SpendQueryBeta

48 CFR · Federal Acquisition Regulation and Defense supplement

FAR and DFARS navigator

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.

Ask the FAR

Try: · · ·

Clear

180 sections with “retain”: the first 40

  • FAR 4.705-1 Financial and cost accounting records.
    …and other documents which detail the material or services billed on the related invoices: Retain 4 years. (b) Material, work order, or service order files, consisting of purchase requisitions or purchase orders for material or services, or…
  • FAR 4.705-3 Acquisition and supply records.
    (a) Store requisitions for materials, supplies, equipment, and services: Retain 2 years. (b) Work orders for maintenance and other services: Retain 4 years. (c) Equipment records, consisting of equipment usage and status reports and equip…
  • FAR 27.302 Policy.
    … this section, each contractor may, after required disclosure to the Government, elect to retain title to any subject invention. (2) A contract may require the contractor to assign to the Government title to any subject invention— (i) Whe…
  • FAR 31.205-33 Professional and consultant service costs.
    …cted for or otherwise agreed to. (d) In determining the allowability of costs (including retainer fees) in a particular case, no single factor or any special combination of factors is necessarily determinative. However, the contracting off…
  • FAR 32.103 Progress payments under construction contracts.
    …d for which a progress payment is to be made, a percentage of the progress payment may be retained. Retainage should not be used as a substitute for good contract management, and the contracting officer should not withhold funds without cau…
  • FAR 52.227-11 Patent Rights—Ownership by the Contractor.
    …e of work under this contract. (b) Contractor's rights (1) Ownership. The Contractor may retain ownership of each subject invention throughout the world in accordance with the provisions of this clause. (2) License. (i) The Contractor sha…
  • FAR 52.232-5 Payments Under Fixed-Price Construction Contracts.
    …s payments does not include any amounts which the prime contractor intends to withhold or retain from a subcontractor or supplier in accordance with the terms and conditions of the subcontract; and (4) This certification is not to be const…
  • FAR 52.232-27 Prompt Payment for Construction Contracts.
    …actor compliance with contract requirements. (B) The due date for payment of any amounts retained by the Contracting Officer in accordance with the clause at 52.232-5, Payments Under Fixed-Price Construction Contracts, is as specified in t…
  • FAR 52.237-4 Payment by Government to Contractor.
    …rovided in paragraph (c) below, in making progress payments the Contracting Officer shall retain 10 percent of the estimated payment until final completion and acceptance of the contract work. However, if the Contracting Officer finds that …
  • DFARS 252.227-7038 Patent Rights—Ownership by the Contractor (Large Business).
    … under this contract. (b) Contractor's rights—(1) Ownership. The Contractor may elect to retain ownership of each subject invention throughout the world in accordance with the provisions of this clause. (2) License. (i) The Contractor sha…
  • FAR 4.703 Policy.
    …703(a) is specified in any contract clause; or (2) The contractor, for its own purposes, retains the foregoing records and supporting evidence for a longer period. Under this circumstance, the retention period shall be the period of the co…
  • FAR 52.227-13 Patent Rights—Ownership by the Government.
    …itle throughout the world to each subject invention, except to the extent that rights are retained under paragraphs (b)(2) and (d) of this clause. (2) Greater rights determinations. (i) The Contractor, or an employee-inventor after consult…
  • FAR 52.232-12 Advance Payments.
    …nder the termination clause, the Contracting Officer authorizes the Contractor to sell or retain termination inventory, the approval shall constitute a release of the Government's lien to the extent that— (i) The termination inventory is s…
  • FAR 3.705 Procedures.
    …ion; (ii) Reflects consideration of the fair value of any tangible benefits received and retained by the agency; and (iii) States the amount due, and the property to be returned, to the agency. (d) Notice of proposed action. The notice o…
  • FAR 4.705-2 Pay administration records.
    …dividual employees for each payroll period; change slips; and tax withholding statements: Retain 4 years. (b) Clock cards or other time and attendance cards: Retain 2 years. (c) Paid checks, receipts for wages paid in cash, or other evide…
  • FAR 32.904 Determining payment due dates.
    …s Under Fixed-Price Construction Contracts. (ii) The due date for payment of any amounts retained by the contracting officer in accordance with the clause at 52.232-5, Payments Under Fixed-Price Construction Contracts, will be as specified…
  • FAR 49.603-1 Fixed-price contracts—complete termination.
    …e Contractor certifies that all contract termination inventory (including scrap) has been retained or acquired by the Contractor, sold to third parties, returned to suppliers, delivered to or stored for the Government, or otherwise properly…
  • FAR 49.603-3 Cost-reimbursement contracts—complete termination, if settlement includes cost.
    …e Contractor certifies that all contract termination inventory (including scrap) has been retained or acquired by the Contractor, sold to third parties, returned to suppliers, delivered to or stored for the Government, or otherwise properly…
  • FAR 52.245-1 Government Property.
    …“Government property”), is subject to the provisions of this clause. The Government shall retain title to all Government-furnished property. Title to Government property shall not be affected by its incorporation into or attachment to any p…
  • DFARS 204.805 Disposal of contract files.
    (1) The sources of the period for which contract files must be retained are General Records Schedule 3 (Procurement, Supply, and Grant Records) and General Records Schedule 6 (Accountable Officers' Accounts Records). Copies of the General R…
  • FAR 4.704 Calculation of retention periods.
    …h the final entry is made. The contractor should cut off the records in annual blocks and retain them for block disposal under the prescribed retention periods. (b) When records generated during a prior contract are relied upon by a contra…
  • FAR 11.701 Supply contracts.
    …ies, to provide that— (1) Excess quantities of items totaling up to $250 in value may be retained without compensating the contractor; and (2) Excess quantities of items totaling over $250 in value may, at the Government's option, be eith…
  • FAR 14.202-4 Bid samples.
    …0 days. Small items may be returned by mail, postage prepaid. (4) Samples that are to be retained for inspection purposes in connection with deliveries shall be transmitted to the inspecting activity concerned, with instructions to retain …
  • FAR 15.208 Submission, modification, revision, and withdrawal of proposals.
    …e contract file when oral withdrawals are made. One copy of withdrawn proposals should be retained in the contract file (see 4.803(a)(10)). Extra copies of the withdrawn proposals may be destroyed or returned to the offeror at the offerors …
  • FAR 25.206 Noncompliance.
    …at the foreign construction material need not be removed and replaced. A determination to retain foreign construction material does not constitute a determination that an exception to the Buy American statute applies, and this should be sta…
  • FAR 25.607 Noncompliance.
    …at the foreign construction material need not be removed and replaced. A determination to retain foreign construction material does not constitute a determination that an exception to section 1605 of the Recovery Act or the Buy American sta…
  • FAR 27.303 Contract clauses.
    …cumstances and the agency head determines that restriction or elimination of the right to retain title to any subject invention will better promote the policy and objectives of chapter 18 of title 35 of the United States Code; (iii) A Gove…
  • FAR 31.205-11 Depreciation.
    …included in the calculation of the amount that would have been allowed had the contractor retained title under 31.205-11(h)(1) and 31.205-36(b)(2). (ii) As used in this paragraph (g)(3), reacquired property is property that generated eithe…
  • FAR 37.104 Personal services contracts.
    …ontractor employees in order to— (i) Adequately protect the Government's interest; (ii) Retain control of the function involved; or (iii) Retain full personal responsibility for the function supported in a duly authorized Federal officer…
  • FAR 42.1203 Processing agreements.
    …uted novation or change-of-name agreement to the transferor and to the transferee and (2) retain a signed copy in the case file. (h) Following distribution of the agreement, the responsible contracting officer shall— (1) Prepare a Standar…
  • FAR 45.402 Title to contractor-acquired property.
    …sions or other specific requirements for passage of title in the contract, the contractor retains title to all property acquired by the contractor for use on the contract, except for property identified as a deliverable end item. If a deliv…
  • FAR 49.109-2 Reservations.
    …plicable settlement agreement with “This settlement agreement contains a reservation” and retain the contract file until the reservation is removed; (4) Ensure that sufficient funds are retained to cover complete settlement of the reserved…
  • FAR 49.404 Surety-takeover agreements.
    …flicting demands for the defaulting contractor's assets, including unpaid prior earnings (retained percentages and unpaid progress estimates). Therefore, the surety may include a “takeover” agreement in its proposal, fixing the surety's rig…
  • FAR 49.406 Liquidation of liability.
    …are liable to the Government for resultant damages. The contracting officer shall use all retained percentages of progress payments previously made to the contractor and any progress payments due for work completed before the termination to…
  • FAR 49.601-1 Electronic notice.
    …able “necessary to complete items not terminated or”] that you or a subcontractor wish to retain and continue for your own account any work-in-process or other materials. Provide by electronic means similar instructions to all subcontractor…
  • FAR 49.603-2 Fixed-price contracts—partial termination.
    …e Contractor certifies that all contract termination inventory (including scrap) has been retained or acquired by the Contractor, sold to third parties, returned to suppliers, delivered to or stored for the Government, or otherwise properly…
  • FAR 52.203-12 Limitation on Payments to Influence Certain Federal Transactions.
    …e of subcontract award. The Contractor or subcontractor that awards the subcontract shall retain the declaration. (2) A copy of each subcontractor disclosure form (but not certifications) shall be forwarded from tier to tier until received…
  • FAR 52.209-9 Updates of Publicly Available Information Regarding Responsibility Matters.
    …mments regarding information that has been posted by the Government. The comments will be retained as long as the associated information is retained, i.e., for a total period of 6 years. Contractor comments will remain a part of the record …
  • FAR 52.211-17 Delivery of Excess Quantities.
    …l be treated as being delivered for the convenience of the Contractor. The Government may retain such excess quantities up to $250 in value without compensating the Contractor therefor, and the Contractor waives all right, title, or interes…
  • FAR 52.222-41 Service Contract Labor Standards.
    …tion of any contract being performed at a Federal facility where service employees may be retained in the performance of the succeeding contract and subject to a wage determination which contains vacation or other benefit provisions based u…

FAR (chapter 1)

DFARS (chapter 2, Defense)

Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Rule changes in progress: FAR, DFARS. Terms: glossary.