FAR 51.205—Contract clause.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 51.205 is a narrow prescription rule that tells contracting officers when to include the clause at 52.251-2, Interagency Fleet Management System (IFMS) Vehicles and Related Services, in solicitations and contracts. It applies only when a cost-reimbursement contract is contemplated and the contracting officer may authorize the contractor to use IFMS vehicles and related services. In practice, this section is about making sure the contract documents expressly address the contractor’s potential use of government fleet resources before performance begins. Its purpose is to protect the Government’s control over IFMS assets, ensure the contractor’s authority is clear, and avoid disputes over whether the contractor may obtain or use vehicles and related services through the interagency fleet system. For contractors, it signals that IFMS access is not automatic and depends on both contract type and contracting officer authorization. For contracting officers, it is a mandatory clause-insertion requirement whenever those conditions are present.
Key Rules
Insert the IFMS clause
The contracting officer must include the clause at 52.251-2, Interagency Fleet Management System (IFMS) Vehicles and Related Services, in the solicitation and contract when the rule applies. This is not discretionary once the triggering conditions are met.
Applies to cost-reimbursement contracts
This prescription applies only when a cost-reimbursement contract is contemplated. If the procurement is not cost-reimbursement, this section does not require the clause.
Requires possible IFMS authorization
The clause is required only when the contracting officer may authorize the contractor to use IFMS vehicles and related services. The rule is tied to potential contractor access to government fleet support, not to all contracts generally.
Authorization must be explicit
The contractor’s use of IFMS vehicles and related services depends on contracting officer authorization. The clause helps ensure that any such use is formally controlled and documented in the contract.
Responsibilities
Contracting Officer
Determine whether a cost-reimbursement contract is contemplated and whether the contractor may be authorized to use IFMS vehicles and related services. If both conditions are present, insert clause 52.251-2 in the solicitation and contract.
Contractor
Recognize that use of IFMS vehicles and related services is not automatic and may occur only if the contracting officer authorizes it under the contract. Follow the contract terms and any limits placed on IFMS use.
Agency
Ensure procurement planning and contract administration practices support proper use of IFMS resources and that contracting officers apply the clause when required.
Practical Implications
This is a clause-prescription rule, so the main day-to-day issue is whether the contracting officer remembered to include 52.251-2 when the contract is cost-reimbursement and IFMS use may be allowed.
A common pitfall is assuming the contractor can use government fleet services without an express contract clause and authorization; this section makes clear that both are needed.
Because the rule is limited to cost-reimbursement contracts, contracting officers should check the contract type early in acquisition planning to avoid missing the clause.
Contractors should not treat IFMS access as a standard entitlement; they should confirm whether the solicitation and contract actually authorize it and under what conditions.
If the clause is omitted when required, the parties may face avoidable disputes over vehicle use, billing, and responsibility for related services.
Official Regulatory Text
The contracting officer shall insert the clause at 52.251-2 , Interagency Fleet Management System (IFMS) Vehicles and Related Services, in solicitations and contracts when a cost-reimbursement contract is contemplated and the contracting officer may authorize the contractor to use interagency fleet management system (IFMS) vehicles and related services.