FedCiv FAR Supplements Explained: What GovCons Need to Know About Agency-Specific Acquisition Rules

• Over 20 agency-specific FAR supplements exist under Title 48 CFR
• GovCons must identify and comply with the supplement governing agency acquisition to capture contract opportunities
• The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul is driving updates to FedCiv supplements

Doing business with the federal government requires a deep understanding of complex acquisition rules, but mastering the Federal Acquisition Regulation, or FAR, is only step one. Contractors aiming to capture opportunities at federal civilian agencies must also know FAR supplements that add unique requirements and specialized clauses that influence how each agency evaluates proposals and awards contracts.

FedCiv agency leaders will discuss changes to government procurement processes and offer a glimpse into future investment plans at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 FedCiv Summit on Oct. 29. Senior officials from the Small Business Administration, the Department of Labor, the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior and other agencies will take the stage to share insights into issues affecting the federal civilian landscape. Don’t miss your chance to connect with key government decision-makers — sign up today!

What Are the FedCiv FAR Supplements?

All FAR supplements are codified under Title 48 of the Code of Federal Regulations, or CFR. Over 20 agency-specific supplements exist under Title 48 CFR. Below are the key FAR supplements governing federal civilian agency acquisitions:

• Department of Agriculture Acquisition Regulation, or AGAR
• Department of Commerce Acquisition Regulation, or CAR
• Department of Education Acquisition Regulation, or EDAR
• Department of Energy Acquisition Regulation, or DEAR
• Department of Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation, or HHSAR
• Department of Homeland Security Acquisition Regulation, or HSAR
• Department of Housing and Urban Development Acquisition Regulation, or HUDAR
• Department of Justice Acquisition Regulation, or JAR
• Department of Labor Acquisition Regulation, or DOLAR
• Department of State Acquisition Regulation, or DOSAR
• Department of the Interior Acquisition Regulation, or DIAR
• Department of the Treasury Acquisition Regulation, or DTAR
• Department of Transportation Acquisition Regulation, or TAR
• Department of Veterans Affairs Acquisition Regulation, or VAAR
• Environmental Protection Agency Acquisition Regulation, or EPAAR
• General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation, or GSAR
• NASA Federal Acquisition Supplement, or NFS
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission Acquisition Regulation, or NRCAR
• Office of Personnel Management Federal Employees Health Benefits Acquisition Regulation, or FEHBAR
• Office of Personnel Management Group Life Insurance Federal Acquisition, or LIFAR
• Social Security Acquisition Regulation, or SSAR
• Agency for International Development Acquisition Regulation, or AIDAR

How Do FedCiv Supplements Differ From the FAR?

FAR supplements implement policies that address each agency’s unique statutory requirements. While the FAR provides a comprehensive set of rules, agency-level supplements customize, expand or limit core regulations to align with specialized operational demands.

Here are some examples of how supplements deviate from the FAR:

GSAR

Codified at 48 CFR Chapter 5, GSAR contains the acquisition policies, contract clauses, solicitation provisions and forms that guide the relationship between GSA and its contractors.

GSAR governs part of the Multiple Award Schedule, also known as MAS, GSA’s long-term indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity contract vehicle. GSAR, specifically GSA Manual Part 538, covers the solicitation, evaluation and awarding of MAS contracts; the administration of price reductions and the delegation of Federal Supply Schedule contracting authority to other agencies.

VAAR

VAAR, codified at 48 CFR Chapter 8, implements the VA’s veterans-preference framework. By law, VA contracting officers must give first priority to veteran-owned small businesses before considering any other socioeconomic category or full and open competition.

NFS

NASA’s FAR Supplement spells out in detail how safety and security failures affect a contractor’s final award fee. Under NFS guidelines, codified under 48 CFR Chapter 18, risk management is a core award fee evaluation factor. A contractor will receive an overall fee rating of “unsatisfactory” for any contract-related safety or security breach, regardless of whether it happened on, or off, government property.

DEAR

DEAR is codified at 48 CFR Chapter 9, and is issued jointly by the senior procurement executives of DOE and National Nuclear Security Administration.

DEAR’s most distinctive feature is Part 970, which governs the award and administration of Management and Operating, or M&O, contract vehicles that DOE uses to run its national laboratories and major nuclear and research facilities. An M&O contract is defined by FAR as an arrangement where the government hires a contractor to operate, maintain or support a government-owned facility for research, development, special production or testing to advance the contracting federal agency’s core programs. Part 970 of DEAR provides DOE-specific requirements for M&O contracts, including scope of work and records retention.

DOSAR

DOSAR, codified at 48 CFR Chapter 6, implements the Foreign Service Buildings Act of 1926, which restricts competition for overseas construction projects exceeding $5 million to American-owned firms or firms from countries that offer American companies market access for similar projects. The supplement also grants a 10 percent price preference to American bidders.

DOSAR also implements the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986, adding its own U.S.-contractor preference for diplomatic construction projects exceeding $10 million or involving technical security and limiting subcontracting at 50 percent of the contract value.

FEHBAR & LIFAR

OPM does not maintain a general-purpose FAR supplement; instead, it uses two distinct supplements to regulate federal insurance programs.

FEHBAR, codified at 48 CFR Chapter 16, implements and supplements the FAR specifically for the acquisition and administration of contracts with health insurance carriers in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.

LIFAR, codified at 48 CFR Chapter 21, does the same for the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program.

DOE Chief Information Officer Dawn Zimmer and GSA Chief Acquisition Officer Greg Justice (pending confirmation) will deliver keynote speeches at the 2026 FedCiv Summit. Learn about how the agencies are modernizing acquisition processes to accelerate the adoption of advanced technologies. Get your tickets today!

How Will the FAR Overhaul Affect FedCiv Supplements?

Federal civilian agencies are updating their processes to align with the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul, or RFO, the government’s effort to streamline federal procurement.

GSA, for instance, has announced its own overhaul of GSAR. A memo issued in January provides a summary of upcoming changes to ensure that GSAR remains “concise, understandable and focused on core procurement requirements.” The agency has already begun canceling acquisition policies as part of the ongoing overhaul.

HHS has also issued updates to parts of its supplement. On its website, the agency has listed more than 20 deviations, ranging from contractor qualifications to bonds and insurance.

RFO is a response to Executive Order 14275, or Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement. Issued in April 2025, the EO directs the Office of Federal Procurement Policy to rewrite the FAR in plain language and remove non-statutory rules.

The overhaul consists of two phases. During Phase I, which ran from April to October 2025, revisions were published on the RFO webpage as model deviations, allowing agencies to adopt the new processes immediately and provide feedback ahead of formal rulemaking. Phase II began in October 2025 and is the formal rule-making process to amend the FAR.

As of June 23, the FAR Council has proposed four rules that cover 19 parts of FAR, including solicitation provisions and contract clauses.

The 2026 FedCiv Summit on Oct. 29 is the destination for GovCons who want to more deeply understand how federal acquisitions work and gain visibility into upcoming changes to procurement processes and priorities. Attendees can engage directly with the government officials behind policy overhauls and technology initiatives. Register today to secure your seat!