FAR 52.216-27—Single or Multiple Awards.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 52.216-27, Single or Multiple Awards, is a solicitation provision used when the Government is considering whether to make one award or several awards for delivery order contracts or task order contracts. It tells offerors that the agency reserves the right to award a single contract, multiple contracts, or both, for the same or similar supplies or services under the solicitation. The provision is tied to the ordering-contract framework in FAR Part 16 and is used to preserve the Government’s flexibility in structuring competition and meeting mission needs. In practice, it signals that offerors should prepare proposals with the understanding that they may compete for one award or for a place among multiple awardees, and that the agency has not committed to a single-award outcome. This provision does not itself set evaluation factors, award criteria, or ordering procedures; it simply puts offerors on notice of the Government’s award approach. Its practical significance is that it affects market strategy, pricing, and expectations about future order opportunities under the resulting contract(s).
Key Rules
Government may choose award structure
The solicitation may result in either a single delivery order/task order contract or multiple such contracts. The Government retains discretion to decide which structure best meets its needs.
Applies to same or similar requirements
The provision covers awards for the same or similar supplies or services. It is intended for situations where the agency may satisfy its needs through one source or several sources.
Notice only, not evaluation criteria
This provision is a notice to offerors, not a detailed rule for how proposals will be evaluated or how awards will be made. The actual basis for award must come from the solicitation’s evaluation and award provisions.
Supports ordering-contract planning
Because the provision is used for delivery order and task order contracts, it helps frame how the agency will structure future ordering opportunities under FAR Part 16.
Responsibilities
Contracting Officer
Include the provision when prescribed and use it to notify offerors that the Government may make one or multiple awards. The contracting officer must still provide the actual evaluation factors, award basis, and ordering terms elsewhere in the solicitation.
Offeror/Contractor
Read the solicitation with the understanding that award may be single or multiple and prepare the proposal and pricing strategy accordingly. Offerors should not assume exclusivity or a guaranteed share of future orders unless the solicitation and resulting contract expressly provide it.
Agency
Decide, consistent with acquisition strategy and applicable regulations, whether the requirement will be satisfied through one award or several awards. The agency must ensure the solicitation and resulting contract structure align with mission needs and competition objectives.
Practical Implications
Offerors should not build a business case on receiving all future orders; multiple awards can dilute expected volume and revenue.
The provision can affect pricing strategy, since firms may price differently when competing for a sole award versus a share of a multiple-award pool.
Contracting officers should avoid treating this provision as a substitute for clear award criteria; the solicitation still needs a complete evaluation and award framework.
Because the provision is brief and general, parties sometimes overread it; it does not guarantee multiple awards, and it does not limit the Government to multiple awards.
For contractors, the key takeaway is to plan for competition both at initial award and later at the order level, depending on the contract structure chosen by the agency.
Official Regulatory Text
As prescribed in 16.506 (f) , insert the following provision: Single or Multiple Awards (Oct 1995) The Government may elect to award a single delivery order contract or task order contract or to award multiple delivery order contracts or task order contracts for the same or similar supplies or services to two or more sources under this solicitation. (End of provision)