FAR Part 10 Rewrite Signals Modernization in Federal Procurement
Streamlining Federal Acquisition
Part 10 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rewrite has officially been released, marking the start of a sweeping transformation in how the federal government approaches procurement. The rewrite aims to modernize acquisition practices, reduce bureaucratic barriers, and align regulations with recent executive orders that emphasize procurement centralization and commercial technology adoption.
This new version of FAR 10 is notably shorter and designed to give contracting officers more flexibility. It encourages discretion in how acquisitions are tailored to mission needs and strongly prioritizes the use of government-wide contract vehicles such as GSA Schedules and Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) over agency-specific or open-market options.
Benefits and Tradeoffs of Greater Flexibility
The most obvious change is the streamlined format. Shorter regulations can be highly beneficial if they empower contracting professionals to move with agility and better respond to program requirements. However, increased flexibility comes with risks—chiefly, the possibility of missteps by acquisition staff who lack the training or contextual understanding to make fully informed decisions.
Compounding the challenge is the fact that FAR Part 10 is being read in isolation. References to topics like disaster contracting, small business considerations, and consolidation or bundling have been removed and will appear in other FAR parts (such as Part 26 for disaster relief purchasing and FAR Part 7 for bundling procurements). Until those are released, interpreting the full impact of Part 10 is difficult.
Commercial Technology and the Risk of Exclusion
While the new rules promote using established contract vehicles, this approach may unintentionally shut out emerging commercial innovators—particularly those that start with small, one-off government contracts before scaling. Many technology companies enter the public sector through pilot projects or agency-specific needs and only later consider pursuing government-wide contract vehicles. To ensure such companies aren’t left behind, a more nuanced and informed approach will be essential. This includes educating the acquisition workforce about when it's appropriate to explore options outside of the traditional contract pathways.
Vendor Engagement and GSA Strategy
GSA is actively working with large commercial software vendors—such as Google, Microsoft, Adobe and Salesforce to create discounted pricing models for the entire federal government. These efforts suggest a broader strategy to secure more favorable pricing while ensuring that essential technology is available government-wide. While this is promising, successful implementation hinges on how well the acquisition community uses the tools provided.
Practitioner Album: The Backbone of Transition
With the release of the rewritten FAR Part 10, GSA and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) have launched a powerful companion resource: the FAR Part 10 Practitioner Album. This interactive digital guide is a a hands-on, scenario-based training tool designed to help acquisition professionals apply the principles of market research in real-world contracting situations.
Accessible at acquisition.gov, the album presents a user-friendly interface that breaks down FAR 10 concepts into digestible modules. Each section walks users through key phases of the market research process, offering both theoretical and applied knowledge. It includes video explanations, interactive decision-making scenarios, best practice examples, and links to relevant tools—like the Acquisition Gateway, GSA’s Market Research as a Service (MRAS), and agency-specific resources from the VA and DHS.
Notably, the Practitioner Album offers guidance on:
How to tailor market research strategies depending on acquisition complexity
When and how to prioritize government-wide contract vehicles (GWACs and Schedules)
How to engage industry early, including best practices for one-on-ones and industry days
How to document research decisions effectively for compliance and audit-readiness
One of the strongest features of the album is its emphasis on “just-in-time” learning, a training model that helps acquisition professionals find the specific guidance they need exactly when they need it. This model is a major shift from traditional certification-heavy approaches and aligns well with the current transition period, where practitioners must navigate both the legacy FAR and its emerging replacement.
While the Practitioner Album is focused on FAR Part 10, it sets a high bar for what future FAR rewrite rollouts could look like. It bridges the gap between regulation and execution, empowering the workforce to make informed decisions with confidence and agility.
The Need for Integration
As the FAR rewrite progresses, one of the most pressing structural concerns is the risk of fragmentation. While the addition of resources like the Practitioner Album is a welcome development, there is a legitimate worry that each new FAR part may arrive with its own lengthy guide, toolkit, or companion album. If these resources are not thoughtfully designed to work together, the acquisition workforce could find itself navigating an ecosystem of disconnected materials—ironically creating more complexity, not less.
The very purpose of the FAR rewrite is to simplify, streamline, and modernize acquisition. However, if every regulation is accompanied by a detailed guide that lives outside the FAR itself, practitioners may need to consult multiple layers of unofficial manuals to apply a single rule. This risks turning the Practitioner Album and other tools into a shadow regulatory framework—one that exists parallel to the FAR, yet is not formally codified.
This is why clear cross-referencing and a tightly integrated content structure are critical. For example, if FAR Part 10 references market research but defers disaster contracting guidance to Part 26, then the Part 10 Practitioner Album should include a direct and intuitive link to the relevant section of the Part 26 materials once they are released. Users should never be left guessing where to go next. Internal crosswalks, linked lessons, and visual maps across parts and tools would greatly reduce friction and make the FAR rewrite more usable in practice.
There is a need to establish a central hub or framework where all practitioner materials, reference guides, and regulatory updates are curated holistically by function and acquisition lifecycle stage. This would allow contracting officers to find what they need based on the problem they’re solving (e.g., conducting market research, issuing an RFP, awarding a task order), rather than having to memorize where every rule or exception lives.
Ultimately, the success of the FAR rewrite will depend not just on what the new rules say, but on how cohesively they operate as a system. As more parts are released, GSA and OMB have a critical opportunity to model smart integration, ensuring that this transformation leads to clarity. If they succeed, the FAR could evolve from a static rulebook into a dynamic, intuitive framework that empowers acquisition professionals across the federal landscape.
Final Thoughts
The release of FAR Part 10 is an exciting first step in what could be a transformative era for federal acquisition. But its success depends on execution-how well the pieces fit together, how empowered the workforce feels using new tools, and how inclusive the process remains for non-traditional vendors.
We are watching history unfold, and it’s up to everyone involved in the acquisition community to make this transition work not just on paper, but in the field.
