FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 42: Contract Administration and Audit Services › Subpart 42.5
FAR 42.503-2 Postaward conference procedure.
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 describes how a postaward conference is run. The chairperson leads the meeting and must make clear that the meeting is not meant to change the contract unless a change is actually being considered. Any commitment or direction from the contracting officer must be put in writing and signed, and any actual contract change must be made through a formal contract modification.
Applies to: Contracting officers, chairpersons, and participants in postaward conferences
What it requires
- The chairperson shall conduct the meeting.
- The chairperson shall emphasize that it is not the purpose of the meeting to change the contract, unless a contract change is contemplated.
- The contracting officer shall put in writing and sign any commitment or direction, whether or not it changes the contract.
- Any change to the contract resulting from the postaward conference shall be made only by a contract modification referencing the applicable terms of the contract.
Key terms: postaward conference · chairperson · contracting officer · contract modification · summary report
Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.
The text
The chairperson of the conference shall conduct the meeting. Unless a contract change is contemplated, the chairperson shall emphasize that it is not the purpose of the meeting to change the contract. The contracting officer may make commitments or give directions within the scope of the contracting officer's authority and shall put in writing and sign any commitment or direction, whether or not it changes the contract. Any change to the contract that results from the postaward conference shall be made only by a contract modification referencing the applicable terms of the contract. Participants without authority to bind the Government shall not take action that in any way alters the contract. The chairperson shall include in the summary report (see 42.503-3 below) all information and guidance provided to the contractor.
Sections it refers to
- 42.503-3 Postaward conference report.
← 42.503-1 Postaward conference arrangements. · 42.503-3 Postaward conference report. →
Rule changes for FAR Part 42
- 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: Subcontracting to Puerto Rican and Covered Territory Small Businesses ↗ · final rule 2025-01-03 · effective 2025-01-17
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Inflation Adjustment of Acquisition-Related Thresholds ↗ · proposed 2024-11-29 · comments due 2025-01-28
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Subcontracting to Puerto Rican and Covered Territory Small Businesses ↗ · proposed 2024-06-07 · comments due 2024-08-06
- 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.