FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 12: Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services › Subpart 12.5
FAR 12.502 Procedures.
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 how FAR prescriptions for certain provisions and clauses have been adjusted to properly apply to prime contracts and subcontracts for commercial products or commercial services, and to COTS items. It points contractors to the lists of laws in 12.503, 12.504, and 12.505 and to the clauses at 52.212-5 and 52.244-6 that identify which provisions and clauses must be included in subcontracts. It matters because it tells contractors where the rules for applying these laws to commercial acquisitions are located.
Applies to: Prime contracts and subcontracts for commercial products, commercial services, and COTS items
Key terms: commercial products · commercial services · COTS items · prime contracts · subcontracts
Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.
The text
(a) The FAR prescription for the provision or clause for each of the laws listed in 12.503 has been revised in the appropriate part to reflect its proper application to prime contracts for the acquisition of commercial products or commercial services.
(b) For subcontracts for the acquisition of commercial products or commercial services, the clauses at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders—Commercial Products and Commercial Services, and 52.244-6, Subcontracts for Commercial Products and Commercial Services, reflect the applicability of the laws listed in 12.504 by identifying the only provisions and clauses that are required to be included in a subcontract at any tier for the acquisition of commercial products or commercial services.
(c) The FAR prescription for the provision or clause for each of the laws listed in 12.505 has been revised in the appropriate part to reflect its proper application to contracts and subcontracts for the acquisition of COTS items.
Sections it refers to
- 12.503 Applicability of certain laws to Executive agency contracts for the acquisition of commercial products and commercial services.
- 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders—Commercial Products and Commercial Services.
- 52.244-6 Subcontracts for Commercial Products and Commercial Services.
- 12.504 Applicability of certain laws to subcontracts for the acquisition of commercial products and commercial services.
- 12.505 Applicability of certain laws to contracts for the acquisition of COTS items.
← 12.501 Applicability. · 12.503 Applicability of certain laws to Executive agency contracts for the acquisition of commercial products and commercial services. →
Rule changes for FAR Part 12
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary FAR Overhaul Parts 8, 12, 13, 15, 38, 44, and 51 ↗ · proposed 2026-09-18 · comments due 2026-10-19
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Prohibition on Certain Semiconductor Products and Services ↗ · proposed 2026-02-17 · comments due 2026-04-20
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Inflation Adjustment of Acquisition-Related Thresholds ↗ · final rule 2025-08-27 · effective 2025-10-01
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Ending Procurement and Forced Use of Paper Straws ↗ · proposed 2025-07-21 · comments due 2025-09-19
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Small Business Participation on Certain Multiple-Award Contracts ↗ · proposed 2025-06-12
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Small Business Participation on Certain Multiple-Award Contracts ↗ · proposed 2025-01-15 · comments due 2025-03-17
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Preventing Organizational Conflicts of Interest in Federal Acquisition ↗ · proposed 2025-01-15 · comments due 2025-03-17
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Controlled Unclassified Information ↗ · proposed 2025-01-15 · comments due 2025-03-17
Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.