FAR 9.307—Government administration procedures.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 9.307 sets out the government-side administration steps for first article approval when a contract requires first article testing or evaluation. It covers the pre-shipment notification the contract administration office must give to the government laboratory or other approving activity, including advising that activity of the testing or evaluation requirements, pointing out the contractor’s notice obligations under the applicable first article clause, and asking for an estimated completion date. It also covers the post-test communication chain: the testing or evaluation activity tells the contracting office whether the first article is approved, conditionally approved, or disapproved; the contracting officer then notifies the contractor and sends a copy to the contract administration office. The section further requires the notice to identify the first article shipment number when available and the applicable line item number. Finally, it makes clear that any needed changes to drawings, designs, or specifications must be made through the Changes clause, not through the approval notice itself. In practice, this section exists to keep first article actions coordinated, ensure the right offices are informed at the right time, and prevent approval notices from being used to make unauthorized contract changes.
Key Rules
Advance notice before shipment
Before the contractor ships the first article or first article test report, the contract administration office must give the approving government activity as much advance notice as feasible. This notice is intended to prepare the testing or evaluation activity for the incoming item and avoid delays.
Explain testing requirements
The contract administration office must tell the approving activity what the contract requires for testing, evaluation, and approval. This ensures the laboratory or other activity understands the exact standard it must apply.
Highlight contractor notice duty
The contract administration office must call attention to the contractor notice requirement in the applicable first article clause, either 52.209-3 or 52.209-4. This helps the approving activity understand the timing and communication obligations tied to the first article process.
Request completion date
The contract administration office must ask the approving activity to inform it when testing or evaluation will be completed. This supports scheduling, follow-up, and timely contract administration.
Approval decision flows to CO
The government laboratory or other responsible activity must tell the contracting office whether the first article is approved, conditionally approved, or disapproved. The contracting officer is the official who then communicates the decision to the contractor.
Notice must be copied and identified
The contracting officer must furnish a copy of the approval notice to the contract administration office. The notice should include the first article shipment number, if available, and the applicable line item number so the action is tied to the correct deliverable.
Contract changes must use Changes clause
If the contracting officer determines that drawings, designs, or specifications need to change, those changes must be made under the Changes clause. The approval, conditional approval, or disapproval notice itself cannot be used to alter contract requirements.
Responsibilities
Contract Administration Office
Provide the government laboratory or other approving activity with as much advance notice as feasible before the first article or first article test report is shipped. Advise that activity of the contract’s testing, evaluation, and approval requirements, point out the contractor notice requirement in the applicable first article clause, and request the expected completion date for testing or evaluation.
Government Laboratory or Other Approving Activity
Conduct the first article testing or evaluation and inform the contracting office whether the first article is approved, conditionally approved, or disapproved. Also provide the contract administration office with the expected completion date when requested.
Contracting Officer
Receive the testing or evaluation result from the responsible government activity, notify the contractor of the approval action taken, and send a copy of that notice to the contract administration office. Include the first article shipment number when available and the applicable line item number in the notice. If contract drawings, designs, or specifications must change, process those changes under the Changes clause.
Contractor
Ship the first article or first article test report in accordance with the contract and the applicable first article clause. The contractor must also comply with the notice requirements in the clause referenced by the government, including the timing and content of any required notifications.
Practical Implications
This section is mainly about coordination and recordkeeping, so delays often happen when the approving lab is not warned early enough or when the shipment is not clearly identified. Missing shipment numbers or line item references can make it harder to match the approval decision to the correct contract item.
Contracting officers should not treat an approval notice as a shortcut for changing technical requirements. If the government wants to revise drawings, designs, or specifications, the change must be issued under the Changes clause, or the contract file can become vulnerable to protest, dispute, or audit issues.
Contract administration offices should build a reliable handoff process with the testing activity so the right people are notified before shipment and again when testing is complete. Without that coordination, first article approvals can stall and delivery schedules can slip.
Contractors should watch for the distinction between approval, conditional approval, and disapproval, because each has different consequences for production and follow-on performance. They should also confirm that the notice references the correct line item and shipment number to avoid confusion later in the contract file.
A common pitfall is assuming the first article approval process itself authorizes technical changes. It does not; any substantive change to contract requirements must be handled through formal contract modification procedures.
Official Regulatory Text
(a) Before the contractor ships the first article, or the first article test report, to the Government laboratory or other activity responsible for approval at the address specified in the contract, the contract administration office shall provide that activity with as much advance notification as is feasible of the forthcoming shipment, and- (1) Advise that activity of the contractual requirements for testing and approval, or evaluation, as appropriate; (2) Call attention to the notice requirement in paragraph (b) of the clause at 52.209-3 , First Article Approval-Contractor Testing, or 52.209-4 , First Article Approval-Government Testing; and (3) Request that the activity inform the contract administration office of the date when testing or evaluation will be completed. (b) The Government laboratory or other activity responsible for first article testing or evaluation shall inform the contracting office whether to approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove the first article. The contracting officer shall then notify the contractor of the action taken and furnish a copy of the notice to the contract administration office. The notice shall include the first article shipment number, when available, and the applicable line item number. Any changes in the drawings, designs, or specifications determined by the contracting officer to be necessary shall be made under the Changes clause, and not by the notice of approval, conditional approval, or disapproval furnished the contractor.