FAR 47.207-1—Qualifications of offerors.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 47.207-1 explains which solicitation clauses and provisions the contracting officer must use to test an offeror’s qualifications for certain transportation and relocation requirements. It covers five specific topics: operating authorities for regulated transportation, performance capability for Federal office moving contracts, inspection of shipping and receiving facilities, familiarization with conditions, and financial statements. In practice, this section is about making sure offerors are legally authorized, operationally capable, and informed enough to submit realistic bids for moving and transportation work. It also gives the contracting officer limited discretion in one narrow situation: an intrastate Federal office move where the Government decides not to require State operating authority or a local facility. The section matters because these requirements help prevent awards to firms that cannot lawfully perform, do not understand the worksite conditions, or lack the financial readiness to carry out the contract.
Key Rules
Use permits clause for regulated transport
When regulated transportation is involved, the contracting officer shall insert FAR 52.247-2, Permits, Authorities, or Franchises. This clause addresses whether the offeror has the legal operating authority needed to perform the transportation work.
Limited exception for intrastate office moves
For an intrastate Federal office move, the contracting officer may decide it is in the Government’s interest not to require State operating authority within the State. If so, the permits clause need not be used for that requirement.
Require capability for office relocations
When a Federal office is being relocated, the contracting officer shall insert FAR 52.247-3, Capability to Perform a Contract for the Relocation of a Federal Office. This is intended to confirm that offerors can perform interstate or intrastate office moving work.
Use alternate for intrastate moves
If the office move is intrastate and the Government decides not to require State operating authority or a facility within the State or commercial zone, the contracting officer shall use FAR 52.247-3 with Alternate I. The alternate tailors the capability requirement to that reduced regulatory setting.
Allow facility inspections when needed
The contracting officer shall insert FAR 52.247-4, Inspection of Shipping and Receiving Facilities, when offerors should inspect the shipping, receiving, or other sites to prepare realistic bids. This helps ensure pricing reflects actual site conditions.
Require familiarization with conditions
The contracting officer shall insert FAR 52.247-5, Familiarization with Conditions, to ensure offerors understand the conditions and locations where the services will be performed. This reduces the risk of misunderstandings and unsupported pricing.
Obtain financial statements when needed
The contracting officer shall insert FAR 52.247-6, Financial Statement, to ensure offerors are prepared to provide financial statements. This allows the Government to assess whether the offeror has the financial capacity to perform.
Responsibilities
Contracting Officer
Determine which transportation or relocation qualification clauses and provisions apply, insert the required FAR clauses in the solicitation, and document any decision to use the intrastate exception or Alternate I where permitted.
Offeror
Meet any applicable operating authority, capability, site familiarity, and financial statement requirements, and be prepared to inspect facilities or provide requested financial information as required by the solicitation.
Agency/Government
Decide whether it is in the Government’s interest to waive certain State authority or facility requirements for an intrastate Federal office move, and ensure the solicitation structure supports realistic competition and performance risk management.
Practical Implications
This section is mainly a solicitation-setup rule: if the contracting officer omits the required clause or provision, the procurement may fail to test an important qualification and could create performance risk.
Offerors should pay close attention to whether the work is interstate or intrastate, because that distinction can change whether State operating authority, a local facility, or Alternate I applies.
The inspection and familiarization provisions are meant to prevent bidders from pricing blindly; contractors that skip site visits or fail to understand conditions may submit unrealistic bids and later face performance problems.
The financial statement provision signals that the Government may want proof of financial readiness, so offerors should be prepared to provide current, accurate financial information quickly.
For contracting officers, the main pitfall is treating these clauses as optional when the rule says they shall be inserted; the only flexibility here is the narrow intrastate exception expressly stated in the text.
Official Regulatory Text
(a) Operating authorities . The contracting officer shall insert the clause at 52.247-2 , Permits, Authorities, or Franchises, when regulated transportation is involved. The clause need not be used when a Federal office move is intrastate and the contracting officer determines that it is in the Government’s interest not to apply the requirement for holding or obtaining State authority to operate within the State. (b) Performance capability for Federal office moving contracts. (1) The contracting officer shall insert the clause at 52.247-3 , Capability to Perform a Contract for the Relocation of a Federal Office, when a Federal office is relocated, to ensure that offerors are capable to perform interstate or intrastate moving contracts involving the relocation of Federal offices. (2) If a Federal office move is intrastate and the contracting officer determines that it is in the Government’s interest not to apply the requirements for holding or obtaining State authority to operate within the State, and to maintain a facility within the State or commercial zone, the contracting officer shall use the clause with its AlternateI. (c) Inspection of shipping and receiving facilities . The contracting officer shall insert the provision at 52.247-4 , Inspection of Shipping and Receiving Facilities, when it is desired for offerors to inspect the shipping, receiving, or other sites to ensure realistic bids. (d) Familiarization with conditions . The contracting officer shall insert the clause at 52.247-5 , Familiarization with Conditions, to ensure that offerors become familiar with conditions under which and where the services will be performed. (e) Financial statement . The contracting officer shall insert the provision at 52.247-6 , Financial Statement, to ensure that offerors are prepared to furnish financial statements.