FAR 14.302—Bid submission.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 14.302 is the core timeliness rule for sealed bidding bid submission. It addresses where bids must be delivered, when they must arrive, and the consequence of missing the deadline established in the invitation for bids (IFB). In practice, it requires bidders to send their bids to the exact office named in the solicitation and to ensure the bid is actually received there no later than the precise bid opening time. The rule exists to preserve the integrity of sealed bidding by treating all bidders equally, preventing late access to bids, and allowing the government to open bids at a fixed time with confidence that all timely bids are in hand. For contractors, this means planning for delivery delays, internal routing, and receipt confirmation; for contracting officers, it means clearly identifying the correct office and enforcing the deadline consistently.
Key Rules
Deliver to designated office
A bid must be submitted so it is received in the office designated in the IFB. Sending a bid to the wrong office, even within the same agency, does not satisfy this requirement unless it is actually received in the designated office on time.
Received by exact opening time
The bid must arrive no later than the exact time set for opening of bids. The rule is based on receipt, not mailing or sending, so a bid is late if it is not physically or electronically received by the deadline.
Timeliness is mandatory
This is a strict requirement, not a flexible guideline. If a bid is not received in the proper place by the deadline, it is treated as late and generally cannot be considered under sealed bidding rules.
IFB controls the destination
The invitation for bids must identify the office where bids are to be received, and bidders must follow that instruction exactly. The solicitation’s stated location and opening time govern the submission requirement.
Responsibilities
Contracting Officer
Identify the correct office for bid receipt in the IFB, state the exact bid opening time, and enforce the receipt deadline consistently when determining whether a bid is timely.
Bidder/Contractor
Submit the bid to the office named in the IFB and ensure it is actually received there by the exact bid opening time. The bidder must account for mailing, courier, internal delivery, and any other transmission delays.
Receiving Office/Agency Personnel
Receive bids at the designated location and maintain procedures that support accurate time-stamping, secure handling, and proper transfer of bids for opening.
Practical Implications
The key operational issue is receipt, not dispatch: a bid mailed or sent early can still be late if it arrives after the deadline.
Bidders should build in extra time for courier delays, security screening, building access, and internal mailroom routing, all of which can cause a bid to miss the opening time.
Contracting officers should make the designated receipt office and opening time unmistakably clear in the IFB to reduce disputes over where a bid had to be delivered.
A bid delivered to the wrong office or left with the wrong person is risky unless it is actually received in the designated office on time.
This rule is central to sealed bidding fairness; even small timing errors can make a bid nonresponsive or ineligible for award under the sealed bidding process.
Official Regulatory Text
Bids shall be submitted so that they will be received in the office designated in the invitation for bids not later than the exact time set for opening of bids.