FAROut: The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul
by Ray Ward
August 11, 2025
Hello Fellow FAR Followers,
If you are reading these words, you’re probably already aware that the Federal Acquisition Regulation we have come to know is on the way out…with a “skinny” version replacing it. This is the first of a series of blog posts on the latest happenings regarding the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO), previously (and sometimes still) referred to as FAR 2.0. Every second Monday I’ll be publishing a brief, comprehensive, and hopefully interesting summary of developments over the preceding two weeks.
This is not meant to replace the General Service Administration’s updates on its Revolutionary FAR Overhaul site. To fully understand the implications of what is being updated, that’s the place to go. However, this blog aims to present a somewhat breezier overview of recent developments; sometimes with a bit of personal perspective. I also recommend scanning GSA’s RFO Frequently Asked Questions page if you haven’t already done so. Let us begin.
First up, on July 24 the FAR Council dropped new model deviation texts for FAR Part 35 (Research & Development Contracting) and Part 36 (Construction and Architect-Engineer Contracts), each accompanied by Practitioner Albums to make implementation smoother. On July 30, GSA issued a class deviation for FAR Part 50—Extraordinary Contractual Actions and the SAFETY Act—directing its workforce to use the new RFO-based version in place of the legacy regulation. More recently, Parts 5 (Publicizing Contract Actions) and 26 (Other Socioeconomic Programs) were published on Friday to join the previously updated Parts 1, 6, 10, 11, 18, 29, 31, 34, 35, 36, 39, and 43.
The updated versions trim and clarify the previous language in the FAR parts while preserving essential statutory provisions. They include a Change Summary, FAR Line Out, Smart Accelerator, a senior official’s “Practitioner Perspective” column. There’s also a link for members of the federal contracting workforce to join the “FARforward” forum to exchange ideas about the revisions—all bundled in Practitioner Albums under each FAR part available at this link. Anyone can use the “Submit Your Feedback” button at the top right of the landing screens for each updated FAR part to submit informal feedback.
So, what is the here-and-now impact? If you are actively working on federal contracts, know that new model deviations and class deviations (federal agencies issue their own class deviations to officially adopt GSA’s model deviations) are flooding in for the various FAR parts, along with the Practitioner Albums to guide their application. It’s more important than ever to review those albums, attend upcoming webinars when you can, and encourage your peers to embrace these changes as they become applicable. The RFO isn’t just a notional exercise to give an appearance of a “skinnier” federal regulation. It is a practical tool meant to promote efficiencies for contracting professionals in both Government and Industry!
The views expressed in this blog post are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of any agency of the federal government.