The Federal Acquisition Regulation, commonly called the FAR, is the government-wide rulebook for federal procurement contracts. It is distinct from Uniform Guidance, which principally governs grants, cooperative agreements, and other federal financial assistance. A research-performing organization may participate in both systems, and the applicable rules depend on whether the federal government is purchasing a product or service through a contract or supporting a public purpose through financial assistance.
The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul is a government-wide effort led by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy and the FAR Council to rewrite the FAR in plainer language, return it to statutory and executive-order requirements, and remove many detailed procedures from the regulation. Practical material removed from the FAR may instead appear in nonbinding buying guides, practitioner resources, and the FAR Companion.
The transition is occurring through two parallel tracks. First, the FAR Council issues model deviation text for individual FAR parts, and agencies adopt that text through their own class deviations while formal rulemaking proceeds. Second, the government develops nonregulatory guidance and tools for acquisition personnel. Because agencies adopt model deviations on different schedules, the operative language for a particular solicitation or contract may depend on the awarding agency, the date of the action, the agency's deviation, the codified FAR, applicable agency supplements, and the contract's own clauses.
Research-community comments on the first formal FAR overhaul rulemakings have emphasized the importance of preserving clarity, consistency, and workable compliance expectations as material moves from binding regulation into nonregulatory guidance. For research administrators, the practical task is to confirm which rules and deviations apply to each contract action, coordinate with contracting and legal staff, and avoid assuming that the text visible in the traditionally codified FAR is the only operative source during the transition.
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