FAR 45.2—Subpart 45.2

Solicitation.

FAR 45.201 tells contracting officers how to address Government property in solicitations and what information must be collected from offerors when Government-furnished property or other Government property will be used. It covers four main topics: the required listing of Government property to be offered, the need to tell offerors who pays to make property usable in a competitive acquisition, the solicitation’s evaluation procedures and required offeror submissions when Government property will be used on a rent-free basis, and the need to place any extra property-management instructions in the statement of work or a special provision rather than leaving them implied. In practice, this section is about transparency and competition: offerors need enough detail to price their proposals correctly, understand the condition and identity of Government property, and disclose how they will manage and use it. It also helps the Government evaluate proposals consistently by accounting for rental charges, equivalent costs or savings, and the adequacy of the offeror’s property management approach. For contracting officers, this section is a drafting checklist that reduces disputes over property availability, condition, cost responsibility, and evaluation methodology. For contractors, it is a notice that Government property use is not free of administrative burden and that proposal submissions must be specific and supportable.

Evaluation procedures.

FAR 45.202 explains how contracting officers should evaluate the effect of Government property in a competition and how they should review an offeror’s property management approach. It covers two main subjects: first, the requirement to consider any potentially unfair competitive advantage that may arise when an offeror or contractor already possesses Government property, using a rental equivalent evaluation factor under FAR 52.245-9 for evaluation purposes only; and second, the requirement to ensure the offeror’s property management plans, methods, practices, or procedures for accounting for property are consistent with the solicitation’s requirements. In practice, this section is meant to keep competitions fair when Government-furnished or contractor-held Government property could reduce an offeror’s costs or improve performance capability, while also making sure the selected contractor can properly manage and account for property if awarded the contract. It matters both at the source selection stage and in preaward responsibility/technical review because property-related advantages and weak property controls can affect price realism, competition fairness, and contract administration risk. The section does not itself create a broad property policy; instead, it directs the contracting officer to evaluate property-related issues in a specific, structured way tied to the solicitation and the rental equivalent factor clause.