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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8 sections with “critical and complex items”

  • FAR 46.203 Criteria for use of contract quality requirements.
    …m (supply or service) as determined by its technical description, its complexity, and the criticality of its application. (a) Technical description. Contract items may be technically classified as— (1) Commercial (described in commercial …
  • FAR 52.246-11 Higher-Level Contract Quality Requirement.
    …n such standards, as applicable, to lower-tier subcontracts, in— (1) Any subcontract for critical and complex items (see 46.203(b) and (c)); or (2) When the technical requirements of a subcontract require— (i) Control of such things as d…
  • DFARS 215.404-71-2 Performance risk.
    … Evaluation criteria for technical. (1) Review the contract requirements and focus on the critical performance elements in the statement of work or specifications. Factors to consider include— (i) Technology being applied or developed by t…
  • FAR 7.105 Contents of written acquisition plans.
    …evel quality standards are necessary (46.202) and whether the supplies to be acquired are critical items (46.101). (20) Other considerations. Discuss, as applicable: (i) Standardization concepts; (ii) The industrial readiness program; (…
  • FAR 12.402 Acceptance.
    …al products or commercial services, or commercial products or commercial services used in critical applications. In such cases, the contracting officer shall include alternative inspection procedure(s) in an addendum and ensure these proced…
  • FAR 15.407-2 Make-or-buy programs.
    …101) shall not be included, unless their potential impact on contract cost or schedule is critical. Normally, make-or-buy programs should not include items or work efforts estimated to cost less than 1 percent of the total estimated contrac…
  • FAR 44.201-1 Consent requirements.
    …lue, or because the subcontract needs special surveillance. These can be subcontracts for critical systems, subsystems, components, or services. Subcontracts may be identified by subcontract number or by class of items (e.g., subcontracts f…
  • FAR 46.202-4 Higher-level contract quality requirements.
    …higher-level quality standards is necessary in solicitations and contracts for complex or critical items (see 46.203) or when the technical requirements of the contract require— (1) Control of such things as design, work operations, in-pro…

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.