FAR and DFARS › DFARS Part 239: Acquisition of Information Technology › Subpart 239.73
DFARS 239.7304 Determination and notification.
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 sets the conditions under which certain authorized officials may use special authorities to address supply chain risks in covered systems. Before using those authorities, they must obtain a joint recommendation, make a written determination with specific findings, and notify Congress. It matters to contractors because it governs when the government can take actions that may affect them based on supply chain risk.
Applies to: Authorized individuals in 239.7303 exercising authority in 239.7305
What it requires
- Obtain a joint recommendation from the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment and the Chief Information Officer of the Department of Defense, based on a risk assessment by the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, that there is a significant supply chain risk to a covered
- Make a written determination, with the concurrence of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, that the authority is necessary to protect national security, less intrusive measures are not reasonably available, and if limiting disclosure, the risk of disclosure outweighs the r
- Provide a classified or unclassified notice of the determination to specified congressional committees, including required information such as the joint recommendation, risk assessment summary, and basis for the determination.
Key terms: covered system · supply chain risk · joint recommendation · determination · notice
Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.
The text
The individuals authorized in 239.7303 may exercise the authority provided in 239.7305 only after—
(a) Obtaining a joint recommendation by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment and the Chief Information Officer of the Department of Defense, on the basis of a risk assessment by the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, that there is a significant supply chain risk to a covered system;
(b) Making a determination in writing, in unclassified or classified form, with the concurrence of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, that—
(1) Use of the authority in 239.7305(a), (b), or (c) is necessary to protect national security by reducing supply chain risk;
(2) Less intrusive measures are not reasonably available to reduce such supply chain risk; and
(3) In a case where the individual authorized in 239.7303 plans to limit disclosure of information under 239.7305(d), the risk to national security due to the disclosure of such information outweighs the risk due to not disclosing such information; and
(c)(1) Providing a classified or unclassified notice of the determination made under paragraph (b) of this section—
(i) In the case of a covered system included in the National Intelligence Program or the Military Intelligence Program, to the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives, and the congressional defense committees; and
(ii) In the case of a covered system not otherwise included in paragraph (a) of this section, to the congressional defense committees; and
(2) The notice shall include—
(i) The following information (see 10 U.S.C. 3204(e)(2)):
(A) A description of the agency's needs.
(B) An identification of the statutory exception from the requirement to use competitive procedures and a demonstration, based on the proposed contractor's qualifications or the nature of the procurement, of the reasons for using that exception.
(C) A determination that the anticipated cost will be fair and reasonable.
(D) A description of the market survey conducted or a statement of the reasons a market survey was not conducted.
(E) A listing of the sources, if any, that expressed in writing an interest in the procurement.
(F) A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barrier to competition before a subsequent procurement for such needs;
(ii) The joint recommendation by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment and the Chief Information Officer of the Department of Defense as specified in paragraph (a) of this section;
(iii) A summary of the risk assessment by the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence that serves as the basis for the joint recommendation specified in paragraph (a) of this section; and
(iv) A summary of the basis for the determination, including a discussion of less intrusive measures that were considered and why they were not reasonably available to reduce supply chain risk.
Sections it refers to
← 239.7303 Authorized individuals. · 239.7305 Exclusion and limitation on disclosure. →
Rule changes for DFARS Part 239
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Disclosure of Information Regarding Foreign Obligations (DFARS Case 2018-D064) ↗ · proposed 2024-11-15 · comments due 2025-01-14
Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.