What: On June 23, 2026, the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (collectively, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council or “FAR Council”) jointly issued four proposed rules in the Federal Register to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).
Why: FAR is the primary regulation used by all federal agencies when purchasing goods and services from the private sector. These four proposed rules begin implementing Executive Order (E.O.) 14275, Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement, which directs the simplification of the FAR and the elimination of unnecessary, non-statutory acquisition regulations to stop the inefficient use of American taxpayer dollars.
As the proposed rules note, the Federal marketplace has seen a significant decline over the past 20 years in the number of businesses, especially small businesses, participating in the Federal supplier base. These proposed rules seek to increase participation in agency competitions and the resilience of the Federal supplier base, which includes small businesses and manufacturers.
Many of the revisions are seeking to make the FAR easier to navigate and reduce confusion for small businesses by providing clearer guidance and standardized formats. Specifically, the proposals update the process for protesting a bid and establish a unified cybersecurity framework. The release of these four proposed rules is the first installment of a broader overhaul of the FAR, with additional proposed rules expected in subsequent Federal Register notices.
The areas covered by the four proposed rules include:
- Parts 1, 2, 4, 33, 39, 40, and 53: Creating a sunset process, consolidating procurement forms into one website, simplifying definitions, and removing non-essential regulatory requirements.
- Parts 6, 7, 10, 18, 26, 37, and 41: Simplifying acquisition planning, market research, and emergency procurement.
- Parts 5, 24, and 29: Reorganizing public notice requirements for federal contract opportunities.
- Parts 3 and 49: Streamlining ethics and procurement integrity requirements, adopting a risk-based approach to contract termination audits, and accelerating contract closeout by shortening termination settlement deadlines.
Action: Read the proposed rules and submit comments before the July 23, 2026, deadline.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 14275:
Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement
PROPOSED RULES:
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul Parts 5, 24, and 29
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul Parts 1, 2, 4, 33, 39, 40, and 53
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul Parts 3 and 49
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul Parts 6, 7, 10, 18, 26, 37, and 41
CONTACT:
John Vatian
EMAIL:
Regulatory Alerts
Is your small business or entity being impacted by a proposed rule? If yes, write a comment letter to the proposing agency.