10 USC § 3242 - Supplies: economic order quantities

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t10/s3242"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "10 USC § 3242 - Supplies: economic order quantities"
title_number: 10
title_name: "ARMED FORCES"
section_number: "3242"
section_name: "Supplies: economic order quantities"
chapter_number: 223
chapter_name: "OTHER PROVISIONS RELATING TO PLANNING AND SOLICITATION GENERALLY"
part_number: "V"
part_name: "ACQUISITION"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-73"
last_updated: "2026-03-26"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Added Pub. L. 98–525, title XII, § 1233(a), Oct. 19, 1984, 98 Stat. 2600, § 2384a; renumbered § 3242 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1813(c), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4179; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, § 1701(b)(5), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2133.)"
---


# § 3242. Supplies: economic order quantities

**(a)** **Quantity to Procure.—**

**(1)** An agency referred to in section 3063 of this title shall procure supplies in such quantity as—

**(A)** will result in the total cost and unit cost most advantageous to the United States, where practicable; and

**(B)** does not exceed the quantity reasonably expected to be required by the agency.

**(2)** The Secretary of Defense shall take paragraph (1) into account in approving rates of obligation of appropriations under section 2204 of this title.

**(b)** **Opinion of Offeror With Respect to Quantity to Be Procured.—** Each solicitation for a contract for supplies shall, if practicable, include a provision inviting each offeror responding to the solicitation to state an opinion on whether the quantity of the supplies proposed to be procured is economically advantageous to the United States and, if applicable, to recommend a quantity or quantities which would be more economically advantageous to the United States. Each such recommendation shall include a quotation of the total price and the unit price for supplies procured in each recommended quantity.

---

**Source Credit**: (Added Pub. L. 98–525, title XII, § 1233(a), Oct. 19, 1984, 98 Stat. 2600, § 2384a; renumbered § 3242 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1813(c), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4179; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, § 1701(b)(5), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2133.)

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

2021—, renumbered  as this section.

Subsec. (a). , as amended by , inserted heading, in par. (1), substituted “section 3063” for “section 2303(a)” and reformatted subpars. (A) and (B) to add line breaks before each subpar. designation, and, in par. (2), realigned margin.

Subsec. (b). , inserted heading.

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by  applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of  as enacted, see , set out in a note preceding  and note below.

Amendment by  effective , with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see , set out as a note preceding .

### Effective Date

> “The amendment made by subsection (a) [enacting this section] shall take effect at the end of the 180-day period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act [
> 
> ].”

, , , provided that: