To complete DD Form 250, the Material Inspection and Receiving Report, work through the blocks in order using your contract award as the source of truth: enter the contract number, assign a shipment number, identify every party by CAGE code or DoDAAC, list each line item exactly as it appears in Section B of the contract, and submit the report electronically through Wide Area Workflow (WAWF) inside the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment at piee.eb.mil. The government representative signs the acceptance blocks digitally, and that signature is what releases payment through the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.
Most DoD contracts now require electronic submission. DFARS 252.232-7003 mandates that contractors send payment requests and receiving reports through WAWF unless a specific exception applies.1eCFR. 48 CFR 252.232-7003 – Electronic Submission of Payment Requests and Receiving Reports The paper form still exists as a backup for contracts that explicitly authorize it, and the block numbers are identical in both formats. The instructions below follow DFARS Appendix F, Part 4.2Acquisition.GOV. Part 4 – Preparation of the DD Form 250 and DD Form 250C
Before You Start
Pull three things onto your desk: the contract award document (the SF 26 or SF 33), the contract schedule covering Sections B through G, and the packing list for the shipment you are reporting. Section B holds your line items and unit prices. Section G holds the administration, payment, and consignee codes. The packing list gives you the quantities that must match Block 17.
You also need active PIEE access before your first delivery, because setup is not instant. Your company must be registered in SAM.gov with an Electronic Business Point of Contact, and only that EB POC can appoint a Contractor Administrator (CAM) who then approves individual employee accounts.3Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment. Vendor Getting Started Help If you submit high volumes, the PIEE Help Desk can set up SFTP or EDI batch feeds instead of manual web entry.
One boundary worth naming: if your contract is under the Fast Payment Procedure in FAR Subpart 13.4 (generally for individual instruments not exceeding $35,000), you can be paid without an acceptance signature on a receiving report, but you certify conformance on the invoice and bear the risk of loss.4Acquisition.gov. Subpart 13.4 – Fast Payment Procedure Everything below assumes a standard contract with DFARS 252.246-7000.
Header Blocks 1 Through 8
Block 1 is the contract number. Copy the Procurement Instrument Identification Number character by character from the award; a single wrong digit will bounce the submission.
Block 2 is the shipment number, and it follows a strict format you assign yourself. Three alphabetic characters come first and stay the same for every shipment from a given “Shipped From” address for the life of the contract. Four numeric characters follow, starting at 0001 and counting up. So “ABC” gives you ABC0001, ABC0002, and so on. If you run past 9,999, switch to an alpha-numeric sequence beginning at A000.5Acquisition.GOV. Appendix F – Material Inspection and Receiving Report
Block 3 is the date the shipment is released to the carrier, or the date services are completed. If the shipment has not yet gone out, enter the estimated date followed by an “E.”
Block 4 holds the commercial or government bill of lading number and any transportation control number, with the initial mode-of-shipment code in the lower right corner. Block 5 is the prompt payment discount percentage if your contract has one; otherwise leave it blank. Block 6 is your invoice number and date, with an “E” after any estimated date.
Address and Code Blocks 9 Through 14
These six blocks identify every party in the transaction. Each has a “Code” field that takes either a CAGE code (five characters, commercial entities) or a DoDAAC (government activities). Pull every one of them from Section G of your contract and any delivery orders. Working from memory is how payments stall.
- Block 9 — Prime Contractor: your CAGE code and address.
- Block 10 — Administered By: the contract administration office code and address from the contract.
- Block 11 — Shipped From: the origin. If it matches Block 9, enter “See Block 9.”
- Block 12 — Payment Will Be Made By: the payment office code from the contract.
- Block 13 — Shipped To: the destination code from the contract or shipping instructions.
- Block 14 — Marked For: the “Mark For” code and address, if the contract specifies one.
Line Item Blocks 15 Through 20
These blocks itemize what you delivered and what the government owes. Mismatches here are the single most common reason submissions get rejected.
Block 15 is the contract line item number (CLIN) or subline item number, exactly as it appears in Section B. Block 16 is the National Stock Number or manufacturer’s part number with a description; for services, describe the work and the period of performance covered. Container count, type, and container numbers also go in Block 16.
Block 17 is the quantity shipped or received on this delivery, and it has to match your packing list. Block 18 is the unit of measure from the contract — EA for each, LO for lot, HR for hours. Block 19 is the unit price from the contract or the most recent modification. Block 20 is Block 17 multiplied by Block 19, and it must equal what you are claiming on this shipment.
If a contract modification changed a price or quantity, use the modified figures. Not the originals.
Inspection and Acceptance Blocks 21 Through 23
You do not fill these in. The government does, and those signatures are what unlock payment.
Block 21a is for source inspection or acceptance, meaning inspection at your facility or a subcontractor’s. The authorized government representative places an “X” in the appropriate box, signs, dates, and enters name, title, and contact information. The printed statement that the items “conform to contract” covers both quality and quantity, and the representative cannot modify that language; any exceptions go in Block 16 or on an attachment.
Block 21b is for destination acceptance. If origin acceptance already happened in Block 21a, Block 21b stays blank. Block 22 is where the receiving activity representative enters the date the shipment physically arrived — the date the carrier reached the installation, even if off-loading took longer — signs, and provides contact details. Block 23 is reserved for your own notes.
If your contract allows a Certificate of Conformance in place of government source inspection, enter “CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMANCE” in Block 21a below the printed CQA statements and attach the signed certificate to the copies going to the payment office.
Unique Item Identification Data
Contracts that include DFARS 252.211-7003 require unique item identification (IUID) marking on certain deliverables. The IUID is a machine-readable data construct built from your enterprise identifier (usually your CAGE code) plus a serial number unique to that item, or your enterprise identifier plus a part, lot, or batch number and a serial number.6Acquisition.GOV. Item Unique Identification and Valuation When IUID applies, enter the data in WAWF’s dedicated IUID fields; that single entry satisfies both the delivery reporting and the IUID Registry requirement.
Submitting Through WAWF
In WAWF you pick a document type, populate the fields, and submit. The most useful type for many contractors is the Combo document, which combines the receiving report and the invoice so acceptance and the payment clock start together. Standalone Receiving Report and Invoice options exist as well.
Before it accepts your submission, WAWF validates your contract number, CAGE code, and line item data against the contract record in Electronic Document Access. A mismatch produces an error immediately, which is preferable to a post-submission rejection days later. Once you submit, the system routes the report to the designated government representative — usually a Quality Assurance Representative or Contracting Officer’s Representative — for review and digital signature.7Acquisition.GOV. Part 5 – Distribution of Wide Area Workflow Receiving Report (WAWF RR), DD Form 250 and DD Form 250C
Save the submission confirmation number. It is your proof of delivery timing if anyone later disputes when you completed performance. WAWF satisfies every distribution requirement in DFARS Appendix F except one: you still include a copy with the physical shipment itself.
When Paper Is Authorized
If your contract specifically allows paper DD Form 250s, download the current form from the Washington Headquarters Services site (esd.whs.mil) and follow the distribution rules in Appendix F.5Acquisition.GOV. Appendix F – Material Inspection and Receiving Report Copies go to the purchasing office, the payment office, the contract administration office, the consignee, and with the shipment itself. The payment office will not process an invoice until it holds a copy carrying the government inspector’s signature.
What Happens After the Government Signs
The moment the government representative digitally signs in WAWF, the system notifies DFAS that accepted goods or services are ready for payment. Under the Prompt Payment Act, the government generally has 30 days to pay, measured from the later of two events: receipt of a proper invoice at the designated office, or formal acceptance of the supplies or services. If the government misses that window, it owes interest.
That is why the Combo document is worth using when your contract allows it. Sending the receiving report and invoice separately opens a gap; sending them together starts the clock the instant acceptance posts.
Keeping Your Records
FAR 4.805 requires retention of contract files, receiving reports included, for six years after final payment on the contract.8Acquisition.GOV. 4.805 Storage, Handling, and Contract Files Some components go longer: the Defense Logistics Agency and the Department of the Navy require ten years. Check your contract and the administering agency’s DFARS supplement for the period that applies to you, and hold every signed DD Form 250 or WAWF confirmation together with the supporting packing lists and shipping receipts for the full period.