Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)

Understanding the FAR is probably the most important skill a veteran business owner can have when they wish to contract with the Federal government. 

• What is the FAR?

The Federal Acquisition Regulation is the rulebook that contracting teams use to make sourcing decisions, award contracts, oversee contract performance, pay and evaluate contractors.

Why is it important to me as a veteran business owner?

If you know the FAR, you know how your proposal and business will be evaluated by your customer, the Federal agency team. Even more important, you know that if the FAR does not prohibit an action, the Government team can be creative in finding new ways of doing business. It is a very important source because when disputes or conflicts occur, the decision makers, like the Government Accountability Office or courts, use the FAR as the foundation document for determining the legitimacy of contract team actions.

Are there some sections that are more important than others?

The answer to this is very dependent on your role and also where you are in any particular requirement or contract. Depending on the stage of the requirement (developmental, pre-release; on-the-street; in offer evaluation, in contract administration, in contract close-out), some chapters will become more important than others.  As a general guideline, an owner will want to understand the order of priority sources (Part 8), competition thresholds (Part 13), publicizing rules (Part 5), simplified purchases (Part 13) and formal acquisitions (Parts 14, 15), small business programs (Part 19) and specialized contracting rules, such as service contracting (Part 37), construction (Part 36).  Best advice is: if you are interested in a specific solicitation, print it, study it, jot down questions then make an appointment with your closest Procurement Technical Assistance Center to discuss your understanding of the solicitation (or request for quotation).  This is a free service.

Where can I find it?

The FAR is available online at http://acquisition.gov/far/index.html