FAR 47.206—Preparation of solicitations and contracts.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 47.206 tells contracting officers how to build solicitations and contracts for transportation and transportation-related services. It has two core ideas: first, use the normal FAR preparation rules for fixed-price service contracts when they fit and do not conflict with Subpart 47.2; second, add the specific transportation provisions, clauses, and instructions required by FAR 47.207. In practice, this section is a cross-reference rule that prevents contracting officers from treating transportation buys as completely separate from the rest of the FAR, while also ensuring the special transportation requirements are not missed. It matters because transportation contracts often involve unique pricing, routing, documentation, and performance issues, so the solicitation and contract must be drafted carefully to reflect both general FAR requirements and transportation-specific terms. The section is about document preparation, not evaluation or administration, but it directly affects how the acquisition is competed, awarded, and later enforced.
Key Rules
Use fixed-price service rules
Prepare transportation solicitations and contracts using the FAR rules that apply to fixed-price service contracts, but only to the extent those rules fit the acquisition. This means the contracting officer should start with the normal service-contract framework and then adjust for transportation-specific requirements.
Do not conflict with Subpart 47.2
Any general FAR preparation requirement may be used only if it is not inconsistent with Subpart 47.2. If there is a conflict, the transportation-specific rules control.
Include required transportation clauses
The contracting officer must include the provisions, clauses, and instructions prescribed in FAR 47.207. These are mandatory additions for transportation and transportation-related service solicitations and contracts.
Apply to solicitations and contracts
The rule covers both the solicitation stage and the resulting contract. The required content must be built into the solicitation so offerors know the terms up front, and into the contract so the terms are enforceable after award.
Responsibilities
Contracting Officer
Prepare transportation and transportation-related service solicitations and contracts using applicable fixed-price service contract FAR requirements, ensure those requirements do not conflict with Subpart 47.2, and include all provisions, clauses, and instructions required by FAR 47.207.
Agency
Provide acquisition support, templates, and internal guidance that help contracting officers incorporate the correct transportation-specific and general FAR clauses into solicitations and contracts.
Contractor/Offeror
Review the solicitation and contract terms for the transportation-specific clauses and instructions required by FAR 47.207 and comply with those terms in proposal preparation and contract performance.
Practical Implications
This section is mainly a drafting checklist: contracting officers must combine general fixed-price service contract structure with transportation-specific requirements, rather than using a generic template unchanged.
A common pitfall is omitting the clauses and instructions required by FAR 47.207, which can create solicitation defects or contract administration problems later.
Another risk is applying a general FAR provision that conflicts with Subpart 47.2; contracting officers should verify whether the transportation rules override the standard service-contract language.
For contractors, the practical effect is that transportation solicitations may contain specialized instructions or clauses that affect pricing, routing, documentation, and performance obligations, so they should not assume a standard services solicitation format.
Because the rule applies to both solicitations and contracts, errors at the solicitation stage can carry through to award and performance, making early review especially important.
Official Regulatory Text
(a) Contracting officers shall prepare solicitations and contracts for transportation or for transportation-related services as prescribed elsewhere in the FAR for fixed-price service contracts to the extent that those requirements are applicable and not inconsistent with the requirements in subpart 47.2 . (b) In addition, the contracting officer shall include in solicitations and contracts for transportation or for transportation-related services provisions, clauses, and instructions as prescribed in section 47.207 .