How it works
Turn your order’s clause list into a work plan.
Every FAR and DFARS clause in it, two questions each, and the work slowest first.
Or paste the clause list from your order
Read in this browser. Never uploaded.Free, no account.
No document at hand? Read a prime’s template or look up one clause.
Tested on signed subcontracts
CACI $3.24M subcontract · SEC EDGARElmet $5.09M purchase order · SEC EDGARNo outside referee scored these tests and no lawyer reviewed them.
One clause, start to finish
FAR 52.204-21 Basic Safeguarding of Covered Contractor Information Systems
Find it
1,095…(FAR 52.225-8, DFARS 252.225-7013,
1,385…all Orders. If DFARS 252.246-7007 and DFARS 252.246-7008 are
2,042a. Basic Safeguarding Controls from FAR 52.204-21, regardless of whether FAR 52.204-21
2,105…252.204-7012, or DFARS 252.204-7021.
2,140…Government, and (3) in FAR 52.227-1, 52.2272, and DFARS 252.227-7013 and 252.227-7014.
Northrop Grumman CTM-P-ST-001 names 166 clause numbers. This is one.
Ask two questions
Does it fit your order?
Holds non-public contract infoNot sold off the shelf
YesMust the prime flow it down to you?
in substanceall tiers
RequiredYour answers settle the first. The regulation settles the second.
Plan the work, slowest first
- A program you have to be runningFifteen named controls running on any system of yours that holds or carries the buyer's contract information.FAR 52.204-21(b)(1)
- Something somebody else has to issue you
- A state you have to be in, in a government system
- Something you write
First on your checklist: it takes the longest to get ready.
Research, not legal advice. 343 clauses, each checked against acquisition.gov · rules base v0.9.3, 2026-11-04.
Why two questionsThe regulation required one. The prime chose the other.
- FAR 52.222-50Combating Trafficking in PersonsRegulation’s flow-downRequired
- FAR 52.203-3GratuitiesRegulation’s flow-downNo mandate
Once a clause is in your subcontract, it is a contract term either way. The split shows why each one is there. These two sit together in 10 of the 35 public prime documents we read.
Sources: acquisition.gov · FAR 52.222-50, prescribed at 22.1705(a)(1) · FAR 52.203-3, prescribed at 3.202
Questions people ask first
Do I upload my subcontract?
No. If you drop a document, this browser tab reads it, and nothing sends the file, its name or its text anywhere. You can also skip the document and answer questions. The rules run in your browser, and your answers are not sent to the server.
Is this legal advice?
No. WhatBinds is research, not legal advice. It summarizes public regulation, shows the condition it tested, and cites the source so you or your counsel can check the work.
Why should I trust the result?
You do not have to take it on trust. Every row links its reasoning to acquisition.gov, and uncertainty is labeled instead of hidden. The base is versioned, dated, and changed through reviewable files.
Was it tested on signed subcontracts?
On two, both public on SEC EDGAR. In a $3.24M CACI subcontract, 35 of the 125 rows CACI marked “yes” got a different answer from the rules, read clause by clause. In a $5.09M Elmet order, the base could speak to 56 of 60 clauses. That is coverage, not accuracy.
No outside referee scored these tests and no lawyer reviewed them. They used earlier base versions, and they show the method, not what your contract means.
What happens when I do not know an answer?
Choose “Not sure.” WhatBinds puts those clauses in “Needs an answer.” It also names the missing fact. A blank never becomes a guessed “no.”
How current is the research?
This page uses rules base v0.9.3, last checked against acquisition.gov on 2026-11-04. Any fact that could not be closed against the source is marked “(unconfirmed)” where it appears.