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On June 23, 2026, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR Council)—comprised of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), and NASA—released the first set of twelve proposed rules to implement Executive Order 14275, “Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement.”

These proposed changes represent the opening phase of what the Administration has described as a “Revolutionary FAR Overhaul,” widely characterized as the most significant rewrite of the Federal Acquisition Regulation in more than four decades.

The stated objective of the FAR overhaul is to reduce regulatory complexity, eliminate duplicative or outdated acquisition requirements, and better align procurement rules with underlying statutory mandates. The first package of proposed rules spans 17 FAR parts and is divided into four separate rulemakings issued by the FAR Council.

Notably, FAR Part 19 (Small Business Programs) is not included in this initial package and is expected to be addressed in a subsequent rulemaking cycle.

The initial rulemaking package includes several structural and procedural reforms intended to simplify federal acquisition processes and reduce administrative burden:

  • Acquisition planning simplification: Replacement of lengthy written acquisition plan requirements with a one-page practitioner-focused guidance tool, with flexibility for oral planning where appropriate. 
  • Audit coordination reform: Transition from a blanket requirement for $2 million-plus settlements to a more risk-based framework for audit and resolution decisions. 
  • Regulatory sunset mechanism: Establishment of a mandatory four-year review cycle for FAR provisions, including structured public input to reduce regulatory accumulation over time. 
  • Security consolidation: Centralization of federal security-related acquisition requirements into a newly organized Part 40, structured into subparts addressing supply chain risk, prohibited/excluded sources, and information safeguarding. 
  • Market research integration: Consolidation of prior FAR Part 10 (market research) into Part 7 (acquisition planning) to streamline pre-award processes. 
  • Transparency adjustments: Removal of the prior requirement for mandatory public announcements of contract awards exceeding $5.5 million, replacing it with a revised disclosure framework. 

The proposed rules are subject to a 30-day public comment period, with comments due by July 23, 2026. Stakeholders across the federal procurement ecosystem including contractors, agencies, and trade associations are expected to engage actively during this period as the FAR Council evaluates potential revisions prior to final rule issuance.