Federal Acquisition Regulation; Preaward Debriefings

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council have agreed on a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement Section 4104 of the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996. The rule requires that, prior to contract award, contracting officers provide a debriefing to any interested offeror on the reasons for that offeror's exclusion from the competitive range in a competitive negotiation. This regulatory action was not subject to Office of Management and Budget review under Executive Order 12866, dated September 30, 1993. This is not a major rule under 5 U.S.C. 804. The Federal Acquisition Reform Act of 1996 was subsequently renamed the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996.