FAR 15.208—Submission, modification, revision, and withdrawal of proposals.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 15.208 governs the mechanics of submitting, modifying, revising, and withdrawing proposals in negotiated procurements. It covers who is responsible for timely delivery, what counts as a late proposal or late modification, when a late submission may still be considered, what evidence can prove when a proposal was received, how emergencies or interruptions affect the closing time, how offerors may withdraw proposals, what the contracting officer must tell offerors about late receipt, how late proposals are handled after award, and what documentation must be kept in the contract file. In practice, this section is the core timing rule for proposal receipt and is designed to protect fairness, preserve competition integrity, and give the Government a clear, administrable standard for deciding whether a proposal can be opened and evaluated. It also creates important exceptions for certain electronic submissions, government-caused interruptions, and late modifications that improve the Government’s position. For contractors, the rule means the risk of timely delivery generally stays with the offeror. For contracting officers, it means careful attention to the exact closing time, receipt evidence, file documentation, and prompt notice to offerors when lateness is an issue.
Key Rules
Offeror bears delivery risk
Offerors are responsible for getting proposals, revisions, and modifications to the designated Government office by the exact time stated in the solicitation. If the solicitation does not state a time, the default deadline is 4:30 p.m. local time for the designated office on the due date.
Late submissions are generally excluded
A proposal, modification, or revision received after the exact closing time is late and normally will not be considered. The contracting officer may consider it only if it is received before award, acceptance will not unduly delay the acquisition, and one of the regulatory exceptions applies.
Limited exceptions for late proposals
A late submission may be considered if it was sent by authorized electronic commerce and reached the Government’s initial point of entry by 5:00 p.m. one working day before the due date, or if acceptable evidence shows it was under Government control at the designated installation before the deadline, or if it was the only proposal received.
Late favorable modification may be accepted
A late modification to an otherwise successful proposal that makes the proposal more favorable to the Government may be considered and accepted at any time it is received. This is a narrow exception that applies only when the change improves the Government’s position.
Proof of receipt matters
Acceptable evidence of timely receipt at the Government installation can include the installation’s time/date stamp, other documentary evidence maintained by the installation, or oral testimony or statements from Government personnel. The issue is whether the proposal was received and under Government control before the deadline.
Emergency interruptions extend the deadline
If an emergency or unanticipated event interrupts normal Government processes so proposals cannot be received at the designated office on time, and the solicitation cannot be amended because of urgent needs, the deadline is automatically extended to the same time on the first workday when normal processes resume.
Withdrawal is allowed before award
Proposals may be withdrawn by written notice any time before award. Oral proposals submitted in response to oral solicitations may be withdrawn orally, but the contracting officer must document the oral withdrawal in the contract file.
Late notices and file retention
The contracting officer must promptly notify an offeror when its proposal, modification, or revision is received late and tell the offeror whether it will be considered, unless award is imminent and the notice required by FAR 15.503(b) is enough. Late proposals not considered must be held unopened until after award, then retained with unsuccessful proposals, and the file should include receipt date and time, the consideration decision and rationale, and the envelope or other receipt evidence when available.
Responsibilities
Offeror
Submit proposals, revisions, and modifications so they reach the designated Government office by the exact time in the solicitation. Use only the transmission methods authorized by the solicitation, monitor delivery status, and provide written notice to withdraw a proposal before award unless the solicitation was oral and oral withdrawal is permitted.
Contracting Officer
Apply the late-proposal rules, determine whether any late submission qualifies for an exception, decide whether acceptance would unduly delay the acquisition, promptly notify offerors of late receipt and whether the proposal will be considered, document oral withdrawals, retain late unopened proposals as required, and ensure the contract file contains the required receipt and disposition records.
Government Receiving Office/Installation Personnel
Receive and time-stamp proposals or maintain other reliable evidence of receipt, preserve documentary evidence of when items arrived under Government control, and provide information or testimony if needed to establish receipt time.
Agency/Contracting Activity
Maintain procedures and infrastructure for receiving proposals, preserve receipt records and backup evidence, and ensure that interruptions to normal processes are recognized and handled consistently with the automatic extension rule.
Practical Implications
The biggest practical point is that the offeror usually bears the risk of late delivery, even if the delay is caused by the mail, courier, or internal company problems. Contractors should build in margin time and verify the exact office and method named in the solicitation.
Electronic submissions have a special rule: meeting the initial point-of-entry deadline can save a proposal that arrives later at the office, but only if the solicitation authorized that method. Contractors should not assume every email or portal submission gets this protection.
Late proposals are not automatically dead, but the exceptions are narrow. Contracting officers should document the basis for any acceptance or rejection carefully, especially when relying on evidence of Government receipt or the “only proposal received” exception.
A late modification that improves the Government’s position can be accepted even when the underlying proposal is otherwise successful. This can matter during final proposal revisions, but it does not create a general right to fix a late proposal.
File documentation is critical. Missing time stamps, missing envelopes, or weak notes about why a late proposal was or was not considered can create protest risk and make it hard to defend the award decision.
Official Regulatory Text
(a) Offerors are responsible for submitting proposals, and any revisions, and modifications, so as to reach the Government office designated in the solicitation by the time specified in the solicitation. Offerors may use any transmission method authorized by the solicitation ( i.e., regular mail, electronic commerce, or facsimile). If no time is specified in the solicitation, the time for receipt is 4:30 p.m., local time, for the designated Government office on the date that proposals are due. (b) (1) Any proposal, modification, or revision, that is received at the designated Government office after the exact time specified for receipt of proposals is "late" and will not be considered unless it is received before award is made, the contracting officer determines that accepting the late proposal would not unduly delay the acquisition; and- (i) If it was transmitted through an electronic commerce method authorized by the solicitation, it was received at the initial point of entry to the Government infrastructure not later than 5:00 p.m. one working day prior to the date specified for receipt of proposals; or (ii) There is acceptable evidence to establish that it was received at the Government installation designated for receipt of proposals and was under the Government’s control prior to the time set for receipt of proposals; or (iii) It was the only proposal received. (2) However, a late modification of an otherwise successful proposal, that makes its terms more favorable to the Government, will be considered at any time it is received and may be accepted. (c) Acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at the Government installation includes the time/date stamp of that installation on the proposal wrapper, other documentary evidence of receipt maintained by the installation, or oral testimony or statements of Government personnel. (d) If an emergency or unanticipated event interrupts normal Government processes so that proposals cannot be received at the Government office designated for receipt of proposals by the exact time specified in the solicitation, and urgent Government requirements preclude amendment of the solicitation closing date, the time specified for receipt of proposals will be deemed to be extended to the same time of day specified in the solicitation on the first work day on which normal Government processes resume. (e) Proposals may be withdrawn by written notice at any time before award. Oral proposals in response to oral solicitations may be withdrawn orally. The contracting officer must document the 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 offeror’s request. Where practicable, electronically transmitted proposals that are withdrawn must be purged from primary and backup data storage systems after a copy is made for the file. Extremely bulky proposals must only be returned at the offeror’s request and expense. (f) The contracting officer must promptly notify any offeror if its proposal, modification, or revision was received late, and must inform the offeror whether its proposal will be considered, unless contract award is imminent and the notice prescribed in 15.503 (b) would suffice. (g) Late proposals and modifications that are not considered must be held unopened, unless opened for identification, until after award and then retained with other unsuccessful proposals. (h) If available, the following must be included in the contracting office files for each late proposal, modification, revision, or withdrawal: (1) The date and hour of receipt. (2) A statement regarding whether the proposal was considered for award, with supporting rationale. (3) The envelope, wrapper, or other evidence of date of receipt.