Delivery Schedule

A delivery schedule is the contractual timetable that specifies when the required goods or services must be delivered or performed. It can be expressed as calendar dates, as a period that starts at contract award or notice of award, or, under an indefinite-delivery contract, as a set period after each order is received. The schedule should be realistic and clearly stated in the solicitation.

The term is used across defence and public procurement to define the timing of contractual performance. Related terms include delivery date, performance period, staged delivery, periodic deliveries, delivery location and acceptance. For a supplier, the delivery schedule is a core commitment: it sets the dates against which performance is measured once a contract is in place.

How a delivery schedule can be expressed

U.S. Federal Acquisition Regulation 11.401 treats delivery or performance time as an essential contract element that must be clearly stated in solicitations. FAR 11.403 permits several ways of setting the timetable. These are calendar dates, periods from contract award or acceptance, periods from notice of award, and periods after receipt of individual orders. The rules are set out in FAR Part 11.

• Calendar dates: fixed dates by which each delivery must be made.
• Period from award: a number of days or months counted from contract award or notice of award.
• Period after each order: used in indefinite-delivery contracts, where the clock starts each time an order is placed.

Where the schedule appears in a solicitation

The Government of Canada's Trade Commissioner Service explains that in U.S. government solicitations the delivery schedule is normally found in Section F, "Deliveries or Performance." That section may specify the time, place and method of delivery. The guidance is on the Trade Commissioner Service page for U.S. government procurement.

U.S. Department of Defense guidance goes further at the line-item level. Separately identifiable contract line items must include the delivery schedule or performance period, and delivery and acceptance locations must be defined for the relevant items. See the DoD guidance on contract line items.

Delivery schedules in Government of Canada documents

Delivery schedules appear in Government of Canada acquisition documentation and standard acquisition clauses. CanadaBuys procurement-planning guidance lists the delivery schedule as a target milestone alongside the solicitation and contract-award dates, as shown in the CanadaBuys procurement plan guidance.

An archived CanadaBuys printing clause shows the schedule at work in a contract. It requires underruns and overruns to be distributed in accordance with the delivery schedule and limits them to 10% of the total required in each specified region. The wording is in the Standard Acquisition Clauses and Conditions Manual.

In a federal supply or services contract, the schedule can establish the required delivery dates, delivery locations, quantities or delivery intervals, and the timing of acceptance or performance.

Staged delivery in defence contracts

Allied defence procurement documents use delivery schedules for staged or periodic deliveries, and they distinguish the schedule from the overall contract term. A UK defence procurement notice, for example, describes a staged delivery schedule in which equipment deliveries are followed by in-service support. In that structure, each stage has its own timing within the wider contract.

What it means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

Treat the delivery schedule as a binding commitment and price and plan to it. Before you bid, work through the following steps.

• Read the solicitation and contract schedule for the required dates, intervals, locations, quantities and delivery method.
• Plan production, staffing, shipping and acceptance activities to meet the stated schedule.
• Raise any inability to meet the schedule before bid submission, where the solicitation permits questions or proposed exceptions.
• For contracts with multiple deliveries, track each delivery separately against its line item or schedule.

After award, report progress and request a formal contract amendment before changing any agreed delivery date. An informal change should not be assumed to modify the contract.