---
type: "LegalText"
title: "44 U.S.C. § 515"
description: "Default of contractor; new contracts and purchase in open market"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 44
title_name: "PUBLIC PRINTING AND DOCUMENTS"
chapter_number: "5"
chapter_name: "PRODUCTION AND PROCUREMENT OF PRINTING AND BINDING"
section: "515"
citation: "44 U.S.C. § 515"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc44@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t44/s515"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-44/usc44.xml"
source_hash: "605f6b947a8fff77675f3c2b538dc7d0d2f09bde421e28f2c6465cbd87d9ffd3"
raw_snapshot_hash: "2d7109056b4815718203e8d99c9ee6fe3ab744f578883b59654fe3adb211b4a0"
text_hash: "d3ebccb7225d1e3a608482ffa1cca540dcfa60aa708a96366c91327f8e4d9be6"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 44 U.S.C. § 515 - Default of contractor; new contracts and purchase in open market

## Text

If a contractor fails to comply with his contract, the Director of the Government Publishing Office shall report the default to the Joint Committee on Printing, and under its direction, enter into a new contract with the lowest, best, and most responsible bidder for the interest of the Government among those whose proposals were rejected at the last opening of bids, or he shall advertise for new proposals, under the regulations provided by sections 509–517 of this title. During the interval that may thus occur he may, under the direction of the Joint Committee on Printing, purchase in open market, at the lowest market price, paper necessary for the public printing.

(Pub. L. 90–620, Oct. 22, 1968, 82 Stat. 1245; Pub. L. 113–235, div. H, title I, § 1301(c)(1), Dec. 16, 2014, 128 Stat. 2537.)

## Notes

Historical and Revision NotesBased on 44 U.S. Code, 1964 ed., § 11 (Jan. 12, 1895, ch. 23, § 9, 28 Stat. 602; Mar. 3, 1917, ch. 163, § 6, 39 Stat. 1121).

Editorial Notes

Amendments2014—Pub. L. 113–235 substituted “Director of the Government Publishing Office” for “Public Printer”.