FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 12: Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services › Subpart 12.5

FAR 12.505 Applicability of certain laws to contracts for the acquisition of 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 says that COTS items are a subset of commercial products, so the laws listed in FAR 12.503 and 12.504 also do not apply or apply differently to COTS contracts. It then lists additional laws that are not applicable to contracts for COTS items, including certain Buy American domestic content provisions, a recovered material certification, and a trafficking compliance plan requirement.

Applies to: Contracts and subcontracts for the acquisition of COTS items

Key terms: COTS items · commercial products · Buy American—Supplies · Buy American—Construction Materials · Ending trafficking in Government Contracting

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

The text

COTS items are a subset of commercial products. Therefore, any laws listed in sections 12.503 and 12.504 are also inapplicable or modified in their applicability to contracts or subcontracts for the acquisition of COTS items. In addition, the following laws are not applicable to contracts for the acquisition of COTS items:

(a)(1) The portion of 41 U.S.C. 8302, American Materials Required for Public Use, paragraph (a)(1) that reads “substantially all from articles, materials, or supplies mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States,” Buy American—Supplies, domestic content test, except as provided in 25.101(a)(2)(ii) (see 52.225-1 and 52.225-3).

(2) The portion of 41 U.S.C. 8303, Contracts for Public Works, paragraph (a)(2) that reads “substantially all from articles, materials, or supplies mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States,” Buy American—Construction Materials, domestic content test, except as provided in 25.201(b)(2)(ii)(see 52.225-9 and 52.225-11).

(b) 42 U.S.C. 6962(c)(3)(A), Certification and Estimate of Percentage of Recovered Material.

(c) Compliance Plan and Certification Requirement, section 1703 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (Pub. L. 112-239), Title XVII, Ending trafficking in Government Contracting (see 52.222-50(h) and 52.222-56).

Sections it refers to

  • 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.
  • 25.101 General.
  • 52.225-1 Buy American—Supplies.
  • 52.225-3 Buy American—Free Trade Agreements—Israeli Trade Act.
  • 25.201 Policy.
  • 52.225-9 Buy American—Construction Materials.
  • 52.225-11 Buy American—Construction Materials Under Trade Agreements.
  • 52.222-50 Combating Trafficking in Persons.
  • 52.222-56 Certification Regarding Trafficking in Persons Compliance Plan.

Sections that refer to it

  • 12.103 Commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) items.
  • 12.502 Procedures.
  • 25.101 General.
  • 25.201 Policy.
  • 52.225-1 Buy American—Supplies.
  • 52.225-3 Buy American—Free Trade Agreements—Israeli Trade Act.
  • 52.225-9 Buy American—Construction Materials.
  • 52.225-11 Buy American—Construction Materials Under Trade Agreements.
  • 212.505 Applicability of certain laws to contracts for the acquisition of COTS items.
  • 252.225-7001 Buy American and Balance of Payments Program.

← 12.504 Applicability of certain laws to subcontracts for the acquisition of commercial products and commercial services. · 12.601 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 12.505 Applicability of certain laws to contracts for the acquisition of COTS items · SpendQuery