FAR 15.307—Proposal revisions.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 15.307 governs proposal revisions during negotiated procurements after discussions begin and before award. It addresses four core topics: when revisions from an offeror may no longer be accepted because the offeror has been removed from the competitive range; when the contracting officer may request or permit revisions to clarify and document understandings reached in negotiations; the requirement to give every remaining competitive-range offeror an opportunity to submit a final proposal revision at the end of discussions; and the need to set a common cutoff date only for receipt of those final proposal revisions. It also requires the contracting officer’s request for final proposal revisions to tell offerors that the revisions must be in writing and that the Government intends to make award without seeking any further revisions. In practice, this section is designed to preserve fairness, maintain the integrity of discussions, and create a clear, final record of each offeror’s proposal before award. For contractors, it signals the last chance to improve or confirm their proposal after discussions; for contracting officers, it provides the procedural guardrails for closing discussions and moving to source selection.
Key Rules
No revisions after removal
If an offeror is eliminated from the competitive range or otherwise removed, the Government may not accept or consider any further revisions to that offeror’s proposal. Once an offeror is out of the competition, its proposal is no longer eligible for improvement or negotiation.
Revisions may clarify negotiations
The contracting officer may request or allow proposal revisions to clarify and document understandings reached during negotiations. This lets the Government ensure the written proposal reflects what was actually agreed or understood during discussions.
Final revision opportunity required
At the end of discussions, each offeror still in the competitive range must be given an opportunity to submit a final proposal revision. This is the formal last chance for remaining offerors to revise their proposals before award.
Common cutoff only for final revisions
The contracting officer must establish a common cutoff date only for receipt of final proposal revisions. The rule does not require a common cutoff for every discussion exchange, only for the final submission that closes discussions.
Written final revisions required
The request for final proposal revisions must tell offerors that the revisions must be submitted in writing. This ensures a clear, documented record of the final proposal content.
No further revisions expected
The request must also advise offerors that the Government intends to make award without obtaining further revisions. This puts offerors on notice that the final proposal revision is intended to be the last opportunity to change the proposal.
Responsibilities
Contracting Officer
Determine when an offeror is removed from the competitive range and stop accepting revisions from that offeror. During negotiations, request or allow revisions as needed to clarify understandings, then provide all remaining competitive-range offerors an opportunity to submit final proposal revisions. Set a common cutoff date for those final revisions and clearly state that revisions must be in writing and that award is expected without further revisions.
Offeror / Contractor
Submit revisions only when invited or permitted during discussions, and do not expect further consideration once removed from the competitive range. When asked for final proposal revisions, provide a complete written submission by the stated cutoff date, understanding that this is generally the last opportunity to revise the proposal before award.
Agency / Source Selection Team
Support the contracting officer in conducting fair discussions, documenting understandings, and ensuring that all competitive-range offerors receive the same final revision opportunity. Maintain a consistent record of discussion outcomes and final proposal submissions to support the source selection decision.
Practical Implications
This section is a fairness and process-control rule: once an offeror is out of the competitive range, the Government cannot keep negotiating with that offeror while others remain in the competition.
Contracting officers should be careful to distinguish between discussion clarifications and final proposal revisions; not every exchange requires a common cutoff date, but the final revision stage does.
The final proposal revision request should be explicit. If it does not clearly say the submission must be written and that no further revisions are expected, the Government risks confusion or protest arguments about whether discussions were properly closed.
Offerors should treat the final proposal revision as the last meaningful chance to improve price, technical approach, or other proposal elements, and should submit a complete, internally consistent package by the deadline.
A common pitfall is inconsistent treatment of offerors—such as allowing one offeror extra revision opportunities after removal or after the final cutoff—which can undermine the integrity of the competition and create protest risk.
Official Regulatory Text
(a) If an offeror’s proposal is eliminated or otherwise removed from the competitive range, no further revisions to that offeror’s proposal shall be accepted or considered. (b) The contracting officer may request or allow proposal revisions to clarify and document understandings reached during negotiations. At the conclusion of discussions, each offeror still in the competitive range shall be given an opportunity to submit a final proposal revision. The contracting officer is required to establish a common cut-off date only for receipt of final proposal revisions. Requests for final proposal revisions shall advise offerors that the final proposal revisions shall be in writing and that the Government intends to make award without obtaining further revisions.