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

FAR 52.216-21 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 clause defines a requirements contract, where the Government agrees to order all of its actual needs for specified supplies or services from the contractor, but the estimated quantities in the Schedule are not guaranteed purchases. The contractor must fulfill orders placed under the contract, and the Government is generally obligated to order its requirements from the contractor, subject to any stated limits. This matters because it clarifies that the contractor bears the risk of quantity variations and must be ready to perform as orders arise.

Applies to: Contractors under a requirements contract for supplies or services.

What it requires

  • Furnish to the Government all supplies or services specified in the Schedule and called for by orders issued in accordance with the Ordering clause.
  • Complete any order issued during the effective period but not completed within that period within the time specified in the order.

Key terms: requirements contract · Schedule · Ordering clause · Order Limitations clause · equitable price adjustment

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

The text

As prescribed in 16.506(d), insert the following clause:

Requirements (OCT 1995)

(a) This is a requirements contract for the supplies or services specified, and effective for the period stated, in the Schedule. The quantities of supplies or services specified in the Schedule are estimates only and are not purchased by this contract. Except as this contract may otherwise provide, if the Government's requirements do not result in orders in the quantities described as estimated or maximum in the Schedule, that fact shall not constitute the basis for an equitable price adjustment.

(b) Delivery or performance shall be made only as authorized by orders issued in accordance with the Ordering clause. Subject to any limitations in the Order Limitations clause or elsewhere in this contract, the Contractor shall furnish to the Government all supplies or services specified in the Schedule and called for by orders issued in accordance with the Ordering clause. The Government may issue orders requiring delivery to multiple destinations or performance at multiple locations.

(c) Except as this contract otherwise provides, the Government shall order from the Contractor all the supplies or services specified in the Schedule that are required to be purchased by the Government activity or activities specified in the Schedule.

(d) The Government is not required to purchase from the Contractor requirements in excess of any limit on total orders under this contract.

(e) If the Government urgently requires delivery of any quantity of an item before the earliest date that delivery may be specified under this contract, and if the Contractor will not accept an order providing for the accelerated delivery, the Government may acquire the urgently required goods or services from another source.

(f) Any order issued during the effective period of this contract and not completed within that period shall be completed by the Contractor within the time specified in the order. The contract shall govern the Contractor's and Government's rights and obligations with respect to that order to the same extent as if the order were completed during the contract's effective period; provided, that the Contractor shall not be required to make any deliveries under this contract after __ [insert date].

(End of clause)

Alternate I (APR 1984). If the requirements contract is for nonpersonal services and related supplies and covers estimated requirements that exceed a specific Government activity's internal capability to produce or perform, substitute the following paragraph (c) for paragraph (c) of the basic clause:

(c) The estimated quantities are not the total requirements of the Government activity specified in the Schedule, but are estimates of requirements in excess of the quantities that the activity may itself furnish within its own capabilities. Except as this contract otherwise provides, the Government shall order from the Contractor all of that activity's requirements for supplies and services specified in the Schedule that exceed the quantities that the activity may itself furnish within its own capabilities.

Alternate II (APR 1984). If the requirements contract includes subsistence for both Government use and resale in the same Schedule, and similar products may be acquired on a brand-name basis, add the following paragraph (g) to the basic clause:

(g) The requirements referred to in this contract are for items to be manufactured according to Government specifications. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary stated in the contract, the Government may acquire similar products by brand name from other sources for resale.

Alternate III (OCT 1995). If the requirements contract involves a partial small business set-aside, substitute the following paragraph (c) for paragraph (c) of the basic clause:

(c) The Government's requirements for each item or subitem of supplies or services described in the Schedule are being purchased through one non-set-aside contract and one set-aside contract. Therefore, the Government shall order from each Contractor approximately one-half of the total supplies or services specified in the Schedule that are required to be purchased by the specified Government activity or activities. The Government may choose between the set-aside Contractor and the non-set-aside Contractor in placing any particular order. However, the Government shall allocate successive orders, in accordance with its delivery requirements, to maintain as close a ratio as is reasonably practicable between the total quantities ordered from the two Contractors.

Alternate IV (OCT 1995). If the contract includes subsistence for both Government use and resale in the same Schedule and similar products may be acquired on a brand-name basis and the contract also involves a partial small business set-aside, substitute the following paragraph (c) for paragraph (c) of the basic clause and add the following paragraph (g) to the basic clause:

(c) The Government's requirements for each item or subitem of supplies or services described in the Schedule are being purchased through one non-set-aside contract and one set-aside contract. Therefore, the Government shall order from each Contractor approximately one-half of the total supplies or services specified in the Schedule that are required to be purchased by the specified Government activity or activities. The Government may choose between the set-aside Contractor and the non-set-aside Contractor in placing any particular order. However, the Government shall allocate successive orders, in accordance with its delivery requirements, to maintain as close a ratio as is reasonably practicable between the total quantities ordered from the two Contractors.

(g) The requirements referred to in this contract are for items to be manufactured according to the Government specifications. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary stated in the contract, the Government may acquire similar products by brand name from other sources for resale.

Sections it refers to

  • 16.506 Solicitation provisions and contract clauses.

Sections that refer to it

← 52.216-20 Definite Quantity. · 52.216-22 Indefinite Quantity. →

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 52.216-21 Requirements · SpendQuery