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Unlocking Flexibility: Inside the Rewrite of FAR Part 10 for Smarter Government Market Research
Big changes are underway in the world of federal procurement, aiming to make it easier and more efficient for government agencies to find the right solutions and pricing for contracts. The Trump administration has released a significant portion of its rewrite of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), specifically targeting how market research is conducted.
The focus is on FAR Part 10, and the goal is simple yet revolutionary: give acquisition officials greater flexibility. Under the new approach, prescriptive requirements are being removed. Instead of listing specific methods agencies must use, the updated rules allow acquisition teams to pick the method they believe best meets their needs. This could mean anything from hosting a reverse industry day to convening an expert panel to gather industry perspectives.
To help agencies navigate this new landscape, the General Services Administration (GSA) has introduced what’s called a “Practitioner Album”. This album provides more detail on the class deviation GSA wants agencies to follow and includes the marked-out text showing exactly what’s being removed from the current Part 10. It’s all part of what’s being described as a “revolutionary FAR overhaul”.
One notable detail in the revised Part 10 document is that every mention of small business requirements in the current rules is marked for deletion. However, competition requirements as described in the Competition in Contracting Act remain unchanged.
A key principle emphasized in the changes is the importance of early communication with industry. GSA highlights that when these early conversations happen, solutions align better, proposals improve, awards can happen faster, and teams deliver more effectively.
To further support acquisition teams, GSA has rolled out some new tools and services:
- Procurement Co-Pilot: This tool is designed to help teams develop better cost estimates, quickly find companies, choose the best contract type, and even determine what others have paid for similar work. The co-pilot is already available through the acquisition gateway.
- Market Research as a Service (MRAS): GSA is offering specialists who can assist teams with planning activities like sources sought notices, vendor sessions, and industry outreach. These specialists can also help manage vendor responses and market research documentation.
The changes also take aim at improving the Request for Information (RFI) process. While traditional RFIs often generate inconsistent responses that burden acquisition teams, the new approach encourages the use of electronic forms-based RFIs. By standardizing information collection with structured data fields, agencies can dramatically reduce administrative workload, compare capabilities faster, identify solution patterns, and focus their analysis on substantive differences rather than formatting issues. The goal is to avoid treating RFIs like draft solicitations and instead focus on specific, targeted questions about capabilities and approaches, which reduces the burden on potential partners and ultimately saves the government money by avoiding higher costs reflected from industry time spent on overly complex RFIs.
GSA is encouraging agencies to begin using the Part 10 deviation immediately while formal rulemaking proceeds. They are also actively seeking informal feedback.
This rewrite of FAR Part 10 represents a significant step towards a more flexible, streamlined, and efficient market research process in federal government contracting, aiming to empower agencies and foster better engagement with industry.
Tags: FAR Part 10, Market Research, Government Contracting, Federal Acquisition Regulation, GSA, Procurement, Acquisition, Flexibility, Streamlining, Practitioner Album, Procurement Co-Pilot, MRAS, RFIs, Industry Day