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FAR and DFARS › DFARS Part 201: Federal Acquisition Regulations System › Subpart 201.4

DFARS 201.404 Class deviations.

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 who inside DoD can approve a class deviation from the FAR or DFARS. A class deviation is a blanket exception from a rule for a group of contracts, so it matters because it can change which rules apply to your contract. The senior procurement executives of the Army, Navy, and Air Force and certain agency directors may approve some class deviations, but not ones with significant impact or that reduce small business preferences.

Applies to: DoD contracting activities and the officials who approve class deviations

Key terms: class deviation · OUSD(A&S)DPCAP · senior procurement executives · small business concerns · FAR

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

The text

(b)(i) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(ii) of this section, OUSD(A&S)DPCAP is the approval authority within DoD for any class deviation.

(ii) The senior procurement executives for the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and the Directors of the Defense Commissary Agency, the Defense Contract Management Agency, and the Defense Logistics Agency, may approve any class deviation, other than those described in 201.402(1), that does not—

(A) Have a significant effect beyond the internal operating procedures of the department or agency;

(B) Have a significant cost or administrative impact on contractors or offerors;

(C) Diminish any preference given small business concerns by the FAR or DFARS; or

(D) Extend to requirements imposed by statute or by regulations of other agencies such as the Small Business Administration and the Department of Labor.

Sections it refers to

Sections that refer to it

← 201.403 Individual deviations. · 201.602 Contracting officers. →

Rule changes for DFARS Part 201

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

DFARS 201.404 Class deviations · SpendQuery