First Sections of Procurement Overhaul Proposal Reduce Clarity

Transparency into major system acquisitions by federal agencies could be a casualty of cuts to procurement regulations proposed by the agency council that coordinates how the government buys goods and services.

Suggested deletions from the Federal Acquisition Regulation will make executive branch agencies more vulnerable to financial and litigation risk when purchasing goods and services from the private sector, according to several lawyers.

The FAR administering council—made up of leaders from the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, General Services Administration, the Defense Department, and NASA—has published draft language for deviating from existing FAR provisions in three out of 53 total ...