FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 6: Competition Requirements › Subpart 6.3
FAR 6.305 Availability of the justification.
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 requires agencies to publicly post justifications for certain contract awards, typically within 14 days after award, but with different deadlines for specific situations. It also requires contracting officers to remove proprietary data before posting and allows exceptions for national security. Contractors should be aware that their proprietary information may be reviewed and redacted before public release.
Applies to: Agencies posting justifications for contract awards
What it requires
- Make the justification publicly available within 14 days after contract award, except in specified cases.
- Post the justification within 30 days after contract award for awards permitted under 6.302-2.
- Post the justification with the solicitation for brand name justifications under 6.302-1(c).
- Post justifications at the Government Point of Entry (GPE) and on the agency website, and keep them posted for at least 30 days.
Key terms: justification · contract award · Government Point of Entry (GPE) · proprietary data · Freedom of Information Act
Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.
The text
(a) The agency shall make publicly available the justification required by 6.303-1 as required by 10 U.S.C. 3204(f) and 41 U.S.C. 3304(f). Except for the circumstances in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, the justification shall be made publicly available within 14 days after contract award.
(b) In the case of a contract award permitted under 6.302-2, the justification shall be posted within 30 days after contract award.
(c) In the case of a brand name justification under 6.302-1(c), the justification shall be posted with the solicitation (see 5.102(a)(6)).
(d) The justifications shall be made publicly available—
(1) At the Government Point of Entry (GPE) https://www.sam.gov;
(2) On the website of the agency, which may provide access to the justifications by linking to the GPE; and
(3) Must remain posted for a minimum of 30 days.
(e) Contracting officers shall carefully screen all justifications for contractor proprietary data and remove all such data, and such references and citations as are necessary to protect the proprietary data, before making the justifications available for public inspection. Contracting officers shall also be guided by the exemptions to disclosure of information contained in the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and the prohibitions against disclosure in 24.202 in determining whether the justification, or portions of it, are exempt from posting. Although the submitter notice process set out in EO 12600, entitled “Predisclosure Notification Procedures for Confidential Commercial Information,” does not apply, if the justification appears to contain proprietary data, the contracting officer should provide the contractor that submitted the information an opportunity to review the justification for proprietary data, before making the justification available for public inspection, redacted as necessary. This process must not prevent or delay the posting of the justification in accordance with the timeframes required in paragraphs (a) through (c).
(f) The requirements of paragraphs (a) through (d) do not apply if posting the justification would disclose the executive agency's needs and disclosure of such needs would compromise national security or create other security risks.
Sections it refers to
← 6.304 Approval of the justification. · 6.401 Sealed bidding and competitive proposals. →
Rule changes for FAR Part 6
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul Parts 6, 7, 10, 18, 26, 37, and 41 ↗ · proposed 2026-06-23 · comments due 2026-07-23
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Inflation Adjustment of Acquisition-Related Thresholds ↗ · final rule 2025-08-27 · effective 2025-10-01
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer Programs ↗ · proposed 2025-06-12
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Certification of Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses ↗ · final rule 2024-12-16 · effective 2024-12-16
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Inflation Adjustment of Acquisition-Related Thresholds ↗ · proposed 2024-11-29 · comments due 2025-01-28
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Certification of Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses ↗ · final rule 2024-02-23 · effective 2024-02-23
Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.