Novation and change-of-name agreements (SF 30).
FAR 53.242-1 is a very short but important prescription that tells contracting personnel which Standard Form to use when documenting a novation agreement or a change-of-name agreement. It specifically requires use of SF 30, Amendment of Solicitation/Modification of Contract, and ties that requirement to the procedures in FAR 42.1203(h), which governs how novation and name-change actions are processed. In practice, this section is about the paperwork vehicle, not the substantive legal standards for approving a novation or recognizing a contractor name change. Its purpose is to ensure the Government records the contract modification in a standardized, auditable format that properly reflects the transfer of contractual rights and obligations or the contractor’s revised legal name. For contractors, this means the approved corporate transaction or name change must be memorialized on the correct form before the Government recognizes the new party or new name in the contract file and payment system. For contracting officers, it provides a mandatory administrative step that supports consistency, traceability, and contract administration control.