FAR 47.301-1—Responsibilities of contracting officers.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 47.301-1 explains the contracting officer’s duty to involve transportation specialists when transportation costs or movement issues may affect a procurement. It covers two main topics: first, obtaining transportation factors from traffic management offices for solicitations, awards, contract administration, modifications, and terminations, including Government movement of property to and from contractor plants; and second, requesting transportation office participation before an initial acquisition of supplies that are unusually large, heavy, high, wide, or long, have sensitive or dangerous characteristics, or are well suited to containerized shipment from the source. The section also requires contracting officers to look beyond the base freight rate and consider related transportation costs such as special equipment, extra blocking and bracing, and circuitous routing. In practice, this provision is meant to ensure transportation considerations are built into acquisition planning early enough to avoid avoidable cost growth, delivery problems, safety issues, and poor contract administration decisions. It is especially important for bulky, hazardous, fragile, or containerizable items where shipping method can materially affect total cost and performance.
Key Rules
Obtain transportation factors
Contracting officers must get transportation factors from traffic management offices when preparing solicitations and awards. These factors also support contract administration, modifications, and terminations, including Government movement of property to and from contractor facilities.
Involve transportation early
Before making an initial acquisition of certain supplies, contracting officers should request transportation office participation. Early involvement is especially important for items that are unusually large, heavy, high, wide, or long, or that have sensitive or dangerous characteristics.
Consider containerized shipments
Transportation office participation is also required when supplies lend themselves to containerized movement from the source. This helps the contracting officer evaluate whether packaging, loading, and shipping methods can reduce total transportation cost or improve efficiency.
Account for total transportation cost
Contracting officers must consider more than the basic freight charge when evaluating transportation costs. Additional costs such as special equipment, excess blocking and bracing material, and circuitous routing must be included in the overall cost picture.
Support contract changes and terminations
Transportation factors are not limited to award planning; they also matter during administration, modification, and termination. This ensures transportation impacts are addressed whenever contract performance or Government property movement changes.
Responsibilities
Contracting Officer
Obtain transportation factors from traffic management offices for solicitations, awards, administration, modifications, and terminations. Request transportation office participation before initial acquisitions involving oversized, hazardous, sensitive, or containerizable supplies, and consider all related transportation costs when evaluating procurement options.
Traffic Management Office / Transportation Office
Provide transportation factors and participate in acquisition planning when requested. Advise on shipping methods, movement constraints, special handling needs, and cost impacts associated with transportation decisions.
Agency / Government Property Managers
Coordinate with contracting officers and transportation offices when Government property must be moved to or from contractor plants. Ensure transportation considerations are incorporated into planning for property movement, contract changes, and terminations.
Practical Implications
Transportation planning should happen early, not after award, because shipping constraints can change the best acquisition strategy and total cost.
Oversized or hazardous items often trigger hidden costs that are easy to miss if the contracting officer looks only at the vendor price or standard freight rates.
Failure to involve transportation specialists can lead to poor packaging, unsafe shipment, delivery delays, or avoidable modification costs later in performance.
Contracting officers should treat containerization, special equipment, blocking and bracing, and routing as part of the acquisition cost analysis, not as afterthoughts.
This section is especially important when Government-furnished property or contractor-held property must be moved, because transportation issues can affect both administration and termination actions.
Official Regulatory Text
(a) Contracting officers shall obtain from traffic management offices transportation factors required for- (1) Solicitations and awards; and (2) Contract administration, modification, and termination, including the movement of property by the Government to and from contractors’ plants. (b) Contracting officers shall request transportation office participation especially before making an initial acquisition of supplies that are unusually large, heavy, high, wide, or long; have sensitive or dangerous characteristics; or lend themselves to containerized movements from the source. In determining total transportation charges, contracting officers shall also consider additional costs arising from factors such as the use of special equipment, excess blocking and bracing material, or circuitous routing.