(a) Priority to private contractors

It is the policy of the Government, and it shall be the responsibility of the contracting agencies and the Administrator of General Services to provide war contractors with speedy and fair compensation for the termination of any war contract, in accordance with and subject to the provisions of this chapter, giving priority to contractors whose facilities are privately owned or privately operated. Such fair compensation for the termination of subcontracts shall be based on the same principles as compensation for the termination of prime contracts.

(b) Establishment of methods and standards

Each contracting agency shall establish methods and standards, suitable to the conditions of various war contractors, for determining fair compensation for the termination of war contracts on the basis of actual, standard, average, or estimated costs, or of a percentage of the contract price based on the estimated percentage of completion of work under the terminated contract, or on any other equitable basis, as it deems appropriate. To the extent that such methods and standards require accounting, they shall be adapted, so far as practicable, to the accounting systems used by war contractors, if consistent with recognized commercial accounting practice.

(c) Conclusiveness of settlement

Any contracting agency may settle all or any part of any termination claim under any war contract by agreement with the war contractor, or by determination of the amount due on the claim or part thereof without such agreement, or by any combination of these methods. Where any such settlement is made by agreement, the settlement shall be final and conclusive, except

(1)

to the extent otherwise agreed in the settlement;

(2)

for fraud;

(3)

upon renegotiation to eliminate excessive profits under section 1191 of Appendix to title 50, unless exempt or exempted under such section; or

(4)

by mutual agreement before or after payment. Where any such settlement is made by determination without agreement, it shall likewise be final and conclusive, subject to the same exceptions as if made by agreement, unless the war contractor appeals or brings suit in accordance with section 113 of this title: Provided, That no settlement agreement hereunder involving payment to a war contractor of an amount in excess of $50,000 (or such lesser amount as the Administrator of General Services may from time to time determine) shall become binding upon the Government until the agreement has been reviewed and approved by a settlement review board of three or more members established by the contracting agency in the bureau, division, regional or district office, or other unit of the contracting agency authorized to make such settlement, or in the event of disapproval by the settlement review board, unless approved by the head of such bureau, division, regional or district office, or other unit. Failure of the settlement review board to act upon any settlement within thirty days after its submission to the board shall operate as approval by the board. The sole function of settlement review boards shall be to determine the over-all reasonableness of proposed settlement agreements from the point of view of protecting the interests of the Government. In determining, for purposes of this subsection, whether review of any settlement agreement is required because of the amounts involved, no deduction shall be made on account of credits for property chargeable to the Government or for advance or partial payments, but amounts payable under such settlement agreement for completed articles or work at the contract price and for the discharge of the termination claims of subcontractors shall be deducted.

(d) Allowable costs

Except as hereinafter provided, the methods and standards established under subsection (b) of this section for determining fair compensation for termination claims which are not settled by agreement shall be designed to compensate the war contractor fairly for the termination of the war contract, taking into account -

(1)

the direct and indirect manufacturing, selling and distribution, administrative and other costs and expenses incurred by the war contractor which are reasonably necessary for the performance of the war contract and properly allocable to the terminated portion thereof under recognized commercial accounting practices; and

(2)

reasonable costs and expenses of settling termination claims of subcontractors related to the terminated portion of the war contract; and

(3)

reasonable accounting, legal, clerical, and other costs and expenses incident to termination and settlement of the terminated war contract; and

(4)

reasonable costs and expenses of removing, preserving, storing and disposing of termination inventories; and

(5)

such allowance for profit on the preparations made and work done for the terminated portion of the war contract as is reasonable under the circumstances; and

(6)

interest on the termination claim in accordance with subsection (f) of this section; and

(7)

the contract price and all amounts otherwise paid or payable under the contract. The following shall not be included as elements of cost:

(i)

Losses on other contracts, or from sales or exchanges of capital assets, fees and other expenses in connection with reorganization or recapitalization, antitrust or Federal income-tax litigation, or prosecution of Federal income-tax claims or other claims against the Government (except as provided in paragraph (3) of this subsection); losses on investments; provisions for contingencies; and premiums on life insurance where the contractor is the beneficiary.

(ii)

The expense of conversion of the contractor's facilities to uses other than the performance of the contract.

(iii)

Expenses due to the negligence or willful failure of the contractor to discontinue with reasonable promptness the incurring of expenses after the effective date of the termination notice.

(iv)

Costs incurred in respect to facilities, materials, or services purchased or work done in excess of the reasonable quantitative requirements of the entire contract.

The failure specifically to mention in this subsection any item of cost is not intended to imply that it should be allowed or disallowed. The Administrator of General Services may interpret the provisions of this subsection and may provide for the inclusion or exclusion of other costs in accordance with recognized commercial accounting practice.

Where the small size of claims or the nature of production or performance or other factors make it impracticable to apply the principles stated in this subsection to any class of settlements which are subject to this subsection, the contracting agencies may establish alternative methods and standards for determining fair compensation for that class of termination claims. The aggregate amount of compensation allowed in accordance with this subsection (excluding amounts allowed under paragraphs (3) and (4) of this subsection) shall not exceed the total contract price reduced by the amount of payments otherwise made or to be made under the contract.

(e) Settlement by agreement

In order to carry out the objectives of this chapter, termination claims shall be settled by agreement to the maximum extent feasible and the methods and standards established under subsection (b) of this section shall be designed to facilitate such settlements. To the extent that he deems it practicable to do so without impeding expeditious settlements, the Administrator of General Services shall require the contracting agencies to take into account the factors enumerated in subsection (d) of this section in establishing methods and standards for determining fair compensation in the settlement of termination claims by agreement.

(f) Interest

Each contracting agency shall allow and pay interest on the amount due and unpaid from time to time on any termination claim under a prime contract at the rate of 2 1/2 per centum per annum for the period beginning thirty days after the date fixed for termination and ending with the date of final payment, except that

(1)

if the prime contractor unreasonably delays the settlement of his claim, interest shall not accrue for the period of such delay,

(2)

if interest for the period after termination on any advance payment or loan, made or guaranteed by the Government, has been waived for the benefit of the contractor, the amount of the interest so waived allocable to the terminated contract or the terminated part of the contract shall be deducted from the interest otherwise payable hereunder, and

(3)

if after delivery of findings by a contracting agency, the contractor appeals or sues as provided in section 113 of this title, interest shall not accrue after the thirtieth day following the delivery of the findings on any amount allowed by such findings, unless such amount is increased upon such appeal or suit. In approving, ratifying, authorizing, or making termination settlements with subcontractors, each contracting agency shall allow interest on the termination claim of the subcontractor on the same basis and subject to the same conditions as are applicable to a prime contractor.

(g) Amendment of contracts

Where any war contract does not provide for or provides against such fair compensation for its termination, the contracting agency, either before or after its termination, shall amend such war contract by agreement with the war contractor, or shall authorize, approve, or ratify an amendment of such war contract by the parties thereto, to provide for such fair compensation