How to Fill Out and Submit GSA Form SF-1413: Statement and Acknowledgment

The SF-1413 form, titled Statement and Acknowledgment, is the two-page document a prime contractor uses to confirm that the required labor standards clauses have been written into a construction subcontract on a federally funded project. The prime fills out Part I, the subcontractor signs Part II, and the completed form goes to the contracting officer within 14 days of the subcontract award. It is prescribed by FAR clause 52.222-11 and applies at every tier of subcontracting on Davis-Bacon covered construction performed in the United States.¹

Where to Download the Current Form

The current revision is dated October 2023. Download it as a free PDF from the General Services Administration’s forms library on the “Statement and Acknowledgment” page.² The file is two pages: Part I for the prime contractor, Part II for the subcontractor.

Completing Part I: The Prime Contractor’s Side

Part I identifies the parties, the contracts, and the labor clauses being flowed down. Work through the fields in order.

Prime contract number and award date. The award date sets which wage determination governs the project, so get it right.
Prime contractor’s legal name and address.
Subcontractor’s legal name and address.
Subcontract number, subcontract award date, and a description of the construction work. The work description lets the contracting officer confirm that the correct labor classifications are applied to payroll.
Awarding firm, if the subcontract was issued by an intermediate subcontractor rather than the prime.³
The labor standards clauses included in the subcontract. The form lists the specific FAR clauses that must appear, covering Davis-Bacon wage requirements, Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act overtime provisions, Copeland Act anti-kickback protections, and the payroll and record-keeping obligations that go with them.¹
Any intermediate subcontractors in the chain, if the subcontract sits below the first tier.³

The prime contractor then signs and dates Part I, certifying that the listed clauses were included in the subcontract.

Completing Part II: The Subcontractor’s Acknowledgment

Part II is short. By signing, the subcontractor confirms they received the labor standards clauses listed in Part I and that those clauses are part of their subcontract. Fill in printed name, signature, title, and date.³ Without that signature the form is incomplete and the contracting officer will send it back.

Federal agencies may accept electronic signatures on contract documents, but practice varies by office.⁴ Ask your contracting officer before assuming a digital signature will be accepted.

Submitting the Form Within 14 Days

Once both parties have signed, the prime contractor delivers the completed SF-1413 to the federal contracting officer. FAR 52.222-11(d) sets two deadlines. For subcontracts already in place when the prime contract is awarded, submit a completed SF-1413 for each one within 14 days after the prime contract award. For any subcontract awarded later, submit an SF-1413 within 14 days of that subcontract’s award.¹

The contracting officer uses submitted forms to build a master list of every subcontractor active on the project. That list drives follow-on compliance checks, including the review of the certified weekly payrolls that every contractor and subcontractor must submit under the Copeland Act and 29 CFR 5.5.⁵

A Separate Form for Every Tier

One SF-1413 per subcontract, at every tier. If a first-tier electrical subcontractor hires a second-tier firm to pull wire, that second-tier subcontract also needs its own completed SF-1413 submitted to the contracting officer.⁶ The prime contractor is responsible for collecting these forms and getting them to the government, even for subcontracts the prime did not directly award.¹

The labor standards clauses themselves must also flow down. FAR 52.222-11(b) requires that every construction subcontract in the United States include the full set of clauses, including the subcontracts clause itself, so the chain continues indefinitely downward. Skip a tier and the compliance chain breaks, leaving the prime contractor exposed to liability for any wage violations that occur below the gap.

How Long to Keep the Signed Form

Keep every signed SF-1413, together with payroll records, subcontracts, and related documents, for at least three years after all work on the prime contract is finished. The requirement is set by 29 CFR 5.5 and applies to prime contractors and subcontractors at every tier.⁵ The three-year clock starts when the entire prime contract is complete, not when an individual subcontractor finishes its portion.

What Happens If You Skip It

Failing to submit SF-1413 forms, or submitting them with inaccurate information, can bring three escalating consequences for the prime contractor.

Fund withholding. If laborers or mechanics on the project are not being paid the required prevailing wages, the contracting officer can withhold accrued payments under FAR 52.222-7. Withholding can reach any federal contract held by the same prime, not only the project with the violation.⁷
Back wages and liquidated damages. The prime is responsible for any unpaid wages owed by subcontractors, whether or not the prime knew about the shortfall. Liquidated damages can double the back wages owed, and the Department of Labor can cross-withhold from the contractor’s other federal contracts to recover the funds.⁶
Debarment. For serious or repeated violations, the government can debar a contractor from all federal contracting. Debarment typically lasts three years.⁸

The form takes minutes to complete. The penalties for ignoring it can take years to resolve.

1
Acquisition.GOV. 52.222-11 Subcontracts (Labor Standards)
2
General Services Administration. Statement and Acknowledgment
3
U.S. General Services Administration. Standard Form 1413
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eCFR. 48 CFR 4.502 – Policy
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eCFR. 29 CFR 5.5 – Contract Provisions and Related Matters
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U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 66C – The Davis-Bacon and Related Acts: Labor Standards Clauses and Subcontract Agreements
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Acquisition.GOV. 48 CFR 52.222-7 – Withholding of Funds
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General Services Administration. Frequently Asked Questions: Suspension and Debarment