Under the President’s Executive Order, Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement, the Federal government is undertaking the first-ever comprehensive overhaul of the FAR. Led by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) and the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR Council), this initiative will return the FAR to its statutory roots, rewritten in plain language, and … [Read more…]
Federal contracts famously include a clause permitting the government to terminate the agreement for the government’s own “convenience”—even if the contractor did not default on its performance obligations. Aware of this possibility, prime contractors typically add terms to their subcontracts permitting them to terminate on a similar basis. But a recent court case highlights the … [Read more…]
GSA’s Integrated Award Environment operates several stand-alone systems, in addition to our flagship System for Award Management at SAM.gov. Recently, the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) website got a makeover aligning the CPARS.gov look and feel to that of SAM.gov to pave the way for future integration. No changes were made to the CPARS … [Read more…]
On November 12, 2024, the US Department of Defense (DOD), the General Services Administration (GSA), and NASA—collectively known as the “FAR Council”—rolled out an interim rule, set to take effect on November 12, 2024. This update revises the Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”) clause concerning System for Award Management (“SAM”) registration. This makes it clear that … [Read more…]
A recent interim rule, effective earlier this month, amends the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and adds a new clause (FAR 52.240-1) for contractors regarding unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). This clause implements prohibitions on procuring, operating, or using federal funds on UAS (e.g., drones) that are manufactured or assembled by certain foreign entities. For additional information, … [Read more…]