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FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 46: Quality Assurance › Subpart 46.2

FAR 46.202-4 Higher-level contract quality requirements.

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 agencies to have procedures for deciding when higher-level quality standards are needed, assessing the risk of nonconformance, and advising the contracting officer on which standards to include in solicitations and contracts. Higher-level standards are necessary for complex or critical items or when the contract requires control of design, work operations, testing, inspection, or attention to factors like organization, planning, and documentation. Examples of such standards include ISO 9001, AS9100, and others.

Applies to: Agencies and contractors involved in solicitations and contracts for complex or critical items

Key terms: higher-level contract quality requirements · nonconformance · contracting officer · solicitation · quality management system standards

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

The text

(a) Agencies shall establish procedures for determining when higher-level contract quality requirements are necessary, for determining the risk (both the likelihood and the impact) of nonconformance, and for advising the contracting officer about which higher-level standards should be applied and included in the solicitation and contract. Requiring compliance with higher-level quality standards is necessary in solicitations and contracts for complex or critical items (see 46.203) or when the technical requirements of the contract require—

(1) Control of such things as design, work operations, in-process controls, testing, and inspection; or

(2) Attention to such factors as organization, planning, work instructions, documentation control, and advanced metrology.

(b) Examples of higher-level quality standards include overarching quality management system standards such as ISO 9001, ASQ/ANSI E4, ASME NQA-1, SAE AS9100, SAE AS9003, and ISO/TS 16949, and product or process specific quality standards such as SAE AS5553.

Sections it refers to

  • 46.203 Criteria for use of contract quality requirements.

Sections that refer to it

  • 46.311 Higher-level contract quality requirement.

← 46.202-3 Standard inspection requirements. · 46.203 Criteria for use of contract quality requirements. →

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

FAR 46.202-4 Higher-level contract quality requirements · SpendQuery