FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 46: Quality Assurance › Subpart 46.4
FAR 46.404 Government contract quality assurance for acquisitions at or below the simplified acquisition threshold.
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 how to decide what kind of Government quality assurance to require for contracts at or below the simplified acquisition threshold. It generally calls for inspection at destination and only for basic things like type, quantity, damage, and packaging, unless a special situation justifies more detailed inspection. It matters to contractors because it sets expectations for how much inspection their low-dollar contracts will get.
Applies to: Contracts at or below the simplified acquisition threshold
Key terms: simplified acquisition threshold · Government contract quality assurance · inspection at destination · special situations · standard inspection
Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.
The text
(a) In determining the type and extent of Government contract quality assurance to be required for contracts at or below the simplified acquisition threshold, the contracting officer shall consider the criticality of application of the supplies or services, the amount of possible losses, and the likelihood of uncontested replacement of defective work (see 46.202-2).
(b) When the conditions in 46.202-2(b) apply, the following policies shall govern:
(1) Unless a special situation exists, the Government shall inspect contracts at or below the simplified acquisition threshold at destination and only for type and kind; quantity; damage; operability (if readily determinable); and preservation, packaging, packing, and marking, if applicable.
(2) Special situations may require more detailed quality assurance and the use of a standard inspection or higher-level contract quality requirement. These situations include those listed in 46.402 and contracts for items having critical applications.
(3) Detailed Government inspection may be limited to those characteristics that are special or likely to cause harm to personnel or property. When repetitive purchases of the same item are made from the same manufacturer with a history of defect-free work, Government inspection may be reduced to a periodic check of occasional purchases.
Sections it refers to
Sections that refer to it
- 13.101 General.
← 46.403 Government contract quality assurance at destination. · 46.405 Subcontracts. →
Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.