Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)

The FAR is divided into parts by topic, for example Part 15 for negotiated contracting, Part 16 for contract types, Part 19 for small business programs and Part 52 for solicitation provisions and contract clauses. Parts break into subparts and sections, so a citation like FAR 15.304 points to evaluation factors in Part 15.

Agencies publish supplements that add rules for their own purchases, such as the DFARS for the Department of Defense. A solicitation incorporates the FAR and supplement clauses that apply to it, often by reference in Sections I and K.

In 2025 the government began the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul, rewriting the FAR part by part in plainer language and putting the new text into effect through agency class deviations ahead of formal rulemaking. Some section numbers have moved as a result, so when a rule matters to your proposal, check whether the buying agency has adopted the overhauled part and read the current text.

For proposal teams the parts that matter most are the ones that govern how offers are evaluated and what a proposal must contain: Part 15 for Section L and Section M style solicitations, Part 16 for orders, and Part 19 for set-asides.

Reading the FAR as a proposal writer is mostly about knowing where to look. When a solicitation says it will be evaluated under Part 15, read the evaluation factor and source selection sections; when it is an order under an IDIQ, read Part 16's ordering rules; when it is a set-aside, read the Part 19 subpart for that program. The solicitation itself controls the details, so treat the FAR as the frame and the RFP as the instructions you are scored against.