To What Extent are DoD Activities Capitalizing on Commercial Item Designation Statutory and Regulatory Provisions under FASA, FARA, and SARA--Getting the Most from Limited Resources

Abstract

The past decade has seen a significant change in business practices within the Federal contracting arena. The changes have created a more business-to-business like contracting methodology, via commercial item designation streamlined procedures, for the conduct of Federal procurements meeting specific criteria defined in statutory authority provided under the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA), the Federal Acquisition Reform Act (FARA), and the Services Acquisition Reform Act (SARA). The aforementioned legislation allows for the utilization of Simplified Acquisition Procedures for all commercial item designated goods and services up to and including $5 million. The legislation was passed in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Federal contracting processes.