FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 12: Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services › Subpart 12.5
FAR 12.504 Applicability of certain laws to subcontracts for the acquisition of commercial products and commercial services.
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 lists certain laws that do not apply to subcontracts at any tier for commercial products or commercial services, and notes a few laws whose applicability is modified. It matters because it can reduce the compliance burden on subcontractors in the commercial supply chain.
Applies to: Subcontracts at any tier for the acquisition of commercial products or commercial services
Key terms: commercial products · commercial services · subcontracts at any tier · certified cost or pricing data · Cost Accounting Standards
Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.
The text
(a) The following laws are not applicable to subcontracts at any tier for the acquisition of commercial products or commercial services at any tier:
(1) 10 U.S.C. 2631, Transportation of Supplies by Sea (except for the types of subcontracts listed at 47.504(d)).
(2) 15 U.S.C. 644(d), Requirements relative to labor surplus areas under the Small Business Act (see subpart 19.2).
(3) [Reserved]
(4) 41 U.S.C. chapter 65, Contracts for Materials, Supplies, Articles, and Equipment Exceeding $10,000 (see subpart 22.6).
(5) 41 U.S.C. 4703, Validation of Proprietary Data restrictions (see subpart 27.4).
(6) 41 U.S.C. 3901(b) and 10 U.S.C. 3321(b), Contingent Fees (see subpart 3.4).
(7) 41 U.S.C. 4706(d) and 10 U.S.C. 3841(d), Examination of Records of Contractor, when a subcontractor is not required to provide certified cost or pricing data (see 15.209(b)), unless using funds appropriated or otherwise made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-5).
(8) 41 U.S.C. 1708(e)(3), Minimum Response Time for Offers (see subpart 5.2).
(9) 41 U.S.C. 2302, Rights in Technical Data (see subpart 27.4).
(10) 41 U.S.C. chapter 81, Drug-Free Workplace (see subpart 26.5).
(11) 46 U.S.C. Appx 1241(b), Transportation in American Vessels of Government Personnel and Certain Cargo (see Subpart 47.5) (except for the types of subcontracts listed at 47.504(d)).
(12) 49 U.S.C. 40118, Fly American provisions (see subpart 47.4).
(13) Section 806(a)(3) of Pub. L. 102-190, as amended by Sections 2091 and 8105 of Pub. L. 103-355 10 U.S.C. 4601 note prec.), Payment Protections for Subcontractors and Suppliers (see 28.106-6).
(b) The requirements for a certificate and clause under the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards statute, 40 U.S.C. chapter 37, (see subpart 22.3) are not applicable to subcontracts at any tier for the acquisition of commercial products or commercial services.
(c) The applicability of the following laws have been modified in regard to subcontracts at any tier for the acquisition of commercial products or commercial services:
(1) 41 U.S.C. 4704 and 10 U.S.C. 4655, Prohibition on Limiting Subcontractor Direct Sales to the United States (see subpart 3.5).
(2) 41 U.S.C. chapter 35 and 10 U.S.C. chapter 271, Truthful Cost or Pricing Data (see subpart 15.4).
(3) 41 U.S.C. chapter 15, Cost Accounting Standards (48 CFR chapter 99) (see 12.214).
Sections it refers to
← 12.503 Applicability of certain laws to Executive agency contracts for the acquisition of commercial products and commercial services. · 12.505 Applicability of certain laws to contracts for the acquisition of COTS items. →
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.