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FAR 52.217-5 — Evaluation of Options

Solicitation provision · dated July 1990 · prescribed in FAR 17.208(c) · current through FAC 2026-01

The official text, verbatim

FAR 52.217-5 · July 1990 current through FAC 2026-01 acquisition.gov eCFR (48 CFR)

As prescribed in 17.208(c), insert a provision substantially the same as the following:

Evaluation of Options (July 1990)

Except when it is determined in accordance with FAR 17.206(b) not to be in the Government’s best interests, the Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

(End of provision)

The text above is reproduced from GSA's published FAR source files (GSA/GSA-Acquisition-FAR @ da52ccb (2026-03-30)), retrieved 2026-07-17. The official publication at acquisition.gov / eCFR controls if they differ.
This is the FAR text. Your contract may not use it. An agency supplement (DFARS, GSAM, HHSAR, AGAR …) can add to this clause, and a class deviation can replace its text outright for a whole agency — neither of which changes what the FAR itself says, so neither appears above. Check the solicitation for a deviation notice, and see agency supplements for the supplement clauses we publish. We do not currently track class deviations.

In plain English

FAR 52.217-5, Evaluation of Options, is a solicitation provision prescribed at FAR 17.208(c), most recently dated July 1990. The complete official text is reproduced above, verbatim, from GSA's published FAR source files.

Its text contains no sentence requiring insertion into subcontracts; see the flowdown section below for what that does and does not mean.

Does it flow down to subcontracts?

No flowdown mandate found in the clause text

This is a solicitation provision — it applies to offerors when submitting an offer, not to contract performance, so subcontract flowdown is generally not the operative question for it.

Where it's prescribed

As prescribed in 17.208(c), insert a provision substantially the same as the following:

Prescribing reference: FAR 17.208(c).