Md. Code Regs. 21.07.01.12

Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 24, December 2, 2024

Section 21.07.01.12 - Termination for Convenience

A. Except as provided in §B of this regulation, mandatory provision for all contracts. One of the following clauses is preferred:

(1) Alternate Clause - Termination for Convenience (short form).

"The performance of work under this contract may be terminated by the State in accordance with this clause in whole, or from time to time in part, whenever the State shall determine that such termination is in the best interest of the State. The State will pay all reasonable costs associated with this contract that the Contractor has incurred up to the date of termination and all reasonable costs associated with termination of the Contract. However, the Contractor shall not be reimbursed for any anticipatory profits that have not been earned up to the date of termination. Termination hereunder, including the determination of the rights and obligations of the parties, shall be governed by the provisions of COMAR 21.07.01.12A(2)."

(2) Alternate Clause - Termination for Convenience (long form).

(1) The performance of work under this contract may be terminated by the State in accordance with this clause in whole, or from time to time in part, whenever the State shall determine that such termination is in the best interest of the State. Any such termination shall be effected by delivery to the Contractor of a Notice of Termination specifying the extent to which performance of work is terminated and the time when such termination becomes effective.

(2) After receipt of a Notice of Termination, and except as otherwise directed by the procurement officer, the Contractor shall:

(a) stop work as specified in the Notice of Termination;

(b) place no further orders or subcontracts for materials, services or facilities, except as may be necessary for completion of the portion of the work under the contract as is not terminated;

(c) terminate all orders and subcontracts to the extent that they relate to the performance of work terminated by the Notice of Termination;

(d) assign to the State, in the manner, at times, and to the extent directed by the procurement officer, all of the right, title, and interest of the Contractor under the orders and subcontracts so terminated, in which case the State shall have the right, in its discretion, to settle or pay any or all claims arising out of the termination of such orders and subcontracts;

(e) settle all outstanding liabilities and all claims arising out of such termination of orders and subcontracts, with the approval or ratification of the procurement officer, to the extent the procurement officer may require, which approval or ratification shall be final for all the purposes of this clause;

(f) transfer title and deliver to the State, in the manner, at the times, and to the extent, if any, directed by the procurement officer, (i) the fabricated or unfabricated parts, work in process, completed work, supplies, and other material produced as a part of, or acquired in connection with the performance of, the work terminated by the Notice of Termination, and (ii) the completed or partially completed plans, drawings, information, and other property which, if the contract had been completed, would have been required to be furnished to the State;

(g) use its best efforts to sell, in the manner, at the times, to the extent, and at the price or prices directed or authorized by the procurement officer, any property of the types referred to in (f) above; provided, however, that the Contractor (i) may not be required to extend credit to any purchaser, and (ii) may acquire any such property under the conditions prescribed by and at a price or prices approved by the procurement officer; and provided further that the proceeds of any such transfer or disposition shall be applied in reduction of any payments to be made by the State to the Contractor under this contract or shall otherwise be credited to the price or cost of the work covered by this contract or paid in such other manner as the procurement officer may direct;

(h) complete performance of such part of the work as shall not have been terminated by the Notice of Termination; and

(i) take any action that may be necessary, or as the procurement officer may direct, for the protection and preservation of the property related to this contract which is in the possession of the Contractor and in which the State has or may acquire an interest.

The Contractor shall submit to the procurement officer a list, certified as to quantity and quality, of any or all items of termination inventory not previously disposed of, exclusive of items the disposition of which has been directed or authorized by the procurement officer, and may request the State to remove them or enter into a storage agreement covering them. Not later than fifteen (15) days thereafter, the State shall accept title to these items and remove them or enter into a storage agreement covering the same; provided, that the list submitted shall be subject to verification by the procurement officer upon removal of the items, or if the items are stored, within forty-five (45) days from the date of submission of the list, and any necessary adjustment to correct the list as submitted shall be made before final settlement.

(3) After receipt of a Notice of Termination, the Contractor shall submit to the procurement officer the Contractor's termination claim, in the form and with certification prescribed by the procurement officer. This claim shall be submitted promptly but in no event later than one (1) year from the effective date of termination, unless one or more extensions in writing are granted by the procurement officer, upon request of the Contractor made in writing within the one-year period or authorized extension thereof. However, if the procurement officer determines that the facts justify such action, the procurement officer may receive and act upon any such termination claim at any time after the one-year period or any extension thereof. Upon failure of the Contractor to submit the Contractor's termination claim within the time allowed, the procurement officer may determine the claim at any time after the one-year period or any extension thereof. Upon failure of the Contractor to submit the Contractor's termination claim within the time allowed, the procurement officer may determine, on the basis of information available to the procurement officer, the amount, if any, due to the Contractor by reason of the termination and shall thereupon pay to the Contractor the amount so determined.

(4) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (3), the Contractor and the procurement officer may agree upon the whole or any part of the amount or amounts to be paid to the Contractor by reason of the total or partial termination of work pursuant to this clause, which amount or amounts may include a reasonable allowance for profit on work done; provided, that such agreed amount or amounts, exclusive of settlement costs, shall not exceed the total contract price as reduced by the amount of payments otherwise made and as further reduced by the contract price of work not terminated. The contract shall be amended accordingly, and the Contractor shall be paid the agreed amount. Nothing in paragraph (5) of this clause, prescribing the amount to be paid to the Contractor in the event of failure of the Contractor and the procurement officer to agree upon the whole amount to be paid to the Contractor by reason of the termination of work pursuant to this clause, shall be deemed to limit, restrict, or otherwise determine or affect the amount or amounts that may be agreed upon to be paid to the Contractor pursuant to this paragraph.

(5) In the event of the failure of the Contractor and the procurement officer to agree as provided in paragraph (4) upon the whole amount to be paid to the Contractor by reason of the termination of work pursuant to this clause, the procurement officer shall pay to the Contractor the amounts determined by the procurement officer as follows, but without duplication of any amounts agreed upon in accordance with paragraph (4):

(a) for completed supplies or services accepted by the State (or sold or acquired as provided in paragraph (2)(g) above) and for which payment has not theretofore been made, a sum equivalent to the aggregate price for the supplies or services computed in accordance with the price or prices specified in the contract, appropriately adjusted for any saving of freight or other charges;

(b) the total of:

(i) the costs incurred in the performance of the work terminated, including initial costs and preparatory expense allocable thereto, but exclusive of any costs attributable to supplies or services paid or to be paid for under paragraph (5)(a) hereof;

(ii) the cost of settling and paying claims arising out of the termination of work under subcontracts or orders, as provided in paragraph (2)(e) above, which are properly chargeable to the terminated portion of the contract (exclusive of amounts paid or payable on account of supplies or materials delivered or services furnished by subcontractors or vendors before the effective date of the Notice of Termination, which amounts shall be included in the costs payable under (i) above); and

(iii) a sum, as profit on (i) above, determined by the procurement officer to be fair and reasonable; provided, however, that if it appears that the contractor would have sustained a loss on the entire contract had it been completed, no profit shall be included or allowed under this subdivision (iii) and an appropriate adjustment shall be made reducing the amount of the settlement to reflect the indicated rate of loss; and

(c) the reasonable cost of settlement accounting, legal, clerical, and other expenses reasonably necessary for the preparation of settlement claims and supporting data with respect to the terminated portion of the contract and for the termination and settlement of subcontracts thereunder, together with reasonable storage, transportation, and other costs incurred in connection with the protection or disposition of property allocable to this contract.

The total sum to be paid to the Contractor under (a) and (b) of this paragraph shall not exceed the total contract price as reduced by the amount of payments otherwise made and as further reduced by the contract price of work not terminated. Except for normal spoilage, and except to the extent that the State shall have otherwise expressly assumed the risk of loss, there shall be excluded from the amounts payable to the Contractor as provided in (5)(a) and (b)(i) above, the fair value, as determined by the procurement officer, of property that is destroyed, lost, stolen, or damaged so as to become undeliverable to the State or to a buyer pursuant to paragraph (2)(g).

(6) Costs claimed, agreed to, or determined pursuant to (3), (4), (5) and (11) hereof shall be in accordance with COMAR 21.09 (Contract Cost Principles and Procedures) as in effect on the date of this contract.

(7) The Contractor shall have the right of appeal, under the clause of this contract entitled "Disputes," from any determination made by the procurement officer under paragraph (3), (5), or (9) hereof, except that if the Contractor has failed to submit the Contractor's claim within the time provided in paragraph (3) or (9) hereof, and has failed to request extension of the time, the Contractor shall have no right of appeal. In any case where the procurement officer has made a determination of the amount due under paragraph (3), (5), or (9) hereof, the State shall pay to the Contractor the following:

(a) if there is no right of appeal hereunder or if no timely appeal has been taken, the amount so determined by the procurement officer, or

(b) if an appeal has been taken, the amount finally determined on such appeal.

(8) In arriving at the amount due the Contractor under this clause there shall be deducted (a) all unliquidated advance or other payments on account theretofore made to the Contractor, applicable to the terminated portion of this contract, (b) any claim which the State may have against the Contractor in connection with this contract, and (c) the agreed price for, or the proceeds of sale of, any materials, supplies, or other things acquired by the Contractor or sold, pursuant to the provisions of this clause, and not otherwise recovered by or credited to the State.

(9) If the termination hereunder be partial, the Contractor may file with the procurement officer a claim for an equitable adjustment of the price or prices specified in the contract relating to the continued portion of the contract (the portion not terminated by the Notice of Termination), and such equitable adjustment as may be agreed upon shall be made in such price or prices. Any claim by the Contractor for an equitable adjustment under this clause shall be asserted within ninety (90) days from the effective date of the termination notice, unless an extension is granted in writing by the procurement officer.

(10) The State may from time to time, under such terms and conditions as it may prescribe, make partial payments and payments on account against costs incurred by the Contractor in connection with the terminated portion of this contract whenever in the opinion of the procurement officer the aggregate of such payments shall be within the amount to which the Contractor shall be entitled hereunder. If the total of such payments is in excess of the amount finally agreed or determined to be due under this clause, such excess shall be payable by the Contractor to the State upon demand, together with interest computed at the prime rate established by the State Treasurer for the period from the date such excess payment is received by the Contractor to the date on which such excess is repaid to the State; provided, however, that no interest shall be charged with respect to any such excess payment attributable to a reduction in the Contractor's claim by reason of retention or other disposition of termination inventory until ten days after the date of such retention or disposition, or a later date as determined by the procurement officer by reason of the circumstances.

(11) Unless otherwise provided for in this contract, or by applicable statute, the Contractor shall-from the effective date of termination until the expiration of three years after final settlement under this contract-preserve and make available to the State at all reasonable times at the office of the Contractor but without direct charge to the State, all the Contractor's books, records, documents and other evidence bearing on the costs and expenses of the Contractor under this contract and relating to the work terminated hereunder, or, to the extent approved by the procurement officer, reproductions thereof."

B. Leases of Real Property.

(1) Inclusion of a termination for convenience clause in a real property lease is discretionary with the Board of Public Works, upon recommendation of the Secretary of General Services.

(2) In recommending the exclusion of a termination for convenience clause in a real property lease, the Secretary shall consider such factors as:

(a) The practicality of including the termination for convenience clause in a lease of real property located in another state or overseas when the demand for property of a particular type or in some particular geographic location is extremely intense, or when the contents of a lease are established by a foreign government and are effectively non-negotiable, or both;

(b) The perception of some landlords that the termination for convenience clause permits the State to unilaterally convert a fixed term lease to a day-to-day lease; or

(c) The prospects that some lending institutions may reject loan requests from landlords owning property that the State might wish to lease but that must be first upgraded at the owner's expense to meet State User Agency Requirements.

Md. Code Regs. 21.07.01.12

Regulation .12A amended effective November 22, 1993 (20:23 Md. R. 1086); amended effective 49:9 Md. R.531, eff. 5/2/2022