FAR 22.1009-1—General.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 22.1009-1 is the gateway provision for handling Service Contract Labor Standards wage determinations when the place of performance is not yet known. It explains when the contracting officer may use the special procedures in this subpart, and it directs the officer to first try to identify the specific places or geographic areas where the services may be performed before moving to the wage-determination procedures in 22.1009-3 or 22.1009-4. In practice, this section matters because wage determinations under the Service Contract Labor Standards depend on where the work will actually be performed, and an unknown location can otherwise delay solicitation planning or create compliance risk. The section is intentionally brief, but it establishes the sequence the contracting officer must follow: identify likely performance locations if possible, then use the appropriate alternate procedure if the exact place remains unknown. For contractors, this affects pricing, labor planning, and the risk that the applicable wage determination may later change once the place of performance is clarified. For agencies, it helps ensure the solicitation is structured in a way that still supports labor standards compliance even when the work location is not fixed at the outset.
Key Rules
Use only when location is unknown
This section applies when the place of performance is not known at the time the contracting officer is preparing the acquisition. It is a special-case procedure, not the default approach for service contracts with a known worksite.
First identify likely locations
The contracting officer should first try to determine the specific places or geographic areas where the services might be performed, using the guidance in 22.1009-2. This step is required before moving to the alternate procedures.
Then use one alternate procedure
If the place of performance still cannot be fixed, the contracting officer may follow either the procedure in 22.1009-3 or the procedure in 22.1009-4. The section does not require both; it allows the contracting officer to use one of the prescribed methods.
Supports wage determination selection
The purpose of the section is to help the contracting officer determine how to apply Service Contract Labor Standards wage determination procedures when the geographic basis for the work is uncertain. The section is procedural and exists to keep the acquisition moving while preserving labor standards compliance.
Responsibilities
Contracting Officer
Determine whether the place of performance is unknown, make a good-faith effort to identify the specific places or geographic areas where services may be performed, and then use either the 22.1009-3 or 22.1009-4 procedure if the location remains uncertain.
Agency
Support the contracting officer by providing acquisition planning information, anticipated performance locations, and any available program details that may help narrow the geographic area of performance.
Contractor/Offeror
Provide location information if known, and be prepared to price and staff the work based on the solicitation’s stated assumptions about where services may be performed and which wage determination procedure applies.
Practical Implications
This section is mainly a planning tool: if the worksite is not fixed, the contracting officer must still make a location-based wage determination decision using the prescribed fallback procedures.
A common pitfall is skipping the initial effort to identify likely performance areas; the rule expects the contracting officer to try to narrow the geography before using the alternate procedures.
Another risk is treating this as a blanket authorization to ignore location-specific wage issues; it does not eliminate the need to connect the contract to the correct geographic wage basis.
Contractors should watch for solicitations that leave performance locations open-ended, because that can affect labor rates, travel assumptions, and later compliance obligations.
Agencies should document the reasoning used to identify or narrow the place of performance, since that record can matter if the wage determination approach is later questioned.
Official Regulatory Text
If the place of performance is unknown, the contracting officer may use the procedures in this section. The contracting officer should first attempt to identify the specific places or geographical areas where the services might be performed (see 22.1009-2 ) and then may follow the procedures either in 22.1009-3 or in 22.1009-4 .