FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 52: Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses › Subpart 52.2
FAR 52.222-52 Exemption From Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain Services—Certification.
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 requires an offeror to certify whether it qualifies for an exemption from the Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS) for certain services. If the offeror certifies and the contracting officer agrees, the SCLS clause will not be included in the contract; if not, the offeror must notify the contracting officer about the wage determination. Failure to certify or notify can prevent award.
Applies to: Offerors responding to solicitations for certain services
What it requires
- Check the certification box to indicate whether the offeror does or does not certify the conditions.
- If not certifying, notify the Contracting Officer as soon as possible if a Service Contract Labor Standards wage determination was not attached to the solicitation.
- Execute the certification in paragraph (a) or contact the Contracting Officer as required in paragraph (c) to be eligible for award.
Key terms: established catalog price · established market price · Service Contract Labor Standards · certification · exempt services
Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.
The text
As prescribed in 22.1006(e)(3), insert the following provision:
Exemption From Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain Services—Certification (MAY 2014)
(a) The offeror shall check the following certification:
CERTIFICATION
The offeror □ does □ does not certify that—
(1) The services under the contract are offered and sold regularly to non-Governmental customers, and are provided by the offeror (or subcontractor in the case of an exempt subcontract) to the general public in substantial quantities in the course of normal business operations;
(2) The contract services are furnished at prices that are, or are based on, established catalog or market prices. An “established catalog price” is a price included in a catalog, price list, schedule, or other form that is regularly maintained by the manufacturer or the offeror, is either published or otherwise available for inspection by customers, and states prices at which sales currently, or were last, made to a significant number of buyers constituting the general public. An “established market price” is a current price, established in the usual course of ordinary and usual trade between buyers and sellers free to bargain, which can be substantiated from sources independent of the manufacturer or offeror;
(3) Each service employee who will perform the services under the contract will spend only a small portion of his or her time (a monthly average of less than 20 percent of the available hours on an annualized basis, or less than 20 percent of available hours during the contract period if the contract period is less than a month) servicing the Government contract; and
(4) The offeror uses the same compensation (wage and fringe benefits) plan for all service employees performing work under the contract as the offeror uses for these employees and for equivalent employees servicing commercial customers.
(b) Certification by the offeror as to its compliance with respect to the contract also constitutes its certification as to compliance by its subcontractor if it subcontracts out the exempt services. If the offeror certifies to the conditions in paragraph (a) of this provision, and the Contracting Officer determines in accordance with FAR 22.1003-4(d)(3) that the Service Contract Labor Standards statute —
(1) Will not apply to this offeror, then the Service Contract Labor Standards clause in this solicitation will not be included in any resultant contract to this offeror; or
(2) Will apply to this offeror, then the clause at FAR 52.222-53, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain Services—Requirements, in this solicitation will not be included in any resultant contract awarded to this offer, and the offeror may be provided an opportunity to submit a new offer on that basis.
(c) If the offeror does not certify to the conditions in paragraph (a) of this provision—
(1) The clause of this solicitation at 52.222-53, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain Services—Requirements, will not be included in any resultant contract to this offeror; and
(2) The offeror shall notify the Contracting Officer as soon as possible if the Contracting Officer did not attach a Service Contract Labor Standards wage determination to the solicitation.
(d) The Contracting Officer may not make an award to the offeror, if the offeror fails to execute the certification in paragraph (a) of this provision or to contact the Contracting Officer as required in paragraph (c) of this provision.
(End of provision)
Sections it refers to
← 52.222-51 Exemption From Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Maintenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment—Requirements. · 52.222-53 Exemption From Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain Services—Requirements. →
Rule changes for FAR Part 52
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary FAR Overhaul Parts 8, 12, 13, 15, 38, 44, and 51 ↗ · proposed 2026-09-18 · comments due 2026-10-19
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul Parts 16, 17, and 35 ↗ · proposed 2026-09-18 · comments due 2026-10-19
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul Parts 9, 27, and 47 ↗ · proposed 2026-09-18 · comments due 2026-10-19
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul Parts 14, 28, 36, and 52 ↗ · proposed 2026-09-18 · comments due 2026-10-19
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul Parts 3 and 49 ↗ · proposed 2026-06-23 · comments due 2026-07-23
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul Parts 5, 24, and 29 ↗ · proposed 2026-06-23 · comments due 2026-07-23
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul Parts 6, 7, 10, 18, 26, 37, and 41 ↗ · proposed 2026-06-23 · comments due 2026-07-23
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul Parts 1, 2, 4, 33, 39, 40, and 53 ↗ · proposed 2026-06-23 · comments due 2026-07-23
Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.