Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul Parts 16, 17, and 35

Key claim: Federal agencies would follow a shorter, simpler set of rules for choosing contract types, using special contracting methods, and buying research and development, as part of a government-wide rewrite of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

Abstract

(Proposed Rule · Management and Budget Office, Federal Procurement Policy Office, Defense Department, General Services Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration) OFPP, DoD, GSA, and NASA (collectively referred to as the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council or FAR Council) are proposing to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement Executive Order (E.O.) 14275, Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement. The E.O. directs the elimination of excessive acquisition regulations to stop the inefficient use of American taxpayer dollars. The FAR Council is issuing twelve proposed rules that collectively, if finalized, would streamline the FAR in its entirety. This rule proposes revisions to FAR part 16, Types of Contracts, part 17, Special Contracting Methods, part 35, Research and Development Contracting, and part 52, Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses.

[This finding represents 3 closely related documents issued 2026-09-18 (same source, same action). Related: fedreg:2026-19159, fedreg:2026-19158]

Why this matters

Contracts, not just grants, are a major channel for federal R&D spending, especially at mission agencies like DOD, DOE, and NASA. Rewriting FAR Part 35 (R&D contracting) along with the contract-type and special-methods parts could change the terms, flexibility, and overhead treatment under which universities and companies take on federally funded research. Because this is one of twelve coordinated proposed rules, the cumulative effect on how agencies buy research could be substantial even though each piece is incremental.

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