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FAR Clause

52.246-16

Responsibility for Supplies.
View on acquisition.gov · View on eCFR.gov
Effective Date
APR 1984
Active Deviations
Versions
1 (since 2017-01-01)
RFO
RFO Version Available

The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul has published a revised version of this clause. The RFO version supersedes the eCFR text below for contracts using the RFO model; see the RFO deviation for applicability.

View RFO version
52.246-16 Responsibility for Supplies.

As prescribed in 46.316, insert the following clause:

Responsibility for Supplies (APR 1984)

(a) Title to supplies furnished under this contract shall pass to the Government upon formal acceptance, regardless of when or where the Government takes physical possession, unless the contract specifically provides for earlier passage of title.

(b) Unless the contract specifically provides otherwise, risk of loss of or damage to supplies shall remain with the Contractor until, and shall pass to the Government upon—

(1) Delivery of the supplies to a carrier, if transportation is f.o.b. origin; or

(2) Acceptance by the Government or delivery of the supplies to the Government at the destination specified in the contract, whichever is later, if transportation is f.o.b. destination.

(c) Paragraph (b) above shall not apply to supplies that so fail to conform to contract requirements as to give a right of rejection. The risk of loss of or damage to such nonconforming supplies remains with the Contractor until cure or acceptance. After cure or acceptance, paragraph (b) above shall apply.

(d) Under paragraph (b) above, the Contractor shall not be liable for loss of or damage to supplies caused by the negligence of officers, agents, or employees of the Government acting within the scope of their employment.

(End of clause)

[48 FR 42478, Sept. 19, 1983, as amended at 60 FR 34762, July 3, 1995]
46.316
The contracting officer shall insert the clause at 52.246-16, Responsibility for Supplies, in solicitations and contracts for (a) supplies, (b) services involving the furnishing of supplies, or (c) research and development, when a fixed-price contract is contemplated and the contract amount is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. The contracting officer may insert the clause in such solicitations and contracts when the contract amount is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold and inclusion of the clause is authorized under agency procedures.
Prescription data sourced from eCFR as of 2026-06-10 03:16 UTC. Cross-references within the prescription are not resolved automatically.

Regulatory Stack

The layers of regulation that govern this clause, from the FAR prescription through agency-specific supplements and any active deviations.

RFO RFO Version Overhauled clause text
The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul publishes a revised version of this clause. See the RFO Version tab for the controlling authority under the RFO model.

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FAR FAR Prescription 46.316
The contracting officer shall insert the clause at 52.246-16, Responsibility for Supplies, in solicitations and contracts for (a) supplies, (b) services involving the furnishing of supplies, or (c) research and development, when a fixed-price contract is contemplated and the contract amount is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. The contracting officer may insert the clause in such solicitations and contracts when the contract amount is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold and inclusion of the clause is authorized under agency procedures.

View on acquisition.gov · View on eCFR.gov

Version History

Version history is sourced from the codified eCFR. Changes published only as class deviations or by the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul do not appear here until they are incorporated into the eCFR. For RFO-driven changes see the RFO Version tab and any active deviations cited above.

No version history available from eCFR.

RFO Version

Comparison of the codified eCFR text against the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul revision. Highlights show additions (green) and deletions (red, struck through).

Clause Text

Substantive changes. The RFO version differs materially from the eCFR text.
eCFR (codified)
RFO (implemented)
Unchanged
52.246-16 Responsibility for Supplies.
eCFR (codified)
RFO (implemented)
6 added, 2 removed
(c)
(c) Paragraph (b) above shall not apply to supplies that so fail to conform to contract requirements as to give a right of rejection. The risk of loss of or damage to such nonconforming supplies remains with the Contractor until cure or acceptance. After cure or acceptance, paragraph (b) above shall apply.
(c)
(c) Paragraph (b) of this clause shall not apply to supplies that so fail to conform to contract requirements as to give a right of rejection. The risk of loss of or damage to such nonconforming supplies remains with the Contractor until cure or acceptance. After cure or acceptance, paragraph (b) of this clause shall apply.
3 added, 1 removed
(d)
(d) Under paragraph (b) above, the Contractor shall not be liable for loss of or damage to supplies caused by the negligence of officers, agents, or employees of the Government acting within the scope of their employment.
(d)
(d) Under paragraph (b) of this clause, the Contractor shall not be liable for loss of or damage to supplies caused by the negligence of officers, agents, or employees of the Government acting within the scope of their employment.
15 removed
[48 FR 42478, Sept. 19, 1983, as amended at 60 FR 34762, July 3, 1995]

Prescription

Minor revisions. The RFO prescription has formatting or editorial changes from the eCFR prescription.
eCFR (codified)
RFO (implemented)
Unchanged
52.246-16 Responsibility for Supplies.: Prescription
eCFR (codified)
RFO (implemented)
1 added, 1 removed
The contracting officer shall insert the clause at 52.246-16, Responsibility for Supplies, in solicitations and contracts for (a) supplies, (b) services involving the furnishing of supplies, or (c) research and development, when a fixed-price contract is contemplated and the contract amount is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. The contracting officer may insert the clause in such solicitations and contracts when the contract amount is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold and inclusion of the clause is authorized under agency procedures.
The contracting officer must insert the clause at 52.246-16, Responsibility for Supplies, in solicitations and contracts for (a) supplies, (b) services involving the furnishing of supplies, or (c) research and development, when a fixed-price contract is contemplated and the contract amount is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. The contracting officer may insert the clause in such solicitations and contracts when the contract amount is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold and inclusion of the clause is authorized under agency procedures.

Source: acquisition.gov RFO Part 52 · Prescribing Part 46

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