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FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 12: Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services › Subpart 12.1

FAR 12.103 Commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) items.

The codified text (eCFR, as of 2026-10-02). Under the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul ↗, agencies follow class deviations with new text for many parts while the formal rules go through the Federal Register: check the solicitation and your contract's clauses, which rule.

In plain English

This section explains that COTS items are defined in 2.101 and that, unless stated otherwise, all policies for commercial products also apply to COTS items. It also points to 12.505 for the laws that do not apply to COTS items, in addition to 12.503 and 12.504.

Applies to: Contractors supplying commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) items

Key terms: commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) items · commercial products · policies · laws

Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.

The text

Commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) items are defined in 2.101. Unless indicated otherwise, all of the policies that apply to commercial products also apply to COTS items. Section 12.505 lists the laws that are not applicable to COTS items (in addition to 12.503 and 12.504).

Sections it refers to

  • 2.101 Definitions.
  • 12.505 Applicability of certain laws to contracts for the acquisition of COTS items.
  • 12.503 Applicability of certain laws to Executive agency contracts for the acquisition of commercial products and commercial services.
  • 12.504 Applicability of certain laws to subcontracts for the acquisition of commercial products and commercial services.

← 12.102 Applicability. · 12.201 General. →

Rule changes for FAR Part 12

Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.

FAR 12.103 Commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) items · SpendQuery