FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 25: Foreign Acquisition › Subpart 25.4
FAR 25.401 Exceptions.
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 acquisitions that are exceptions to the trade agreements subpart, meaning the subpart's procedures do not apply to them. It also identifies services excluded from coverage under the WTO GPA and free trade agreements according to the U.S. schedule. For contractors, this matters because it defines which acquisitions fall outside these trade agreement rules.
Applies to: Acquisitions covered by FAR Subpart 25.4 (trade agreements)
Key terms: small businesses · full and open competition · sole source acquisitions · WTO GPA · FTA
Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.
The text
(a) This subpart does not apply to—
(1) Acquisitions set aside for small businesses;
(2) Acquisitions of arms, ammunition, or war materials, or purchases indispensable for national security or for national defense purposes;
(3) Acquisitions of end products for resale;
(4) Acquisitions from Federal Prison Industries, Inc., under Subpart 8.6, and acquisitions under Subpart 8.7, Acquisition from Nonprofit Agencies Employing People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled;
(5) Other acquisitions not using full and open competition, if authorized by Subpart 6.2 or 6.3, when the limitation of competition would preclude use of the procedures of this subpart; or sole source acquisitions justified in accordance with 13.501(a); and
(6) Goods and services specifically excluded under individual trade agreements, such as exceptions negotiated by the U.S. Trade Representative for particular agencies. See the agency supplementary regulations.
(b) In the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement (WTO GPA) and each FTA, there is a U.S. schedule that lists services that are excluded from that agreement in acquisitions by the United States. Acquisitions of the following services are excluded from coverage by the U.S. schedule of the WTO GPA or an FTA as indicated in this table:
*Note 1. Acquisitions of the services listed at (2)(iii) of this table are a subset of the excluded services at (2)(i) and (ii), and are therefore not covered under the WTO GPA.
**Note 2. Acquisitions of the services listed at (4)(ii) of this table are a subset of the excluded services at (4)(i), and are therefore not covered under the WTO GPA.
Sections it refers to
- 13.501 Special documentation requirements.
← 25.400 Scope of subpart. · 25.402 General. →
Rule changes for FAR Part 25
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Trade Agreements Thresholds ↗ · final rule 2026-03-13 · effective 2026-03-13
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Inflation Adjustment of Acquisition-Related Thresholds ↗ · final rule 2025-08-27 · effective 2025-10-01
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: List of Domestically Nonavailable Articles ↗ · final rule 2025-05-12 · effective 2025-06-11
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Improving Consistency Between Procurement and Nonprocurement Procedures on Suspension and Debarment ↗ · final rule 2025-01-03 · effective 2025-01-17
- Federal Acquisition Regulation; Technical Amendments ↗ · final rule 2024-12-16 · effective 2025-01-03
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Inflation Adjustment of Acquisition-Related Thresholds ↗ · proposed 2024-11-29 · comments due 2025-01-28
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: List of Domestically Nonavailable Articles ↗ · proposed 2024-10-23 · comments due 2024-12-23
- Federal Acquisition Regulation; Technical Amendments ↗ · final rule 2024-07-30 · effective 2024-08-29
Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.