Overview
Subpart 23.9 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is currently designated as "Reserved." This means that there are no active regulatory requirements, clauses, or provisions contained within this specific section at this time.
Key Rules
- Placeholder Status: The "Reserved" designation is used to maintain the FAR’s structural numbering system, allowing for the future insertion of regulations or marking where previous content has been deleted.
- Lack of Active Provisions: There are no enforceable rules or compliance mandates currently residing in Subpart 23.9.
- Regulatory Transition: Historically, this subpart may have contained specific environmental requirements (such as Contractor Compliance with Environmental Management Systems), but those have been removed or relocated in recent FAR updates to streamline environmental policies.
Responsibilities
- Contracting Officers: Currently have no specific duties under this subpart. They should not look for or attempt to include any Subpart 23.9 clauses in solicitations.
- Contractors/Offerors: Have no compliance or reporting obligations stemming from this subpart.
- Regulatory Bodies: The FAR Council is responsible for determining if and when this subpart will be populated with new regulatory content in the future.
Practical Implications
- Compliance Scrutiny: When a section is "Reserved," contractors should ensure they are referencing the most current version of the FAR. Relying on outdated versions that may have contained text in 23.9 could lead to referencing obsolete requirements.
- Focus on Subpart 23.1: Most environmental and sustainability requirements previously scattered across Part 23 have been consolidated or revised. Practitioners should focus their attention on FAR Subpart 23.1 (Sustainable Products and Services) for current environmental compliance guidance.
- Administrative Cleanliness: For legal and administrative professionals, the "Reserved" status simply means one less section to monitor during the compliance review process for new federal contracts.