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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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173 sections with “contracting responsibility”: the first 40

  • FAR 37.103 Contracting officer responsibility.
    (a) The contracting officer is responsible for ensuring that a proposed contract for services is proper. For this purpose the contracting officer shall— (1) Determine whether the proposed service is for a personal or nonpersonal services c…
  • FAR 9.104-5 Representation and certifications regarding responsibility matters.
    …rtification Regarding Responsibility Matters, or paragraph (h) of provision 52.212-3, the contracting officer shall— (1) Promptly, upon receipt of offers, request such additional information from the offeror as the offeror deems necessary …
  • FAR 19.705-5 Awards involving subcontracting plans.
    (a) In making an award that requires a subcontracting plan, the contracting officer shall be responsible for the following: (1) Consider the contractor's compliance with the subcontracting plans submitted on previous contracts as a factor …
  • FAR 35.006 Contracting methods and contract type.
    … not available, thus making negotiation necessary. However, the use of negotiation in R&D contracting does not change the obligation to comply with part 6. (b) Selecting the appropriate contract type is the responsibility of the contractin…
  • FAR 42.705-1 Contracting officer determination procedure.
    (a) Applicability and responsibility. Contracting officer determination shall be used for the following, with the indicated cognizant contracting officer (or cognizant Federal agency official) responsible for establishing the final indirect…
  • FAR 42.1202 Responsibility for executing agreements.
    The contracting officer responsible for processing and executing novation and change-of-name agreements shall be determined as follows: (a) If any of the affected contracts held by the transferor have been assigned to an administrative con…
  • FAR 52.219-9 Small Business Subcontracting Plan.
    As prescribed in 19.708(b), insert the following clause: Small Business Subcontracting Plan (JAN 2025) (a) This clause does not apply to small business concerns. (b) Definitions. As used in this clause— Alaska Native Corporation (ANC) m…
  • FAR 52.209-5 Certification Regarding Responsibility Matters.
    …t; and similar positions). (b) The Offeror shall provide immediate written notice to the Contracting Officer if, at any time prior to contract award, the Offeror learns that its certification was erroneous when submitted or has become erro…
  • FAR 1.601 General.
    …orized supplies and services are vested in the agency head. The agency head may establish contracting activities and delegate broad authority to manage the agency's contracting functions to heads of such contracting activities. Contracts ma…
  • FAR 1.602-2 Responsibilities.
    Contracting officers are responsible for ensuring performance of all necessary actions for effective contracting, ensuring compliance with the terms of the contract, and safeguarding the interests of the United States in its contractual rel…
  • FAR 2.101 Definitions.
    …rights and obligations of the parties. Change order means a written order, signed by the contracting officer, directing the contractor to make a change that the Changes clause authorizes the contracting officer to order without the contrac…
  • FAR 4.604 Responsibilities.
    (a) The Senior Procurement Executive in coordination with the head of the contracting activity is responsible for developing and monitoring a process to ensure timely and accurate reporting of contractual actions to FPDS. (b)(1) The respon…
  • FAR 4.803 Contents of contract files.
    …ng are examples of the records normally contained, if applicable, in contract files: (a) Contracting office contract file. (1) Purchase request, acquisition planning information, and other presolicitation documents. (2) Justifications and…
  • FAR 4.1202 Solicitation provision and contract clause.
    …or solicitations for commercial products or commercial services issued under part 12. The contracting officer shall check the applicable provisions at 52.204-8(c)(2). Use the provision with its Alternate I in solicitations issued after Octo…
  • FAR 8.405-6 Limiting sources.
    …(A) of this section, the justification shall be posted within 30 days after award. (iii) Contracting officers shall carefully screen all justifications for contractor proprietary data and remove all such data, and such references and citat…
  • FAR 9.104-3 Application of standards.
    …prospective contractor has sufficient resources or proposes to perform the contract by subcontracting, the contracting officer shall require acceptable evidence of the prospective contractor's ability to obtain required resources (see 9.104…
  • FAR 9.104-4 Subcontractor responsibility.
    …ubcontractor's responsibility. (b) When it is in the Government's interest to do so, the contracting officer may directly determine a prospective subcontractor's responsibility (e.g., when the prospective contract involves medical supplies…
  • FAR 9.104-6 Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System.
    (a)(1) Before awarding a contract in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold, the contracting officer shall review the performance and integrity information available in the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information Syste…
  • FAR 9.104-7 Solicitation provisions and contract clauses.
    (a) The contracting officer shall insert the provision at 52.209-5, Certification Regarding Responsibility Matters, in solicitations where the contract value is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. (b) The contracting o…
  • FAR 9.105-1 Obtaining information.
    (a) Before making a determination of responsibility, the contracting officer shall possess or obtain information sufficient to be satisfied that a prospective contractor currently meets the applicable standards in 9.104. (b)(1) Generally, …
  • FAR 9.105-2 Determinations and documentation.
    (a) Determinations. (1) The contracting officer's signing of a contract constitutes a determination that the prospective contractor is responsible with respect to that contract. When an offer on which an award would otherwise be made is rej…
  • FAR 9.106-1 Conditions for preaward surveys.
    …survey is normally required only when the information on hand or readily available to the contracting officer, including information from commercial sources, is not sufficient to make a determination regarding responsibility. In addition, i…
  • FAR 9.506 Procedures.
    …valuate potential organizational conflicts of interest or to develop recommended actions, contracting officers should first seek the information from within the Government or from other readily available sources. Government sources include …
  • FAR 12.301 Solicitation provisions and contract clauses for the acquisition of commercial products and commercial services.
    …rvices and is incorporated in the solicitation by reference (see Block 27a, SF 1449). The contracting officer may tailor these instructions or provide additional instructions tailored to the specific acquisition in accordance with 12.302. …
  • FAR 14.503-1 Step one.
    …rements will be contained in the invitation issued under step two. (c) Upon receipt, the contracting officer shall— (1) Safeguard proposals against disclosure to unauthorized persons; (2) Accept and handle data marked in accordance with …
  • FAR 15.305 Proposal evaluation.
    …price evaluation. Normally, competition establishes price reasonableness. Therefore, when contracting on a firm-fixed-price or fixed-price with economic price adjustment basis, comparison of the proposed prices will usually satisfy the requ…
  • FAR 15.404-1 Proposal analysis techniques.
    …sal analysis is to ensure that the final agreed-to price is fair and reasonable. (1) The contracting officer is responsible for evaluating the reasonableness of the offered prices. The analytical techniques and procedures described in this…
  • FAR 15.404-3 Subcontract pricing considerations.
    (a) The contracting officer is responsible for the determination of a fair and reasonable price for the prime contract, including subcontracting costs. The contracting officer should consider whether a contractor or subcontractor has an app…
  • FAR 15.404-4 Profit.
    …e clearly inappropriate. (2) Agencies may use another agency's structured approach. (c) Contracting officer responsibilities. (1) When the price negotiation is not based on cost analysis, contracting officers are not required to analyze p…
  • 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 16.104 Factors in selecting contract types.
    There are many factors that the contracting officer should consider in selecting and negotiating the contract type. They include the following: (a) Price competition. Normally, effective price competition results in realistic pricing, and …
  • FAR 16.505 Ordering.
    (a) General. (1) In general, the contracting officer does not synopsize orders under indefinite-delivery contracts; except see 16.505(a)(4) and (11), and 16.505(b)(2)(ii)(D). (2) Individual orders shall clearly describe all services to be …
  • FAR 19.201 General policy.
    …ll Business Administration (SBA) counsels and assists small business concerns and assists contracting personnel to ensure that a fair proportion of contracts for supplies and services is placed with small business. (b) Heads of contracting…
  • FAR 19.601 General.
    …y, competency, capacity, credit, integrity, perseverance, tenacity, and limitations on subcontracting) for the purpose of receiving and performing a specific Government contract. (b) The COC program empowers the SBA to certify to Governmen…
  • FAR 19.602-1 Referral.
    …y, competency, capacity, credit, integrity, perseverance, tenacity, and limitations on subcontracting but for sureties see 28.101-3(f) and 28.203-1(e)), the contracting officer shall— (1) Withhold contract award (see 19.602-3); and (2) Re…
  • FAR 19.602-2 Issuing or denying a Certificate of Competency (COC).
    Within 15 business days (or a longer period agreed to by the SBA and the contracting agency) after receiving a notice that a small business concern lacks certain elements of responsibility, the SBA Area Office will take the following action…
  • FAR 19.602-4 Awarding the contract.
    (a) If new information causes the contracting officer to determine that the concern referred to the SBA is actually responsible to perform the contract, and award has not already been made under paragraph (c) below, the contracting officer …
  • FAR 22.1704 Violations and remedies.
    …f credible information regarding a violation listed in paragraph (a) of this section, the contracting officer— (1) Shall promptly notify, in accordance with agency procedures, the agency Inspector General, the agency debarring and suspendi…
  • FAR 28.101-3 Authority of an attorney-in-fact for a bid bond.
    …atures, seals and dates, without regard to the order in which they were affixed. (d) The contracting officer shall— (1) Treat the failure to provide a signed and dated power of attorney at the time of bid opening as a matter of responsive…
  • FAR 28.203-1 Acceptability of individual sureties.
    …nd. (c) Using the information from the SF 28 submitted by the offeror or contractor, the contracting officer shall notify the Treasury's collateral operations support team by email at [email protected] or by phone at 888-568-7343, of…

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.