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FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 52: Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses › Subpart 52.2

FAR 52.214-16 Minimum Bid Acceptance Period.

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 sets a minimum number of calendar days during which the Government may accept a bid after bids are received. Bidders may offer a longer acceptance period, but a bid offering less than the Government's minimum will be rejected. It matters because it defines how long a bidder is bound to its bid if the Government accepts it in writing.

Applies to: Bidders on invitations for bids, except construction, when the contracting officer determines a minimum acceptance period must be specified

What it requires

  • Bidders may specify a longer acceptance period than the Government's minimum requirement
  • The bidder agrees to execute all that it has undertaken to do, in compliance with its bid, if that bid is accepted in writing within the stated acceptance period or any longer period the bidder stated

Key terms: acceptance period · calendar days · invitations for bids · bidder · minimum acceptance period

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

The text

As prescribed in 14.201-6(j), insert the following provision in invitations for bids, except for construction, if the contracting officer determines that a minimum acceptance period must be specified:

Minimum Bid Acceptance Period (APR 1984)

(a) Acceptance period, as used in this provision, means the number of calendar days available to the Government for awarding a contract from the date specified in this solicitation for receipt of bids.

(b) This provision supersedes any language pertaining to the acceptance period that may appear elsewhere in this solicitation.

(c) The Government requires a minimum acceptance period of __ calendar days [the Contracting Officer shall insert the number of days].

(d) In the space provided immediately below, bidders may specify a longer acceptance period than the Government's minimum requirement.

The bidder allows the following acceptance period: __ calendar days.

(e) A bid allowing less than the Government's minimum acceptance period will be rejected.

(f) The bidder agrees to execute all that it has undertaken to do, in compliance with its bid, if that bid is accepted in writing within (1) the acceptance period stated in paragraph (c) above or (2) any longer acceptance period stated in paragraph (d) above.

(End of provision)

Sections it refers to

Sections that refer to it

← 52.214-15 Period for Acceptance of Bids. · 52.214-17 [Reserved] →

Rule changes for FAR Part 52

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

FAR 52.214-16 Minimum Bid Acceptance Period · SpendQuery