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FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 42: Contract Administration and Audit Services › Subpart 42.4

FAR 42.402 Visits to contractors' facilities.

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 requires Government personnel to notify the cognizant Contract Administration Office (CAO) before visiting a contractor's facility for contract-related work. The notification helps avoid duplicate reviews and audits, and the CAO may decide whether to accompany visitors or discourage the visit if the needed information already exists. Contractors may be asked to provide information during such visits, and visitors must inform the CAO of any agreements or results that could affect the CAO.

Applies to: Government personnel planning to visit a contractor's facility in connection with Government contracts

What it requires

  • Provide prior notification to the cognizant CAO before visiting a contractor's facility.
  • Include in the notification: visitors' names, official positions, and security clearances; date and duration of visit; name and address of contractor and personnel to be contacted; contract number, program involved, and purpose of visit.
  • If the visit will involve reviewing, auditing, or obtaining contract administration information, identify that information in sufficient detail for the CAO to determine if it is already available.
  • Fully inform the CAO of any agreements reached with the contractor or other results of the visit that may affect the CAO.

Key terms: CAO · contract administration functions · cognizant audit office

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

The text

(a) Government personnel planning to visit a contractor's facility in connection with one or more Government contracts shall provide prior notification to the cognizant CAO, with the following information, sufficiently in advance to permit the CAO to make necessary arrangements. Such notification is for the purpose of eliminating duplicative reviews, requests, investigations, and audits relating to the contract administration functions in subpart 42.3 delegated to CAO's and shall, as a minimum, include the following (see also paragraph (b) of this section):

(1) Visitors' names, official positions, and security clearances.

(2) Date and duration of visit.

(3) Name and address of contractor and personnel to be contacted.

(4) Contract number, program involved, and purpose of visit.

(5) If desired, visitors to a contractor's plant may request that a representative of the CAO accompany them. In any event, the CAO has final authority to decide whether a representative shall accompany a visitor.

(b) If the visit will result in reviewing, auditing, or obtaining any information from the contractor relating to contract administration functions, the prospective visitor shall identify the information in sufficient detail so as to permit the CAO, after consultation with the contractor and the cognizant audit office, to determine whether such information, adequate to fulfill the requirement, has recently been reviewed by or is available within the Government. If so, the CAO will discourage the visit and refer the prospective visitor to the Government office where such information is located. Where the office is the CAO, such information will be immediately forwarded or otherwise made available to the requestor.

(c) Visitors shall fully inform the CAO of any agreements reached with the contractor or other results of the visit that may affect the CAO.

← 42.401 Contract correspondence. · 42.403 Evaluation of contract administration offices. →

Rule changes for FAR Part 42

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

FAR 42.402 Visits to contractors' facilities · SpendQuery