Subcontracts and flow-down clauses

Flow-down clauses,for every subcontract.

Know which FAR and DFARS clauses in your prime contract flow down to each subcontract, by commerciality and dollar value, and the authority that requires each one.

Search the FAR clause library, run your prime contract through the flowdown matrix, check a draft subcontract for missing clauses, and let a workflow draft the flow-down provisions, every clause cited.

Clauses, flow-down statuses and the quoted text are real, as GovConDash held them on November 4, 2026.

2,232

Clauses in the library

FAR PART 52 AND SUPPLEMENTS

25

Agency supplements

CODIFIED IN THE eCFR

194

Clauses in the flow-down matrix

FAR, DFARS AND DEAR

63

FAR thresholds tracked

FAR 1.109, EFFECTIVE OCT 1, 2025

What a flow-down clause is

Three authorities decide what flows down

A flow-down clause is one your prime contract requires you to put in your subcontracts, so the subcontractor owes the government what you owe it. Whether a clause flows down depends on who the customer is, whether the subcontract is commercial, and what it is worth.
FAR 52.244-6

Subcontracts for commercial products and commercial services

The short list of clauses a prime must put in a commercial subcontract, at any tier. Everything else stays out unless the prime needs it to meet its own obligations.

FAR 52.244-2

Subcontracts under a non-commercial prime

The clauses that travel with a subcontract under a cost-type or non-commercial prime, many of them only above a dollar threshold or when a stated condition is met.

DFARS 252.244-7000

Subcontracts under a Department of War prime

The DFARS clauses that flow down on top of the FAR set, from safeguarding covered defense information to export control and rights in technical data.

Mandatory flow-downs

The clauses that always travel

The 20 clauses the flow-down matrix marks mandatory: they go into the subcontract whenever the prime contract carries them, with no dollar floor. Each clause links to its text in the eCFR.
ClauseTitleFlows down underSubcontracts
52.203-19Prohibition on Requiring Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements52.244-6Commercial and non-commercial
52.204-23Prohibition on Contracting for Hardware, Software, and Services Developed or Provided by Kaspersky Lab52.244-6Commercial and non-commercial
52.204-25Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment52.244-6Commercial and non-commercial
52.204-27Prohibition on a ByteDance Covered Application52.244-6Commercial and non-commercial
52.222-21Prohibition of Segregated Facilities52.244-6Commercial and non-commercial
52.222-50Combating Trafficking in Persons52.244-6Commercial and non-commercial
52.225-13Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases52.244-2Non-commercial only
52.225-26Contractors Performing Private Security Functions Outside the United States52.244-6Commercial and non-commercial
52.232-40Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors52.244-6Commercial and non-commercial
52.240-1Prohibition on Unmanned Aircraft Systems Manufactured or Assembled by American Security Drone Act, Covered Foreign Entities52.244-6Commercial and non-commercial
52.244-6Subcontracts for Commercial Products and Commercial Services52.244-2Commercial and non-commercial
252.203-7002Requirement to Inform Employees of Whistleblower Rights252.244-7000Commercial and non-commercial
252.203-7003Agency Office of the Inspector General252.244-7000Commercial and non-commercial
252.204-7012Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting252.244-7000Commercial and non-commercial
252.204-7018Prohibition on the Acquisition of Covered Defense Telecommunications Equipment or Services252.244-7000Commercial and non-commercial
252.204-7020NIST SP 800-171 DoD Assessment Requirements252.244-7000Commercial and non-commercial
252.225-7048Export-Controlled Items252.244-7000Commercial and non-commercial
252.227-7019Validation of Asserted Restrictions, Computer Software252.244-7000Commercial and non-commercial
252.227-7037Validation of Asserted Restrictions on Technical Data252.244-7000Commercial and non-commercial
252.244-7000Subcontracts for Commercial Products or Commercial Services252.244-7000Commercial and non-commercial

From the GovConDash flow-down matrix. Mandatory means the matrix flows the clause whenever the prime carries it; many clauses beyond this list flow down above a threshold or when a condition is met. Confirm against your prime contract.

Flow-Down Matrix

From the prime contract to the flow-downs

Drop in the prime contract and the scan lifts its FAR and DFARS clauses. Describe the subcontract, and the matrix returns a determination for every clause in scope, with the authority, the threshold it was tested against and the reason, ready to export to Word or Excel.

The prime contract is an illustration for a fictitious contractor. The determinations are the matrix's own output for a $2,000,000 non-commercial Department of War subcontract, read November 4, 2026.

Free

FAR Clause Library

Every FAR Part 52 clause and every codified agency supplement, searchable by number, title or full text, with the clause text, its prescription and its flow-down status.

Pro

Flow-Down Matrix

Upload the prime contract or paste its clauses, describe the subcontract, and get a determination for every clause in the matrix with its authority and its reason.

Pro

Compliance Review

Check a draft subcontract against the matrix: which mandatory flow-downs are missing, which clauses do not belong, and which turn on a fact only you can confirm.

Reads the prime contract

Upload a PDF or Word file and the scan detects every FAR, DFARS and agency supplement clause number in it. The list stays editable, and it is the source of truth for the run.

Tests every threshold

A dollar test is read against the published FAR 1.109 table, and a clause that turns on a fact the inputs cannot show is flagged for confirmation rather than decided for you.

Names the authority

Each determination carries the clause that flows it down, 52.244-6, 52.244-2 or DFARS 252.244-7000, and a link to the clause in the eCFR.

Dollar thresholds

Flow-downs that turn on the subcontract's value

The flow-downs in the matrix that apply only above a stated dollar figure, lowest first, each with the regulation the figure was read from. Others turn on the simplified acquisition threshold, $350,000 under the FAR 1.109 table effective Oct 1, 2025.
ThresholdClauseTitleRead from
$2,500 or more52.222-41Service Contract Labor StandardsFAR 52.222-41(l); prescribed at FAR 22.1006
$3,500 or more52.222-54Employment Eligibility VerificationFAR 52.222-54(e); prescribed at FAR 22.1803
$10,000 or more52.222-26Equal OpportunityFAR 52.244-6(c)(1); FAR 22.802
Over $20,00052.222-36Equal Opportunity for Workers with DisabilitiesFAR 52.244-6(c)(1); FAR 22.1408
Over $20,00052.225-8Duty-Free EntryFAR 52.225-8(j)(2)
Over $35,00052.226-6Promoting Excess Food Donation to Nonprofit OrganizationsFAR 52.226-6(e); prescribed at FAR 26.404
Over $150,000252.225-7061Restriction on the Acquisition of Personal Protective Equipment and Certain Other Items from Non-Allied Foreign NationsDFARS 252.225-7061(c); DFARS 225.7023-4; DFARS 252.244-7000
Over $200,00052.203-7Anti-Kickback ProceduresFAR 3.502-3; FAR 44.403
Over $200,00052.222-4Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards, Overtime CompensationFAR 22.305; FAR 52.222-4
$200,000 or more52.222-35Equal Opportunity for VeteransFAR 52.244-6(c)(1); FAR 22.1310
$200,000 or more52.222-37Employment Reports on VeteransFAR 52.244-6(c)(1); FAR 22.1310
Over $1,000,000252.222-7006Restrictions on the Use of Mandatory Arbitration AgreementsDFARS 252.222-7006(a) and (b)(2); DFARS 222.7405; DFARS 252.244-7000
$7,500,000 or more52.203-13Contractor Code of Business Ethics and ConductFAR 52.244-6(c)(1); FAR 3.1004(a)
Over $50,000,000252.234-7004Cost and Software Data Reporting SystemDFARS 252.234-7004(b); DFARS 234.7101(b); DFARS 252.244-7000

Figures as the matrix states them. FAR threshold changes lists the current published figures. Confirm against the prime contract before relying on a determination.

Agentic workflows

Let a workflow draft the flow-downs

Four Subcontracts workflows in the Workflows Hub do the drafting on top of the matrix and the FAR Clause Library. Below, the Flow-Down Provisions Generator turns the whole matrix into a provisions document grouped by dollar threshold, then exports it to Word.

The buyer is a fictitious contractor. The tiers and clause counts are the provisions tool's own output for a non-commercial Department of War prime, read November 4, 2026.

Contract Clause Risk Review

Upload a solicitation, contract, or subcontract to detect its FAR/DFARS/DEAR clauses, then get a per-clause review of what each obligates you to do and where the risk and cost drivers sit, grounded in the eCFR text.

Review5 steps

Flow-Down Provisions Generator

Generate a complete FAR and DFARS flow-down provisions document for your subcontracts, with clauses grouped by dollar threshold and every clause pulled and cited from the grounded matrix.

Draft4 steps

Flow-Down Package Draft

Draft a subcontract flow-down package from the grounded matrix: the mandatory and conditional clauses for the given prime context.

Draft4 steps

Clause Compliance Gap Analysis

Compare a subcontract's clauses against the grounded flow-down matrix and FAR Library to flag missing mandatory flow-downs and gaps.

Review5 steps
Grounded

Every determination from the regulation

A curated matrix, not a guess

194 clauses across FAR, DFARS and DEAR, each with the authority that flows it down, mandatory or conditional, and the threshold or condition with the regulation it was read from.

Clause text from the eCFR

Every clause's full text and prescription is retrieved from the eCFR, and a clause a Department of War class deviation rewrites is marked in the library.

Cited, or not stated

The workflows organize and cite the matrix rather than decide it. A clause outside the matrix is reported as needing expert review, never filled in from memory.

FAQ

Flow-down clauses,
answered.

What a flow-down clause is, which clauses a commercial subcontract carries, how dollar thresholds apply, and where the determinations come from.

A flow-down clause is a clause in your prime contract that you are required, or choose, to include in your subcontracts, so the subcontractor carries the same obligation to the government that you do. Some clauses say so in their own text, often in a paragraph titled Subcontracts. Others flow down because FAR 52.244-6, FAR 52.244-2 or DFARS 252.244-7000 lists them.

FAR 52.244-6(c)(1) lists the clauses a prime must include in subcontracts for commercial products and commercial services, such as 52.203-19, 52.204-23, 52.204-25, 52.222-21 and 52.222-50, several of them only when a condition or a dollar threshold is met. Paragraph (c)(2) lets the prime add a minimal number of other clauses it needs to meet its own obligations. The Flow-Down Matrix applies the list to your subcontract and names the authority for each clause.

Many clauses flow down only when the subcontract exceeds a dollar figure, such as $10,000 for Equal Opportunity or the $350,000 simplified acquisition threshold for Audit and Records. The FAR adjusts these figures for inflation under FAR 1.109, so GovConDash reads them from the published threshold table, effective Oct 1, 2025, and states which edition it used beside every determination.

It flows down to subcontracts for operationally critical support, or in which performance will involve covered defense information, including subcontracts for commercial products or commercial services, without alteration except to identify the parties. The prime decides whether the information keeps its identity as covered defense information and consults the contracting officer when it is unsure. The clause detail in the FAR Clause Library quotes paragraph (m) verbatim.

From a curated flow-down matrix: each clause, the authority that flows it down, whether it is mandatory or conditional, and any dollar threshold or condition, with the regulation it was read from. The clause text is retrieved from the eCFR. No model decides whether a clause flows down. The workflows organize and cite the matrix, and a clause the matrix does not cover is reported as needing expert review rather than guessed.

A free account reads the FAR Clause Library, with every clause's text, prescription and flow-down status. Pro and Max add the Flow-Down Matrix, the Compliance Review, the document scan and the four Subcontracts workflows in the Workflows Hub. Monthly Pro starts with a 14-day free trial.

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Put the right clauses in every subcontract

Search the clause library for free. Pro adds the Flow-Down Matrix, the Compliance Review and the Subcontracts workflows. Monthly Pro starts with a 14-day free trial.

eCFRAcquisition.govDepartment of War