting Officer shall evaluate all bids on the basis of the same additive or deductive items.

(i) If adding another item from the bid schedule list of priorities would make the award exceed the available funds for all offerors, the Contracting Officer will skip that item and go to the next item from the bid schedule of priorities; and

(ii) Add that next item if an award may be made that includes that item and is within the available funds.

(b) The Contracting Officer will use the list of priorities in the bid schedule only to determine the low offeror. After determining the low offeror, an award may be made on any combination of items if—

(1) It is in the best interest of the Government;

(2) Funds are available at the time of award; and

(3) The low offeror's price for the combination to be awarded is less than the price offered by any other responsive, responsible offeror.

(c) Example. The amount available is $100,000. Offeror A's base bid and four additives (in the order stated in the list of priorities in the bid Schedule) are $85,000, $10,000, $8,000, $6,000, and $4,000. Offeror B's base bid and four additives are $80,000, $16,000, $9,000, $7,000, and $4,000. Offeror A is the low offeror. The aggregate amount of offeror A's bid for purposes of award would be $99,000, which includes a base bid plus the first and fourth additives. The second and third additives were skipped because each of them would cause the aggregate bid to exceed $100,000.

(End of provision)

Sections it refers to

  • 236.570 Additional provisions and clauses.

Sections that refer to it

  • 236.570 Additional provisions and clauses.

← 252.236-7006 Cost limitation. · 252.236-7008 Contract prices—bidding schedules. →

Rule changes for DFARS Part 252

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

DFARS 252.236-7007 Additive or deductive items · SpendQuery