FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 44: Subcontracting Policies and Procedures › Subpart 44.1
FAR 44.101 Definitions.
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 defines key terms used in FAR Part 44, which governs contractor purchasing systems and subcontracting. It clarifies what an approved purchasing system, contractor, contractor purchasing system review (CPSR), subcontract, and subcontractor mean. For contractors, understanding these definitions is important because they determine when a CPSR may be required and how subcontracting is treated under the FAR.
Applies to: Contractors and subcontractors involved in federal prime contracts
Key terms: Approved purchasing system · Contractor · Contractor purchasing system review (CPSR) · Subcontract · Subcontractor
Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.
The text
As used in this part—
Approved purchasing system means a contractor's purchasing system that has been reviewed and approved in accordance with this part.
Contractor means the total contractor organization or a separate entity of it, such as an affiliate, division, or plant, that performs its own purchasing.
Contractor purchasing system review (CPSR) means the complete evaluation of a contractor's purchasing of material and services, subcontracting, and subcontract management from development of the requirement through completion of subcontract performance.
Subcontract means any contract as defined in subpart 2.1 entered into by a subcontractor to furnish supplies or services for performance of a prime contract or a subcontract. It includes but is not limited to purchase orders, and changes and modifications to purchase orders.
Subcontractor means any supplier, distributor, vendor, or firm that furnishes supplies or services to or for a prime contractor or another subcontractor.
← 44.000 Scope of part. · 44.201 Consent and advance notification requirements. →
Rule changes for FAR Part 44
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary FAR Overhaul Parts 8, 12, 13, 15, 38, 44, and 51 ↗ · proposed 2026-09-18 · comments due 2026-10-19
Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.