FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 23: Environment, Sustainable Acquisition, and Material Safety › Subpart 23.1

FAR 23.106 Exemptions.

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 exemptions from the sustainable procurement rules in this subpart. Certain intelligence activities, national security activities, and specified vehicles or equipment can be exempted by the Director of National Intelligence or the head of an agency. Contracting officers are encouraged, but not required, to buy sustainable products and services for certain defense, disaster, and emergency uses.

Applies to: Agency heads, the Director of National Intelligence, and contracting officers

What it requires

  • The agency shall notify the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality in writing within 30 days of issuing an exemption under paragraph (b)(1).

Key terms: exemption · intelligence sources and methods · national security · sustainable products and services · major disaster

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

The text

(a) The Director of National Intelligence may exempt an intelligence activity of the United States and related personnel, resources, and facilities to the extent the Director determines necessary to protect intelligence sources and methods from unauthorized disclosure.

(b) The head of an agency may exempt the following:

(1) Particular agency activities and related personnel, resources, and facilities when it is in the interest of national security, to protect intelligence sources and methods from unauthorized disclosure, or where necessary to protect undercover law enforcement operations from unauthorized disclosure. The agency shall notify the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) in writing within 30 days of issuance of the exemption under this paragraph (b)(1).

(2) On an individual or class basis, any manned and unmanned vehicle, vessel, aircraft, or non-road equipment that is used in combat support, combat service support, military tactical or relief operations, or training for such operations or spaceflight vehicles, including associated ground-support equipment.

(c) Contracting officers are encouraged, but not required, to procure sustainable products and services if the head of the agency determines the supplies or services are to be used to facilitate defense against or recovery from cyber, nuclear, biological, chemical, or radiological attack; to facilitate provision of international disaster assistance; or to support response to an emergency or major disaster.

(d) The head of the agency may submit to the President, through the Chair of CEQ, a request for an exemption of an agency activity, and related personnel, resources, and facilities from this subpart for any reason not otherwise addressed in this section.

Sections that refer to it

  • 11.002 Policy.
  • 18.202 Defense or recovery from certain events.
  • 23.104 General procedures.
  • 23.107-1 Products containing recovered materials.
  • 23.107-2 Biobased products.
  • 23.107-3 Energy-consuming products and water-consuming products.
  • 23.109 Solicitation provisions and contract clauses.

← 23.105 Exceptions. · 23.107 Statutory purchasing programs. →

Rule changes for FAR Part 23

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

FAR 23.106 Exemptions · SpendQuery