Ostensible Subcontractor Rule

Definition

The Ostensible Subcontractor Rule (13 CFR 121.103(h)(4)) considers a small business prime affiliated with its large subcontractor if the sub will perform the primary and vital requirements of the contract. Indicators: the sub is the incumbent, performs most of the work, or manages contract performance. Triggers size protest risk.

Where this matters in federal contracting

Ostensible Subcontractor Rule is a federal-contracting concept that contractors encounter in solicitations, contracts, and supporting documentation. Understanding Ostensible Subcontractor Rule is part of the broader working vocabulary required to interpret federal procurement signals — RFPs, modifications, contracting-officer responses, and oversight reports all assume the reader is fluent in terms like Ostensible Subcontractor Rule. The related terms above sit in the same conceptual neighborhood; reading them together is faster than reading any one term in isolation, because federal procurement vocabulary is dense with cross-references. Bureauify's glossary is structured to make that browsing efficient: every term links to the network it lives in, not just its own definition.

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