FAR 52.247-60—Guaranteed Shipping Characteristics.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 52.247-60, Guaranteed Shipping Characteristics, addresses how offerors must describe the way separately packed parts or components will be shipped so the Government can evaluate transportation costs during source selection. It covers the specific shipping data the offeror may be asked to provide, including container type, shipping configuration, container dimensions, number of items per container, gross weight, palletization or skidding, pallet/skid dimensions and weight, and the number and type of containers or pallets per railcar or trailer. It also covers the Government’s role in using those data to calculate evaluated transportation costs, including what happens if the offeror does not provide enough information: the Government may use the characteristics from the offer with the highest transportation costs or, if needed, the Contracting Officer’s best estimate. The clause further establishes a post-award price-reduction remedy if actual shipping characteristics result in higher transportation costs than those used for evaluation. Finally, it makes clear that these guaranteed shipping characteristics are for evaluation and liability purposes only and do not replace the actual transportation requirements stated elsewhere in the solicitation.
Key Rules
Offeror provides shipping data
The offeror is requested to complete the shipping-characteristics information for each separately packed part or component. The data must be detailed enough to let the Government estimate transportation costs for evaluation.
Evaluation uses shipping characteristics
The Government uses the submitted shipping characteristics to evaluate offers and compare transportation costs. This can materially affect the evaluated price and source selection outcome.
Incomplete data triggers fallback
If the offeror does not provide enough information, the Government may evaluate using the shipping characteristics from the offer that produces the highest transportation costs, or, if none are available, the Contracting Officer’s best estimate.
Price reduction for understated costs
If actual shipping characteristics cause transportation costs to exceed the evaluated costs, the contractor agrees the contract price will be reduced by the difference between actual and evaluated transportation costs.
Evaluation data do not set requirements
The guaranteed shipping characteristics are not the actual transportation requirements. The real shipping requirements are stated elsewhere in the solicitation, and this clause is only for evaluation and liability purposes.
Government completes evaluation fields
After evaluation but before award, the Government fills in the rate used, tender or tariff, and item information that supported the transportation-cost evaluation.
Responsibilities
Offeror
Complete the requested shipping-characteristics data for each separately packed part or component, including container type, configuration, dimensions, quantity per container, weight, palletization, and carrier-equipment loading information. The offeror should provide accurate and sufficient information because the data will be used to evaluate transportation costs and may affect post-award price adjustments.
Contracting Officer
Use the submitted shipping characteristics to evaluate transportation costs, apply fallback methods if the offeror’s data are insufficient, and document the rate, tender/tariff, and item used in the evaluation before award. The Contracting Officer also relies on the clause to enforce any price reduction if actual shipping costs exceed evaluated costs.
Government evaluators
Assess the transportation-cost impact of the offeror’s shipping characteristics and compare offers on that basis when required by the solicitation. They must ensure the evaluation reflects the shipping assumptions stated in the clause and elsewhere in the solicitation.
Successful contractor
Ship in a manner consistent with the actual characteristics represented in the offer, or accept a contract price reduction if the actual shipping characteristics produce higher transportation costs than those used in evaluation.
Practical Implications
This clause can change the evaluated price even when the base unit price is unchanged, so shipping details may be a source-selection issue, not just an administrative formality.
Offerors should be careful to provide complete and realistic shipping data; missing or vague entries can lead the Government to use a worst-case or estimated transportation cost, which may hurt competitiveness.
Contractors should align proposal shipping assumptions with actual packaging and logistics plans, because a mismatch can trigger a post-award price reduction.
Contracting officers should verify that the solicitation’s actual transportation requirements are stated elsewhere; this clause does not itself define how the item must be shipped.
Both sides should preserve the evaluation record, including the rate and tariff used, because those details support the transportation-cost calculation and any later adjustment.
Official Regulatory Text
As prescribed in 47.305-16 (b)(1) , insert the following clause: Guaranteed Shipping Characteristics (Aug 2025) (a) The offeror is requested to complete paragraph (a)(1) of this clause, for each part or component which is packed or packaged separately. This information will be used to determine transportation costs for evaluation purposes. If the offeror does not furnish sufficient data in paragraph (a)(1) of this clause, to permit determination by the Government of the item shipping costs, evaluation will be based on the shipping characteristics submitted by the offeror whose offer produces the highest transportation costs or in the absence thereof, by the Contracting Officer’s best estimate of the actual transportation costs. If the item shipping costs, based on the actual shipping characteristics, exceed the item shipping costs used for evaluation purposes, the Contractor agrees that the contract price shall be reduced by an amount equal to the difference between the transportation costs actually incurred, and the costs which would have been incurred if the evaluated shipping characteristics had been accurate. (1) To be completed by the offeror: (i) Type of container: Wood Box □ , Fiber Box □ , Barrel □ , Reel □ , Drum □ , Other (Specify) _____ ; (ii) Shipping configuration: Knocked-down □, Set-up □, Nested □, Other (specify) _____ ; (iii) Size of container : _____ " (Length), x _____ " (Width), x _____ " (Height) = _____ Cubic Ft; (iv) Number of items per container _____ each; (v) Gross weight of container and contents _____ Lbs; (vi) Palletized/skidded □ Yes, □ No; (vii) Number of containers per pallet/skid _____ ; (viii) Weight of empty pallet bottom/skid and sides _____ Lbs; (ix) Size of pallet/skid and contents _____ Lbs Cube _____ ; (x) Number of containers or pallets/skids per railcar _____ * (A) Size of railcar _____ (B) Type of railcar _____ (xi) Number of containers or pallets/skids per trailer _____ * (A) Size of trailer _____ Ft (B) Type of trailer _____ * Number of complete units (line item) to be shipped in carrier’s equipment. (2) To be completed by the Government after evaluation but before contract award: (i) Rate used in evaluation _____ ; (ii) Tender/Tariff _____ ; (iii) Item _____ . (b) The guaranteed shipping characteristics requested in paragraph (a)(1) of this clause do not establish actual transportation requirements, which are specified elsewhere in this solicitation. The guaranteed shipping characteristics will be used only for the purpose of evaluating offers and establishing any liability of the successful offeror for increased transportation costs resulting from actual shipping characteristics which differ from those used for evaluation in accordance with paragraph (a) of this clause. (End of clause)