How to Fill Out and Submit DD Form 1423: Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL)

To fill out DD Form 1423, the Contract Data Requirements List, work one sheet per deliverable from the top down: complete the administrative header that ties the form to its parent contract, then use the numbered blocks to identify each data item by its Data Item Description, set approval and distribution controls, lock in the delivery schedule, tailor the DID in Block 16 if needed, and let the contractor price the item in Blocks 17 and 18. Once incorporated into the contract as an exhibit under DFARS Subpart 204.71, every line becomes a binding delivery obligation.¹

What to Gather Before You Start

Download the current DD Form 1423-1 from the Washington Headquarters Services forms page. Before typing anything into a block, pull together four inputs:

The solicitation or contract number.
The statement of work, with the paragraphs that generate each data need already identified.
The Data Item Description (DID) number for every deliverable. DIDs define the content, format, and preparation instructions for each type of data — a test report, a maintenance manual, a cost performance report. Find them in the Acquisition Management Systems and Data Requirements Control List (DoD 5010.12-L) or by searching the ASSIST-QuickSearch database maintained by the Defense Logistics Agency.²
The distribution statement that will control who can access the delivered data.

One sheet covers one data item. A contract with ten deliverables will have ten sheets, each with its own sequence number.

Completing the Header Blocks (A–J)

The lettered blocks at the top of the form are administrative. They are easy to overlook and easy to get right.

Block A: the solicitation or contract number.
Block C: the data category. Mark TDP for a Technical Data Package, TM for a Technical Manual, or “Other” with a short description such as “Configuration Management” or “Provisioning.”
Block D: the name of the system or item the data supports.
Blocks E and F: leave blank during solicitation; fill in after contract award.
Blocks G through J: signature and date fields for the preparer and the approval authority.

Identifying the Deliverable in Blocks 1 Through 6

Block 1 assigns a line item number under the uniform contract line item numbering rules in DFARS Subpart 204.71.¹ Block 2 takes the exact title of the data item as it appears on the DID. Block 3 is an optional subtitle, useful when the same DID applies to different subsystems. Block 4 is the DID number itself, drawn from DoD 5010.12-L.² Block 5 cross-references the specific statement of work paragraph that drives the requirement, so the contractor knows which task produces the data. Block 6 names the technical office responsible for reviewing and accepting the deliverable.

Approval and Distribution in Blocks 7 Through 9

Block 7 states whether the government will formally inspect and accept the data. Block 8 says whether the contractor must submit a draft for approval before preparing the final version. A draft cycle adds time but prevents wasted effort on a deliverable that misses the mark.

Block 9 records the distribution statement the contractor must mark on the delivered technical data, following DoD Instruction 5230.24.³ The six standard statements are:

Statement A: approved for public release; distribution unlimited.
Statement B: limited to U.S. Government agencies only.
Statement C: limited to U.S. Government agencies and their contractors.
Statement D: limited to the Department of Defense and U.S. DoD contractors only.
Statement E: limited to DoD Components only.
Statement F: further dissemination only as directed by the controlling DoD office.

Statements B through F each require a reason for restriction, a date of determination, and the name of the controlling DoD office that handles requests from outside the authorized circle.

Delivery Schedule in Blocks 10 Through 15

Block 10 sets how many times the item must be delivered: once, monthly, quarterly, or on another interval tied to program milestones.⁴ Block 11 gives the “as-of” date when applicable. For a monthly cost report, that is the last day of the reporting period.

Block 12 states when the first submittal is due, often expressed as a number of days after a milestone such as contract award or authorization to proceed. Block 13 covers subsequent submittal deadlines for recurring deliverables. Block 14 lists every office and person who must receive copies, broken down by draft and final, regular and reproducible.² Block 15 totals the copies across all addressees.

Block 16: Tailoring and Clarifications

Block 16 is the catch-all for extra instructions, and tailoring is its most consequential use. Tailoring means reducing the scope of a DID so the contractor delivers only the minimum essential data. You might cut unnecessary sections, simplify formatting, or remove paragraphs that do not apply to the program. When you tailor a DID, append “/T” to the DID number in Block 4 and describe the specific reductions in Block 16.⁵

Two rules constrain tailoring. You can only tailor down: remove or narrow, never expand. If the DID does not cover what you need, pick a different DID. And the contractor must be able to read Block 16 and know exactly what to deliver. Vague instructions like “tailor as appropriate” defeat the purpose.

Beyond tailoring, Block 16 also carries clarifications for the submittal dates in Blocks 12 and 13, explanations of the reproducible copy requirements in Block 14, and the desired delivery medium.

Pricing the Data in Blocks 17 and 18

Blocks 17 and 18 are completed by the contractor, not the government. The government uses these estimates to weigh whether each deliverable is worth its price relative to its engineering or management value.⁶

Block 17 assigns each deliverable to one of four price groups:

Group I: data not essential to the contractor’s primary work but required by the CDRL. Price covers preparation, assembly to government formatting standards, and delivery.
Group II: data essential to the contractor’s work but needing added effort to meet government-specific depth, format, or quality. Price covers only the added cost above what the contractor would spend anyway.
Group III: data the contractor already develops for internal use that needs no significant changes for the government. Price covers reproduction and delivery.
Group IV: data produced through normal operations where supplying it takes minimal effort. Group IV items are normally shown at no cost.⁷

Block 18 captures the total estimated price for the item. The figure must reflect only the costs incurred as a direct result of the government’s data requirement, meaning costs the contractor would not bear if no data were required. The estimate must not include any amount for rights in the data itself; intellectual property is handled separately under the data rights clauses.

A contract cannot require delivery of data that has already been delivered or is owed under another contract. If the government needs a duplicate, the price covers duplication only, not preparation.⁶

Submitting the Completed Form

Submit the completed DD Form 1423 to the contracting officer for integration into the acquisition package. Under DFARS Subpart 204.71 the form is always incorporated as a contract exhibit rather than an attachment, which gives it the same legal weight as any other deliverable requirement.¹

Most defense contracts route the resulting data deliverables through the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE), the DoD’s primary procure-to-pay application, which produces timestamped submission records and connects to Wide Area Workflow for payment.⁸⁹ Specific contracts may direct submission to specialized repositories. Integrated Program Management Data and Analysis Reports, for example, go to the DoD EVM Central Repository.⁴

After submission, the government reviews the deliverable against the DID and the tailoring instructions in Block 16. If it does not conform, the contracting officer can reject it and request revision. Verify that the correct distribution statement marking appears on every technical document before delivery.

What the Form Does Not Cover

The CDRL sets what the contractor must deliver and when. It does not set the government’s rights in the delivered data. Those rights depend on how the underlying work was funded and are governed by DFARS 252.227-7013, which also prescribes the restrictive legends a contractor must apply to data with government purpose or limited rights.¹⁰ Handle rights in those clauses, not on the 1423.

Consequences of Late or Deficient Delivery

Once a data item is on the CDRL, missing the schedule has money attached. Under DFARS 252.227-7030 the contracting officer may withhold up to ten percent of the total contract price when technical data is not delivered on schedule or does not meet the DID requirements.¹¹ The withholding stays in place until the government accepts the data, unless the contract specifies a lesser amount. The exception: withholding does not apply when the delay results from causes beyond the contractor’s control and without the contractor’s fault or negligence.

Persistent failure can trigger broader remedies. A contracting officer may issue a cure notice giving the contractor a fixed period to correct the deficiency before the government considers termination for default. Because the CDRL is a contract exhibit, each undelivered data item is treated the same as any other unmet contract obligation.

1
Department of Defense. DFARS Subpart 204.71 – Uniform Contract Line Item Numbering
2
U.S. Department of Defense. DD Form 1423-1 Contract Data Requirements List
3
Washington Headquarters Services. DoD Instruction 5230.24 – Distribution Statements on Technical Information
4
Department of Defense. DD Form 1423 IPMDAR CDRL Example
5
CDRL Planning Tool. Block 16 Entries – Tailoring the DID
6
Acquisition.GOV. DFARS 215.470 – Estimated Data Prices
7
Department of Defense. DD Form 1423-1 Instructions
8
Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment. Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment
9
Defense Logistics Agency. Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment
10
eCFR. 48 CFR 252.227-7013 – Rights in Technical Data Other Than Commercial Products and Commercial Services
11
Acquisition.GOV. DFARS 252.227-7030 Technical Data – Withholding of Payment