Overview
This section prescribes mandatory provisions that contracting officers must include in solicitations to inform offerors how to obtain or examine specifications, standards, and item descriptions that are cited in the solicitation but not physically attached to the document.
Key Rules
- GSA Index Specifications (52.211-1): Must be included when citing specifications listed in the GSA Index of Federal Specifications, Standards and Commercial Item Descriptions that are not furnished with the solicitation.
- Defense/ASSIST Specifications (52.211-2): Must be included when citing defense-related specifications or data item descriptions available via the ASSIST website that are not furnished with the solicitation.
- Unlisted Specifications from Designated Sources (52.211-3): Must be included (or a substantially similar version) when citing specifications not in the GSA Index that must be obtained from a specific external source.
- Specifications for Examination (52.211-4): Must be included (or a substantially similar version) when citing specifications not in the GSA Index that are only available for physical inspection at a specified location.
Practical Implications
- Shifted Responsibility: These provisions place the technical burden on the contractor to proactively acquire standard government specifications from centralized databases rather than receiving them as part of the solicitation package.
- Transparency: It ensures that even if a specification is proprietary or obscure (not listed in standard indexes), the government provides a clear roadmap for where the offeror can find or view the requirements to ensure competitive bidding.