Settlement Proposal

“Settlement proposal” means a proposal for effecting settlement of a contract terminated in whole or in part, submitted by a contractor or subcontractor in the form, and supported by the data, required by this part. A settlement proposal is included within the generic meaning of the word “claim” under false claims acts (see 18 U.S.C. 287 and 31 U.S.C. 3729).

General

(a) A settlement should compensate the contractor fairly for the work done and the preparations made for the terminated portions of the contract, including a reasonable allowance for profit. Fair compensation is a matter of judgment and cannot be measured exactly. In a given case, various methods may be equally appropriate for arriving at fair compensation. The use of business judgment, as distinguished from strict accounting principles, is the heart of a settlement. (b) The primary objective is to negotiate a settlement by agreement. The parties may agree upon a total amount to be paid the contractor without agreeing on or segregating the particular elements of costs or profit comprising this amount. (c) Cost and accounting data may provide guides, but are not rigid measures, for ascertaining fair compensation. In appropriate cases, costs may be estimated, differences compromised, and doubtful questions settled by agreement. Other types of data, criteria, or standards may furnish equally reliable guides to fair compensation. The amount of recordkeeping, reporting, and accounting related to the settlement of terminated contracts should be kept to a minimum compatible with the reasonable protection of the public interest.

Allowability of Costs

Generally, only costs associated with termination activities are allowable after the effective date of termination. FAR 31.205-42(b) allows the contractor to recover post-termination costs (assuming costs meet other allowability criteria) if the costs cannot reasonably be discontinued immediately after notice of termination.