The Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council on Tuesday will take the next formal step in the Trump administration’s effort to overhaul the Federal Acquisition Regulation, when it will release a proposed rule covering the first 17 sections of the government’s primary procurement rulebook.
The proposed rule, scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on June 23, moves a broad set of FAR rewrite efforts from agency deviations into the formal rulemaking process and opens a 30-day public comment period.
The overhaul – directed under an April 2025 executive order from President Donald Trump – is being led by the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) in partnership with the General Services Administration, the Department of Defense, and NASA as members of the FAR Council.
“The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul is restoring common sense to federal procurement. These new rules will dramatically reduce costs while increasing competition in the federal marketplace,” an OMB spokesperson told MeriTalk. “OMB and OFPP are proud to be leading the way on this effort.”
The FAR governs how agencies buy goods and services across government, from IT systems and cloud services to major weapons platforms and professional services contracts.
In the Federal Register document, the agencies write that they are “issuing twelve proposed rules that collectively will streamline the FAR in its entirety.”
The first proposed rule covers 17 FAR parts, including competition requirements, acquisition planning, market research, information security and supply chain security, information and communication technology acquisitions, protests and disputes, and contract terminations.
Several of the proposed rewrites remove text the FAR Council describes as “non-statutory requirements.” The council said the effort is intended to keep only provisions required by law, executive order, or essential government-wide policy.
“This new vision represents a paradigm shift where over-engineered regulations designed for paperwork and compliance are replaced with streamlined regulations focused on core stewardship principles and nonregulatory guidance that will be used in concert with the streamlined FAR,” the notice says.
The rulemaking marks a significant milestone for the overhaul, which has been underway for more than a year through deviation guidance issued to agencies. Those deviations served as an interim framework while regulators prepared formal proposed rules.
Federal officials have argued that the FAR has become increasingly complex over time, adding layers of requirements that can slow acquisitions and discourage vendor participation.
Last month, OFPP Deputy Administrator Mathew Blum said the FAR overhaul has cut about 25% of the rulebook so far. The reduction has eliminated about 500 pages, including roughly 2,700 prescriptive “shalls” and “musts.”
Interested stakeholders will have 30 days after publication to submit comments before the council begins work on final rules.