As prescribed in 1532.111, insert the following in indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts with fixed services rates.
Payments-Fixed-Rate Services Contract (OCT 2000)
The Government shall pay the Contractor as follows upon the submission of invoices or vouchers approved by the Contracting Officer:
(a) Hourly rate. (1) The amounts shall be computed by multiplying the appropriate hourly rates prescribed in the Schedule by the number of direct labor hours performed. The rates shall include wages, indirect costs, general and administrative expenses, and profit. Fractional parts of an hour shall be payable on a prorated basis. Vouchers may be submitted once each month (or at more frequent intervals, if approved by the Contracting Officer) to the paying office. The Contractor shall substantiate vouchers by evidence of actual payment and by individual daily job, timecards, or other substantiation approved by the Contracting Officer. Promptly after receipt of each substantiated voucher, the Government shall, except as otherwise provided in this contract and subject to the terms of paragraph (e) of this contract, pay the voucher as approved by the Contracting Officer.
(2) Unless otherwise prescribed in the Schedule, the Contracting Officer shall withhold 5 percent of the amounts due under this paragraph (a), but the total amount withheld shall not exceed $50,000. The amounts withheld shall be retained until the execution and delivery of a release by the Contractor as provided in paragraph (f) of this contract.
(3) Unless the Schedule prescribes otherwise, the hourly rates in the Schedule shall not be varied by virtue of the Contractor having performed work on an overtime basis. If no overtime rates are provided in the Schedule and overtime work is approved in advance by the Contracting Officer, overtime rates shall be negotiated. Failure to agree upon these overtime rates shall be treated as a dispute under the “Disputes” clause of this contract. If the Schedule provides rates for overtime the premium portion of those rates will be reimbursable only to the extent the overtime is approved by the Contracting Officer.
(b) Materials, other direct costs, and subcontracts. (1) The allowability of direct materials and other direct costs shall be determined by the Contracting Officer in accordance with subpart 31.2 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) in effect on the date of this contract. Reasonable and allocable material handling costs or indirect costs may be included in the charge for material or other direct costs to the extent they are clearly excluded from the hourly rate. Material handling and/or indirect cost rates are specified in the “Indirect Costs” clause. Material handling costs are comprised of indirect costs, including, when appropriate, general and administrative expense allocated to direct materials in accordance with the Contractor's usual accounting practices consistent with subpart 31.2 of the FAR. The Contractor shall be reimbursed for items and services purchased directly for the contract only when cash, checks, or other forms of actual payment have been made for such purchased items or services. Direct materials or other direct costs, as used in this clause, are those items which enter directly into the end product, or which are used or consumed directly in connection with the furnishing of the end product.
(2) Subcontracted effort may be included in the fixed hourly rates discussed in paragraph (a)(l) of this clause and will be reimbursed as discussed in that paragraph. Otherwise, the cost of subcontracts that are authorized under the subcontracts clause of this contract shall be reimbursable costs under this clause provided that the costs are consistent with paragraph (b)(3) of this clause. Reimbursable costs in connection with subcontracts shall be payable to subcontractors consistent with FAR 32.504 in the same manner as for services purchased directly for the contract under paragraph (a)(1) of this clause. Reimbursable costs shall not include any costs arising from the letting, administration, or supervision of performance of the subcontract, if the costs are included in the hourly rates payable under paragraph (a)(l) of this clause.
(3) To the extent able, the Contractor shall (i) obtain materials at the most advantageous prices available with due regard to securing prompt delivery of satisfactory materials; and (ii) take all cash and trade discounts, rebates, allowances, credits, salvage, commissions, and other benefits. When unable to take advantage of the benefits, the Contractor shall promptly notify the Contracting Officer and give the reasons. Credit shall be given to the Government for cash and trade discounts, rebates, allowances, credits, salvage, the value of any appreciable scrap, commissions, and other amounts that have accrued to the benefit of the Contractor, or would have accrued except for the fault or neglect of the Contractor. The benefits lost without fault or neglect on the part of the Contractor, or lost through fault of the Government, shall not be deducted from gross costs.
(4) If the nature of the work to be performed requires the Contractor to furnish material which is regularly sold to the general public in the normal course of business by the Contractor, the price to be paid for such material, notwithstanding paragraph (b)(1) of this contract, shall be on the basis of an established catalog or list price, in effect when the material is furnished, less all applicable discounts to the Government; provided, that in no event shall such price be in excess of the Contractor's sales price to its most favored customer for the same item in like quantity, or the current market price, whichever is lower.
(c) Contracting Officer notification. For contract administration purposes, the Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing when the total value of all delivery orders issued exceeds 85 percent of the maximum price specified in the schedule.
(d) Maximum amount. The Government shall not be obligated to pay the Contractor any amount in excess of the maximum amount in the Schedule, and the Contractor shall not be obligated to continue performance if to do so would exceed the maximum amount set forth in the Schedule, unless or until the Contracting Officer shall have notified the Contractor in writing that the maximum amount has been increased and shall have specified in the notice a revised maximum that shall constitute the maximum amount for performance under this contract. When and to the extent that the maximum amount set forth in the Schedule has been increased, any hours expended, and material or other direct costs incurred by the Contractor in excess of the maximum amount before the increase, shall be allowable to the same extent as if the hours expended and material costs had been incurred after the increase in the maximum amount.
(e) Audit. At any time before final payment under this contract, the Contracting Officer may request audit of the invoices or vouchers and substantiating material. Each payment previously made shall be subject to reduction to the extent of amounts, on preceding invoices or vouchers, that are found by the Contracting Officer not to have been properly payable and shall also be subject to reduction for overpayments or to increase for underpayments. Upon receipt and approval of the voucher or invoice designated by the Contractor as the “completion voucher” or “completion invoice” and substantiating material, and upon compliance by the Contractor with all terms of this contract (including, without limitation, terms relating to patents and the terms of paragraphs (f) and (g) of this clause), the Government shall promptly pay any balance due the Contractor. The completion invoice or voucher, and substantiating material, shall be submitted by the Contractor as promptly as practicable following completion of the work under this contract, but in no event, later than one year (or such longer period as the Contracting Officer may approve in writing) from the date of completion.
(f) Assignment. The Contractor, and each assignee under an assignment entered into under this contract and in effect at the time of final payment under this contract, shall execute and deliver, at the time of and as a condition precedent to final payment under this contract, a release discharging the Government, its officers, agents, and employees of and from all liabilities, obligations, and claims arising out of or under this contract, subject only to the following exceptions:
(1) Specified claims in stated amounts, or in estimated amounts if the amounts are not susceptible of exact statement by the Contractor.
(2) Claims, together with reasonable incidental expenses, based upon the liabilities of the Contractor to third parties arising out of performing this contract, that are not known to the Contractor on the date of the execution of the release, and of which the Contractor gives notice in writing to the Contracting Officer not more than 6 years after the date of the release or the date of any notice to the Contractor that the Government is prepared to make final payment, whichever is earlier.
(3) Claims for reimbursement of costs (other than expenses of the Contractor by reason of its indemnification of the Government against patent liability), including reasonable incidental expenses, incurred by the Contractor under the terms of this contract relating to patents.
(g) Refunds. The Contractor agrees that any refunds, rebates, or credits (including any related interest) accruing to or received by the Contractor or any assignee, that arise under the materials portion of this contract and for which the Contractor has received reimbursement, shall be paid by the Contractor to the Government. The Contractor and each assignee, under an assignment entered into under this contract and in effect at the time of final payment under this contract, shall execute and deliver, at the time of and as a condition precedent to final payment under this contract, an assignment to the Government of such refunds, rebates, or credits (including any interest) in form and substance satisfactory to the Contracting Officer.
(End of clause)
[49 FR 8867, Mar. 8, 1984, as amended at 65 FR 58928, Oct. 3, 2000; 66 FR 28676, May 24, 2001; 67 FR 5073, Feb. 4, 2002]