This guide explains FAR Part 46 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR): Quality Assurance.

Shipment is not acceptance. First, keep inspection, authorized acceptance, nonconformance decisions, and warranty obligations separate so a signed delivery receipt does not become a costly assumption.

Watch the FAR Part 46 lesson

A delivered item can still be nonconforming, unaccepted, or subject to a warranty obligation. FAR Part 46 separates the contractor’s quality responsibilities from Government inspection and acceptance decisions.

FAR Part 46: Build quality evidence around the contract

Under 46.105, the contractor controls quality, tenders conforming supplies or services, manages supplier quality, and maintains substantiating evidence when required. The required inspection system or quality framework depends on the acquisition and contract. Section 46.202 does not make one external certification mandatory for every contractor. Translate the actual specification, drawings, test requirements, and quality clauses into an inspection plan before production rather than assembling evidence after delivery.

Separate a delivery receipt from acceptance

FAR 46.501 explains acceptance as acknowledgment of conformity with applicable quality and quantity requirements, subject to contract terms. Acceptance may occur before, at, or after delivery. Section 46.502 assigns responsibility to the contracting officer or an authorized office or agency. Receiving personnel signing for a shipment does not by itself resolve every contractual acceptance requirement. The contract identifies the acceptance location and evidence; retain the authorized record.

Resolve nonconformance through the right channel

Section 46.407 generally calls for rejection of nonconforming supplies or services, with correction, replacement, and authorized exceptions handled under the contract. A salesperson’s assurance is not an authorized waiver. Warranties address separate rights after acceptance and are not universally mandatory. Title and risk of loss also require separate analysis under 46.505: the default destination risk rule uses the later of acceptance or delivery, subject to contract terms and nonconforming-supply exceptions.

A hypothetical example

A machined batch reaches the receiving dock, but the inspection report shows a dimension outside tolerance. The supplier cannot treat the signed freight receipt as final acceptance. Quality identifies the affected units and records, contracts coordinates the authorized disposition, and operations tracks rework or replacement. Next, the team preserves the acceptance decision and any warranty obligations instead of treating all three events as the same milestone.

Avoid the shortcut

Next, build the acceptance evidence before the delivery milestone arrives. Then, confirm the required inspection report, test data, certificate, or other record, together with the person authorized to act. Then reconcile any open nonconformance with the actual disposition. A favorable internal inspection result does not replace an assigned Government acceptance action. Equally, a warranty is not a substitute for delivering conforming work. These distinctions help operations forecast the work that remains instead of treating shipment as the final quality event.

Try this exercise

Also, build a preparation worksheet using these fields. This is a GovSuccess practice, not a prescribed Government form.

1. Quality and quantity requirement
2. Inspection and test evidence
3. Inspection place and responsible party
4. Acceptance authority and record
5. Nonconformance disposition
6. Correction or replacement
7. Warranty terms
8. Title and risk provisions

Turn the lesson into an operating decision

In addition, use the worksheet with one current contract or proposed action. Next, keep the documents reviewed, assign an owner to each unresolved issue, and record the basis for the decision. Then, distinguish a regulatory obligation from a GovSuccess preparation practice. The worksheet organizes evidence; it does not grant authority, change contract terms, or establish a Government determination.

Official sources

Source check: November 3, 2026 (Central). Codified Acquisition.gov pages retrieved for this package display FAC 2026-01, effective March 13, 2026. Also, check applicable agency deviations and the actual solicitation or contract. Model overhaul text and an implemented agency deviation are not interchangeable.

• FAR Part 46 — codified text
• FAR 46.105
• FAR 46.202
• FAR 46.407
• FAR 46.501
• FAR 46.502
• FAR 46.503
• FAR 46.505
• FAR 46.702
• FAR 46.703
• FAR overhaul and agency deviation guide — contract-specific verification

Build your readiness baseline

Explore GovAssessment for a structured business-readiness baseline based on your answers. However, it does not approve a contract action, certify compliance, or guarantee an award.

General education, not legal or tax advice. Browse all FAR summaries.