Overview
The sections marked "[Reserved]" within FAR 52.208 serve as numerical placeholders for clauses that have been deleted, rescinded, or are being held for future regulatory additions. These placeholders ensure the structural integrity of the Federal Acquisition Regulation's numbering system remains intact even when specific policies change.
Key Rules
- Maintenance of Sequence: The primary rule governing "[Reserved]" sections is to prevent the renumbering of subsequent clauses, which would otherwise break existing cross-references throughout the FAR and active contracts.
- Zero Compliance Requirement: There are no active regulatory requirements, definitions, or instructions contained within a reserved section; they are legally inert.
- Historical Indicators: In the context of FAR 52.208 (Required Sources of Supplies and Services), these placeholders often represent retired clauses related to government supply sources that are no longer applicable under current acquisition policy.
Practical Implications
- Compliance Audits: Contractors and legal teams can bypass these sections during solicitation reviews, as they contain no enforceable terms or conditions.
- System Stability: The use of placeholders allows procurement software and databases to maintain consistent data fields without requiring a complete system overhaul when a specific clause is removed from the regulation.