FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 8: Required Sources of Supplies and Services › Subpart 8.6
FAR 8.603 Purchase priorities.
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 order in which ordering offices must purchase supplies and services when Federal Prison Industries (FPI) and AbilityOne nonprofit agencies can both provide the same items. For supplies, FPI gets first priority, then AbilityOne, then commercial sources. For services, AbilityOne gets first priority, then FPI or commercial sources.
Applies to: ordering offices purchasing supplies or services
What it requires
- purchase supplies in the priority order: FPI, then AbilityOne, then commercial sources
- purchase services in the priority order: AbilityOne, then FPI or commercial sources
Key terms: Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (FPI) · AbilityOne Program · nonprofit agencies · ordering offices · commercial sources
Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.
The text
FPI and nonprofit agencies participating in the AbilityOne Program under 41 U.S.C. chapter 85, Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled (see subpart 8.7), may produce identical supplies or services. When this occurs, ordering offices shall purchase supplies and services in the following priorities:
(a) Supplies. (1) Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (41 U.S.C. 8504).
(2) AbilityOne participating nonprofit agencies.
(3) Commercial sources.
(b) Services. (1) AbilityOneparticipating nonprofit agencies.
(2) Federal Prison Industries, Inc., or commercial sources.
Sections that refer to it
- 8.602 Policy.
← 8.602 Policy. · 8.604 Waivers. →
Rule changes for FAR Part 8
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary FAR Overhaul Parts 8, 12, 13, 15, 38, 44, and 51 ↗ · proposed 2026-09-18 · comments due 2026-10-19
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Inflation Adjustment of Acquisition-Related Thresholds ↗ · final rule 2025-08-27 · effective 2025-10-01
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Preventing Organizational Conflicts of Interest in Federal Acquisition ↗ · proposed 2025-01-15 · comments due 2025-03-17
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Rerepresentation of Size and Socioeconomic Status ↗ · final rule 2025-01-03 · effective 2025-01-17
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Inflation Adjustment of Acquisition-Related Thresholds ↗ · proposed 2024-11-29 · comments due 2025-01-28
- Federal Acquisition Regulation; Technical Amendments ↗ · final rule 2024-04-22 · effective 2024-05-22
Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.