Two types of orders, two different purposes. If you are ordering a thing, it is a delivery order. If you are ordering work, it is a task order. That is it.
When you place an order against an existing contract vehicle, the type of order depends on what you are buying. Supplies get delivery orders. Services get task orders.
A delivery order is an order for supplies. A task order is an order for services. FAR 16.501-1 defines both, and the distinction really is that simple.
If you are buying parts, equipment, materials, or any tangible item, you issue a delivery order. If you are buying labor, consulting, maintenance, IT support, or any kind of work performed by people, you issue a task order. If the order has both supplies and services, it is typically categorized by whichever is the predominant portion.
| Delivery Order | Task Order | |
|---|---|---|
| What you are buying | Supplies (tangible items) | Services (work performed) |
| Examples | Office furniture, vehicle parts, IT hardware, uniforms | IT support, base maintenance, consulting, engineering studies |
| FAR definition | FAR 16.501-1 | FAR 16.501-1 |
| Placed against | IDIQs, requirements contracts, BPAs, GSA schedules | IDIQs, requirements contracts, BPAs, GSA schedules |
The contract vehicle does not determine the order type. The order type is determined by what you are ordering.
Delivery orders and task orders are placed against existing contract vehicles. The two most common vehicles you will encounter are Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts and requirements contracts.
IDIQ contracts (FAR 16.504) establish a contract with a minimum and maximum quantity or dollar value. The Government commits to ordering at least the minimum, and the contractor agrees to deliver up to the maximum. Individual orders are placed as needs arise during the ordering period. IDIQs can be single-award (one contractor) or multiple-award (several contractors compete for each order).
Requirements contracts (FAR 16.503) are a little different. Instead of a minimum and maximum, the Government commits to filling all of its actual requirements for a given supply or service through that one contractor for the duration of the contract. There is no guaranteed minimum quantity, but the contractor gets exclusivity: if the Government needs it, it goes to them. The estimated quantities in a requirements contract are just that, estimates.
The order type follows the buy, not the vehicle. You can place a delivery order on the same IDIQ that someone else placed a task order on, if that IDIQ covers both supplies and services.
Each order is its own action. An order placed against an IDIQ or requirements contract still needs its own documentation: a requirement, funding, a fair and reasonable price determination, and a file. The parent contract handles the terms and conditions, but you are still responsible for the order-level paperwork.
Do not overthink this. New contracting officers sometimes get tripped up trying to figure out whether something is a delivery order or a task order. Look at what you are buying. If it is a thing, delivery order. If it is work, task order. Move on to the parts that actually matter, like making sure the price is fair and reasonable and the requirement is clearly defined.
The official FAR definitions for delivery order and task order. Start here if you need the regulatory language.
Open FAR 16.501-1Covers requirements contracts, including how they work, limitations, and the Government's obligation to order through the contractor.
Open FAR 16.503The IDIQ regulation. Covers minimum and maximum quantities, ordering procedures, and single-award vs. multiple-award considerations.
Open FAR 16.504The full subpart covering all indefinite-delivery contract types, ordering procedures, and fair opportunity requirements.
Open FAR Subpart 16.5