When is Standard Form 1442 used?
Federal buyers must use it to solicit and receive construction offers above the simplified acquisition threshold. They may also use it below that threshold (FAR 36.701).
Small jobs may arrive on Optional Form 347 instead. That form is allowed at or below the threshold if the required clauses are included.
The form covers both sealed bids and negotiated proposals. Item 2 tells you which one you are answering. In sealed bidding, the form says "offer" means "bid" and "offeror" means "bidder".
The FAR is being rewritten, and agencies now issue some of it as a model deviation. The overhaul text covers this form at 36.201-2. Check the numbers your own solicitation cites.
What does each item ask for?
The form has three parts. This table follows the order of the form itself.
| Item | What it states | Who completes it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 6 | Solicitation number, type, issue date, contract and project numbers | Government |
| 7 and 8 | Who issued it, and where to send your offer | Government |
| 9 | The person to call, with a telephone number | Government |
| 10 | The work required | Government |
| 11 | When you must start and finish, and whether that period is mandatory or negotiable | Government |
| 12a and 12b | Whether bonds are required, and how many days you have to furnish them | Government |
| 13a | How many copies are due, where, and by what hour and date | Government |
| 13b | Whether an offer guarantee is required | Government |
| 13c | That offers are subject to the work and the clauses in the solicitation | Government |
| 13d | The fewest days the government must have to accept your offer | Government |
| 14 to 16 | Your name, address, codes, telephone number and remittance address | You |
| 17 | Your price, and how long your offer stands | You |
| 18 | Your agreement to furnish any required bonds | Preprinted, binding when you sign |
| 19 | The number and date of each amendment you received | You |
| 20a to 20c | The name, title and signature of the person authorized to sign, and the date | You |
| 21 to 31 | The award | Government, and you only if item 28 applies |
How do you read the closing time in item 13a?
The hour is often written as four digits on a 24-hour clock. So 1700 means 5:00 PM.
The date is written month first. So 11/16/2026 means November 16, 2026. A reader used to day-first dates can misread some dates by months.
The form says local time, and item 13a points to the place in item 8. That place can be in a different time zone from the job. A park job in Oregon can have an office in Colorado as its address.
Compare it with the SAM.gov notice, which states the deadline with a time zone. On the solicitation we tested, the address pointed to Colorado while SAM.gov gave a West Coast time zone.
If the two differ, ask the person named in item 9, and work to the earlier time until you hear back. Ask early, as many solicitations set a cut-off for questions.
An amendment can move the deadline. The latest amendment decides, so read every one before you rely on item 13a.
Which items change your price?
Five items on the first page can change what the job costs you. Read them with your estimator before you start.
- Item 11: the days to start and to finish. A short period can mean extra crews or premium rates.
- Item 12a: whether you must furnish bonds. A bond has a cost, so include it in your price. See federal bid guarantees and bonds.
- Item 13b: whether an offer guarantee is required. Leaving out a required guarantee can get your bid rejected.
- Item 13d: the minimum acceptance period. Your price must stand for at least this many days after offers are due.
- Item 10 and the attachments: the work itself, and the wage determination you must pay. See Davis-Bacon wages for bidders.
How do you complete items 14 to 20?
Complete these items in order. Your company's details should match your SAM.gov registration.
- 1Enter your legal name and address in item 14. Add the codes the solicitation asks for. Many agencies now ask for your Unique Entity ID here.
- 2Enter your telephone number in item 15. Use item 16 only if payment goes to a different address.
- 3Enter your acceptance period in item 17. It must be equal to or greater than the number in item 13d. If you leave it blank, you accept the minimum.
- 4Enter your amounts in item 17, or follow the solicitation if it asks for a separate price schedule.
- 5List every amendment in item 19, with its number and date.
- 6Have an authorized person print their name and title in item 20a. They then sign at 20b and date at 20c.
Do not fill in the award section. The form tells you which parts belong to the contracting officer.
What else goes in with the form?
The form is rarely the whole submission. Each solicitation sets its own list, so build your checklist from its instructions.
A real National Park Service solicitation we read in November 2026 asked for these items, among others. Your list will differ.
- The completed form, signed
- A price sheet
- A technical information form, with past projects and references
- A written technical approach, with a page limit
- Active SAM.gov registration and a Unique Entity ID
- A current state contractor license
- A payment bond or irrevocable letter of credit after award
What Bidligence does with this form, and what it does not do
Upload the solicitation, and Bidligence reads the form with the rest of the package. It sets the deadline, the acceptance period and the bond terms against your bid. It also builds your submission checklist from what the solicitation requires. A US workspace sees month-first dates and US terms.
It does not fill in the federal form itself. You complete and sign items 14 to 20. It does not register you in SAM.gov, and it does not submit your bid. Always check the dates it reads against the form.
Do not upload controlled documents. Bidligence is not set up for Controlled Unclassified Information or export-controlled drawings. See our security page.
Questions
- Who signs Standard Form 1442?
- A person authorized to bind your company signs at item 20b. Their printed name and title go in item 20a.
- What happens if I leave the acceptance period blank in item 17?
- The form says that inserting no number means you accept the minimum stated in item 13d.
- Is Standard Form 1442 used on small jobs?
- It can be. At or below the simplified acquisition threshold, a buyer may use it or Optional Form 347. The solicitation shows which one applies.
- What does 1700 mean on the form?
- It means 5:00 PM on a 24-hour clock. The form gives it in local time, for the place stated in item 8.
Sources
Rules and portals change. Check the tender’s own documents and the official source before you rely on any of this.
