52.216-4 — Economic Price Adjustment—Labor and Material.
Researched by the BidStride Research Team
What This Clause Requires
FAR 52.216-4 — Economic Price Adjustment—Labor and Material.. This clause is part of the Federal Acquisition Regulation and may be included in government contracts as a solicitation provision or contract clause.
Official Regulation Text
52.216-4 Economic Price Adjustment—Labor and Material. As prescribed in 16.203-4(c), insert the following clause: Economic Price Adjustment—Labor and Material (JAN 2017) (a) The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer if, at any time during contract performance, the rates of pay for labor (including fringe benefits) or the unit prices for material shown in the Schedule either increase or decrease. The Contractor shall furnish this notice within 60 days after the increase or decrease, or within any additional period that the Contracting Officer may approve in writing, but not later than the date of final payment under this contract. The notice shall include the Contractor's proposal for an adjustment in the contract unit prices to be negotiated under paragraph (b) below, and shall include, in the form required by the Contracting Officer, supporting data explaining the cause, effective date, and amount of the increase or decrease and the amount of the Contractor's adjustment proposal. (b) Promptly after the Contracting Officer receives the notice and data under paragraph (a) above, the Contracting Officer and the Contractor shall negotiate a price adjustment in the contract unit prices and its effective date. However, the Contracting Officer may postpone the negotiations until an accumulation of increases and decreases in the labor rates (including fringe benefits) and unit prices of material shown in the Schedule results in an adjustment allowable under subparagraph (c)(3) below. The Contracting Officer shall modify this contract (1) to include the price adjustment and its effective date and (2) to revise the labor rates (including fringe benefits) or unit prices of material as shown in the Schedule to reflect the increases or decreases resulting from the adjustment. The Contractor shall continue performance pending agreement on, or determination of, any adjustment and its effective date. (c) Any price adjustment under this clause is subject to the following
Compliance Checklist
- As prescribed in 16.203-4(c), insert the following clause: Economic Price Adjustment—Labor and Material (JAN 2017) (a) The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer if, at any time during contract performance, the rates of pay for labor (including fringe benefits) or the unit prices for material shown in the Schedule either increase or decrease.
- The Contractor shall furnish this notice within 60 days after the increase or decrease, or within any additional period that the Contracting Officer may approve in writing, but not later than the date of final payment under this contract.
- The notice shall include the Contractor's proposal for an adjustment in the contract unit prices to be negotiated under paragraph (b) below, and shall include, in the form required by the Contracting Officer, supporting data explaining the cause, effective date, and amount of the increase or decrease and the amount of the Contractor's adjustment proposal.
- (b) Promptly after the Contracting Officer receives the notice and data under paragraph (a) above, the Contracting Officer and the Contractor shall negotiate a price adjustment in the contract unit prices and its effective date.
- The Contracting Officer shall modify this contract (1) to include the price adjustment and its effective date and (2) to revise the labor rates (including fringe benefits) or unit prices of material as shown in the Schedule to reflect the increases or decreases resulting from the adjustment.
- The Contractor shall continue performance pending agreement on, or determination of, any adjustment and its effective date.
- (c) Any price adjustment under this clause is subject to the following limitations: (1) Any adjustment shall be limited to the effect on unit prices of the increases or decreases in the rates of pay for labor (including fringe benefits) or unit prices for material shown in the Schedule.
- There shall be no adjustment for (i) supplies or services for which the production cost is not affected by such changes, (ii) changes in rates or unit prices other than those shown in the Schedule, or (iii) changes in the quantities of labor or material used from those shown in the Schedule for each item.
- (2) No upward adjustment shall apply to supplies or services that are required to be delivered or performed before the effective date of the adjustment, unless the Contractor's failure to deliver or perform according to the delivery schedule results from causes beyond the Contractor's control and without its fault or negligence, within the meaning of the Default clause.
- (3) There shall be no adjustment for any change in rates of pay for labor (including fringe benefits) or unit prices for material which would not result in a net change of at least 3 percent of the then-current total contract price.
- This limitation shall not apply, however, if, after final delivery of all line items, either party requests an adjustment under paragraph (b) above.
- (4) The aggregate of the increases in any contract unit price made under this clause shall not exceed 10 percent of the original unit price.
Flow-Down to Subcontractors
No flow-down required
This clause applies only to the prime contract and does not need to be flowed down to subcontractors.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAR 52.216-4 (Economic Price Adjustment—Labor and Material.) is a federal acquisition regulation clause that may be included in government contracts. It falls under the contract-types category.
FAR 52.216-4 is typically required when the contracting officer determines it's applicable to the specific procurement. Check the solicitation's Section I for included clauses.
Whether FAR 52.216-4 flows down depends on the specific clause language and contract type. Review the clause text for flow-down provisions.
This summary is for informational purposes only and reflects the BidStride Research Team's plain-English interpretation of the regulation. It is not legal advice and does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Always consult the official Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) or Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) text and qualified legal counsel for compliance decisions.