Overview
This section establishes that the acquisition of commercial products and services must be conducted by combining the specific policies of FAR Part 12 with the procedural frameworks of FAR Parts 13, 14, or 15, while also allowing for streamlined and simplified procedures under specific dollar thresholds.
Key Rules
- Integration of Parts: Contracting officers must use FAR Part 12 in conjunction with Part 13 (Simplified Acquisition Procedures), Part 14 (Sealed Bidding), or Part 15 (Negotiation), depending on the specific acquisition strategy.
- Streamlined Procedures: The use of streamlined solicitation procedures for commercial items under FAR 12.603 is explicitly permitted.
- Expanded Simplified Procedures: For commercial acquisitions exceeding the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) but below $9 million ($15 million for specific contingency operations), agencies may utilize the simplified procedures authorized by FAR Subpart 13.5.
- LPTA Restrictions: When utilizing the Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) source selection process, contracting officers must ensure compliance with the restrictive criteria found in FAR 15.101-2(c).
Practical Implications
- Flexibility and Speed: This section allows contracting officers to bypass the more rigid requirements of FAR Part 15 by using simplified procedures for high-dollar commercial requirements (up to $9M), significantly reducing procurement lead times.
- Compliance Burden: While commercial buying is intended to be simpler, contracting officers must still navigate the complexities of multiple FAR parts and justify the use of LPTA to ensure it is only applied to appropriate, non-complex requirements.