The Competition in Contracting Act (CICA) of 1984 requires that all acquisitions be made using full and open competition unless an exception exists. Seven exceptions to using full and open competition are specifically identified in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 6. Documentation justifying the use of any of these exceptions is required and is identified as a JOFOC. The JOFOC, with supporting documentation, must be certified and approved at certain levels that vary according to the dollar value of the acquisition. The information that must be included in each JOFOC is identified in FAR Part 6. In addition, JOFOCs shall be made publicly available at the Government Point of Entry (GPE) www.fedbizopps.gov and on the website of the agency, which may provide access to the justifications by linking to the GPE.

Once at the GPE, how do you locate the JOFOC? Click Opportunities, under its Advanced Search tab there is a notice type called "Justification & Approval (J&A)" established within the Opportunity/Procurement Type section (it is the last choice). You can further narrow the range of recalled JOFOCs using Advanced Search’s specific criteria, such as J&A Statutory Authority, Posted Date Range, and Contract Award Date.