An EO called the FAR guidance too long, too complex and as imposing extraneous requirements. Image: Tada Images/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe ongoing rewrite of the Federal Acquisition Regulation “isn’t about abandoning rules or throwing caution to the wind,” the GSA has said, while adding that “there will be an adjustment period, and it might be uncomfortable.”
“For the first time, the FAR is being comprehensively overhauled. It is being pared back to its statutory foundation and rewritten in plain language. Many of the one-off rules and procedural add-ons will move out of the regulation and into flexible, practical guides,” it said. “The goal is a clearer, more navigable FAR—a FAR that supports smart buying, fosters innovation, and keeps us grounded in law without being boxed in by decades of complexity.”
What GSA has called the “Revolutionary FAR Overhaul” is being done under an executive order that criticized that guide to agency purchasing as too long, too complex and as imposing extraneous requirements. The order required that the FAR be streamlined to ensure that it contains only provisions required by law or that are otherwise necessary to “support simplicity and usability, strengthen the efficacy of the procurement system, or protect economic or national security interests.”
In previewing what it called “the inevitable adjustment period” that will follow, GSA stressed that:
* “Most acquisition professionals have developed sound judgment through years of experience. That knowledge doesn’t disappear when guidance is reduced.”
* “Instead of following step-by-step instructions, we’ll need to internalize the core principles of fair, efficient, and effective procurement.”
* “When the path isn’t explicitly marked, we’ll need to consult with colleagues, share experiences, and build collective wisdom.”
* “Mistakes will happen: What matters is how we learn from them.”
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