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48 CFR · Federal Acquisition Regulation and Defense supplement

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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.

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68 sections with “competitive business”: the first 40

  • FAR 6.401 Sealed bidding and competitive proposals.
    Sealed bidding and competitive proposals, as described in parts 14 and 15, are both acceptable procedures for use under subparts 6.1, 6.2; and, when appropriate, under subpart 6.3. (a) Sealed bids. (See part 14 for procedures.) Contracting…
  • FAR 19.805-1 General.
    … codes and $5.5 million for all other acquisitions. (b) Where an acquisition exceeds the competitive threshold (see paragraph (a)(2) of this section), the SBA may accept the requirement for a sole source 8(a) award if— (1) There is not a …
  • FAR 2.101 Definitions.
    …uct was developed exclusively at private expense and sold in substantial quantities, on a competitive basis, to multiple State and local governments or to multiple foreign governments. Commercial service means— (1) Installation services, …
  • FAR 15.503 Notifications to unsuccessful offerors.
    (a) Preaward notices—(1) Preaward notices of exclusion from competitive range. The contracting officer shall notify offerors promptly in writing when their proposals are excluded from the competitive range or otherwise eliminated from the c…
  • FAR 18.114 Contracting with the Small Business Administration (The 8(a) Program).
    …nistration (SBA) for performance by eligible 8(a) participants on either a sole source or competitive basis. (See Subpart 19.8.)
  • FAR 18.117 Awards to economically disadvantaged women-owned small business concerns and women-owned small business concerns eligible under the Women-Owned Small Business Program.
    …cerns and women-owned small business (WOSB) concerns eligible under the WOSB Program on a competitive or sole source basis. (See subpart 19.15.)
  • FAR 19.302 Protesting a small business representation or rerepresentation.
    …ll business representation of an offeror in a specific offer for a contract. However, for competitive 8(a) contracts, the filing of a protest is limited to an offeror, the contracting officer, or SBA. See 13 CFR 121.1001(a). (b) Any time a…
  • FAR 19.402 Small Business Administration procurement center representatives.
    …all Business Program; (iii) Breakout of discrete components, items, and requirements for competitive acquisitions; and (iv) Ways to improve competition. (2) Reviewing proposed acquisition packages provided in accordance with 19.202-1(e).…
  • FAR 19.502-2 Total small business set-asides.
    …ctation of obtaining offers from two or more responsible small business concerns that are competitive in terms of fair market prices, quality, and delivery. If the contracting officer receives only one acceptable offer from a responsible sm…
  • FAR 19.502-6 Setting aside a class of acquisitions for small business.
    …y any changes in the magnitude of requirements, specifications, delivery requirements, or competitive market conditions that have occurred since the initial approval of the class small business set-aside. If there are any changes of such a …
  • FAR 31.201-3 Determining reasonableness.
    …nt, it does not exceed that which would be incurred by a prudent person in the conduct of competitive business. Reasonableness of specific costs must be examined with particular care in connection with firms or their separate divisions that…
  • FAR 52.219-9 Small Business Subcontracting Plan.
    … as part or all of a goal contained in the Contractor's subcontracting plan. (6) For all competitive subcontracts over the simplified acquisition threshold, as defined in FAR 2.101 on the date of subcontract award, in which a small busines…
  • DFARS 252.219-7000 Advancing Small Business Growth.
    …to develop the capabilities and characteristics typically desired in contractors that are competitive as other-than-small contractors in this industry. (c) For procurement technical assistance, the Offeror may contact the nearest APEX Acce…
  • DFARS 252.227-7018 Rights in Other Than Commercial Technical Data and Computer Software—Small Business Innovation Research Program and Small Business Technology Transfer Program.
    …rnment to foreign governments or international organizations. Government purposes include competitive procurement, but do not include the rights to use, modify, reproduce, release, perform, display, or disclose technical data or computer so…
  • DFARS 252.270-7002 Pilot Program to Incentivize Contracting with Employee-Owned Businesses.
    … if any, the Contractor experienced in attracting and retaining a talented workforce in a competitive market due to the Contractor's corporate ownership structure. (3) Challenges, if any, the Contractor experienced that hinder its ability …
  • FAR 5.205 Special situations.
    …nt service providers, number of Government personnel performing the activity, name of the Competitive Sourcing Official, name of the contracting officer, name of the Agency Tender Official, and projected end date of the competition. (2) Th…
  • FAR 19.804-2 Agency offering.
    … if appropriate, that a requirement with an estimated contract value under the applicable competitive threshold be awarded as an 8(a) competitive contract (see 19.805-1(d)). (15) A request, if appropriate, that a requirement with a contrac…
  • FAR 19.804-3 SBA acceptance.
    …ill be based upon relevant factors, including business development needs, compliance with competitive business mix requirements (if applicable), financial condition, management ability, technical capability, and whether award will promote t…
  • FAR 19.813 Protesting an 8(a) participant's eligibility or size status.
    (a) The eligibility of an 8(a) participant for a sole source or competitive 8(a) requirement may not be challenged by another 8(a) participant or any other party, either to SBA or any administrative forum as part of a bid or other contract …
  • FAR 22.1003-4 Administrative limitations, variations, tolerances, and exemptions.
    …contract award. (i) For source selections where the contracting officer has established a competitive range, if the contracting officer determines that one or more of the conditions in paragraphs 22.1003-4 (c)(2)(i) through (iii) of an offe…
  • DFARS 227.7103-13 Government right to review, verify, challenge, and validate asserted restrictions.
    …rtion and continued adherence to the assertion would make it impractical to later procure competitively the item to which the data pertain. (b) Pre-award considerations. The challenge procedures required by 10 U.S.C. 3782 could significant…
  • DFARS 252.244-7001 Contractor Purchasing System Administration.
    … a consistent make-or-buy policy that is in the best interest of the Government; (7) Use competitive sourcing to the maximum extent practicable, and ensure debarred or suspended contractors are properly excluded from contract award; (8) E…
  • FAR 13.106-1 Soliciting competition.
    …rs: (1)(i) The nature of the article or service to be purchased and whether it is highly competitive and readily available in several makes or brands, or is relatively noncompetitive. (ii) Information obtained in making recent purchases o…
  • FAR 15.305 Proposal evaluation.
    …eror's ability to perform the prospective contract successfully. An agency shall evaluate competitive proposals and then assess their relative qualities solely on the factors and subfactors specified in the solicitation. Evaluations may be …
  • FAR 19.503 Reserves.
    …e is not feasible because there is no reasonable expectation of receiving offers that are competitive in terms of fair market prices, quality, and delivery from at least two responsible small business concerns identified in 19.000(a)(3), th…
  • FAR 44.303 Extent of review.
    …ntracts awarded by the contractor exclusively in support of Government contracts that are competitively awarded firm-fixed-price, competitively awarded fixed-price with economic price adjustment, or awarded for commercial products and comme…
  • DFARS 227.7203-13 Government right to review, verify, challenge, and validate asserted restrictions.
    …rations. The challenge procedures in the clause at 252.227-7019 could significantly delay competitive procurements. Therefore, avoid challenging asserted restrictions prior to a competitive contract award unless resolution of the assertion …
  • DFARS 252.225-7013 Duty-Free Entry.
    …of, that are diverted to nongovernmental use, other than— (i) Scrap or salvage; or (ii) Competitive sale made, directed, or authorized by the Contracting Officer. (d) Except as the Contractor may otherwise agree, the Government will exec…
  • FAR 1.102-2 Performance standards.
    …exchanges are consistent with existing laws and regulations, and do not promote an unfair competitive advantage to particular firms. (5) The Government will maximize its use of commercial products and commercial services in meeting Governm…
  • FAR 3.104-1 Definitions.
    …award to a particular source. Federal agency procurement means the acquisition (by using competitive procedures and awarding a contract) of goods or services (including construction) from non-Federal sources by a Federal agency using appro…
  • FAR 3.301 General.
    …rrant criminal, civil, or administrative action against the participants. Examples of anticompetitive practices are collusive bidding, follow-the-leader pricing, rotated low bids, collusive price estimating systems, and sharing of the busin…
  • FAR 5.207 Preparation and transmittal of synopses.
    …tion Government Procurement Agreement and Free Trade Agreements.” (15) In the case of noncompetitive contract actions (including those that do not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold), identify the intended source and insert a stat…
  • FAR 5.303 Announcement of contract awards.
    … or (2) For awards after negotiation, the information prescribed by 15.503(b), and after competitive negotiation (either price or design competition), a statement to this effect, and in general terms the basis for selection.
  • FAR 5.403 Requests from Members of Congress.
    …re of classified matter, business confidential information, or information prejudicial to competitive acquisition, the contracting officer shall refer the proposed reply, with full documentation, to the agency head and inform the legislativ…
  • FAR 9.405 Effect of listing.
    …s received from any listed contractor shall not be evaluated for award or included in the competitive range, nor shall discussions be conducted with a listed offeror during a period of ineligibility, unless the agency head determines, in wr…
  • FAR 10.002 Procedures.
    …er the Government's needs can be met by small business concerns that will likely submit a competitive offer at fair market prices (see part 19). (2) Techniques for conducting market research may include any or all of the following: (i) Co…
  • FAR 12.207 Contract type.
    …mmercial services when— (i) The service is acquired under a contract awarded using— (A) Competitive procedures (e.g., the procedures in 6.102, the set-aside procedures in Subpart 19.5, or competition conducted in accordance with Part 13);…
  • FAR 15.201 Exchanges with industry before receipt of proposals.
    … later than the next general release of information, in order to avoid creating an unfair competitive advantage. Information provided to a potential offeror in response to its request must not be disclosed if doing so would reveal the poten…
  • FAR 15.304 Evaluation factors and significant subfactors.
    …h (c)(3)(iii) of this section, shall be evaluated in all source selections for negotiated competitive acquisitions expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. (ii) For solicitations that are not set aside for small business co…
  • FAR 15.404-4 Profit.
    …levant factors are considered. Subject to the authorities in 1.301(c), agencies making noncompetitive contract awards over $100,000 totaling $50 million or more a year— (i) Shall use a structured approach for determining the profit or fee …

FAR (chapter 1)

DFARS (chapter 2, Defense)

Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Rule changes in progress: FAR, DFARS. Terms: glossary.