§ 107. Settlement of subcontractors’ claims

(a) Conclusiveness of settlement

Where, in connection with the settlement of any termination claim by a contracting agency, any war contractor makes settlements of the termination claims of his subcontractors, the contracting agency shall limit or omit its review of such settlements with subcontractors to the maximum extent compatible with the public interest. Any contracting agency

(1) may approve, ratify, or authorize such settlements with subcontractors upon such evidence, terms, and conditions as it deems proper;

(2) shall vary the scope and intensity of its review of such settlements according to the reliability of the war contractor, the size, number, and complexity of such claims, and other relevant factors; and

(3) shall authorize war contractors to make such settlements with subcontractors without review by the contracting agency, whenever the reliability of the war contractor, the amount or nature of the claims, or other reasons appear to the contracting agency to justify such action. Any such settlement of a subcontract approved, ratified, or authorized by a contracting agency shall be final and conclusive as to the amount due to the same extent as a settlement under subsection (c) of section 106 of this title, and no war contractor shall be liable to the United States on account of any amounts paid thereon except for his own fraud.

(b) Supervision of payments to war contractors

Whenever any contracting agency is satisfied of the inability of a war contractor to meet his obligations it shall exercise supervision or control over payments to the war contractor on account of termination claims of subcontractors of such war contractor to such extent and in such manner as it deems necessary or desirable for the purpose of assuring the receipt of the benefit of such payments by the subcontractors.

The Administrator of General Services shall prescribe policies and methods for the settlement as a group, or otherwise, by any contracting agency of some or all of the termination claims of a war contractor under war contracts with one or more

(1) bureaus or divisions within a contracting agency,

(2) contracting agencies, or

(3) prime contractors and subcontractors, to the extent he deems such action necessary or desirable for expeditious and equitable settlement of such claims. After consulting with the contracting agencies concerned, the Administrator of General Services may provide for assigning any war contractor to a contracting agency for such settlement, and such agency shall have authority to settle, on behalf of any other contracting agency, some or all of the termination claims of such war contractor.

(d) Direct settlement by contracting agency

Any contracting agency may settle directly termination claims of subcontractors to the extent that it deems such action necessary or desirable for the expeditious and equitable settlement of such claims. In making such termination settlements any contracting agency may discharge the claim of the subcontractor by payment or may purchase such claim, and may agree to assume, or indemnify the subcontractor against, any claims by any person in connection with such claim or the termination settlement. Any contracting agency undertaking to settle the termination claim of any subcontractor shall deliver to the subcontractor and the war contractor liable to him written notice stating its acceptance of responsibility for settling his claim and the conditions applicable thereto, which may include the release, or assignment to the contracting agency, of his claim against the war contractor liable to him; upon consent thereto by the subcontractor, the Government shall become liable for the settlement of his claims upon the conditions specified in the notice.

(e) Amount of settlement

Any contracting agency may make settlements with subcontractors in accordance with any of the provisions of this chapter without regard to any limitation on the amount payable by the Government to the prime contractor.

(f) Equitable payments

If any contracting agency determines that in the circumstances of a particular case equity and good conscience require fair compensation for the termination of a war contract to be paid to a subcontractor who has been deprived of and cannot otherwise reasonably secure such fair compensation, the contracting agency concerned may pay such compensation to him although such compensation already has been included and paid as part of a settlement with another war contractor.

U.S. Code

§ 107. Settlement of subcontractors’ claims