Several reminders have recenlty been sent to local agencies regarding the requirement to physically incorporate Form FHWA-1273 into their Federal-aid construction contracts, but they may not mean anything to you if you don’t know what it is or why it’s needed for your projects.

Form 1273 is a document that includes the contract provisions required when Federal dollars are involved with a project. In addition to the contract provisions required by FHWA, it was developed to incorporate required civil rights and Department of Labor provisions.

The current Form 1273 (May 1, 2012) must be physically incorporated in all contracts and any subcontracts if applicable. The form may not be altered in any way. Failure to do so could result in the loss of federal funds for your project.

Here’s a helpful video Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies site. This chapter in the Contract Administration Core Curriculum is also helpful for more information about Form 1273.