What changed in FAR Part 6 in the 2026 overhaul?
The 2026 FAR Part 6 guidance reorganizes competition rules, but the core requirement for full and open competition and the main exceptions remain in place.
AI-assisted and automatically checked against the linked primary sources.
What does the 2026 Part 6 overhaul actually change?
According to Acquisition.gov’s FAR Overhaul Part 6 deviation guide, the 2026 rewrite reorganizes Part 6 into a presolicitation structure and a postaward structure, with section labels such as 6.101 Full and open competition, 6.102 Full and open competition after excluding sources, and 6.103 Other than full and open competition. The current FAR Part 6 text still says the part is meant to promote full and open competition, full and open competition after exclusion of sources, other than full and open competition, and advocates for competition, and it says the part does not address the results of competition, such as adequate price competition. The current text also keeps the standard applicability exceptions, including simplified acquisitions under Part 13, procedures expressly authorized by statute, in-scope contract modifications, certain orders under requirements, definite-quantity, indefinite-quantity, and task order or delivery order contracts. In short, the sources show a structural overhaul and updated section numbering, not a rewrite that eliminates the underlying competition rules.
Has the 2026 overhaul removed Part 6 competition requirements?
- Treat the 2026 Part 6 overhaul as a structural reorganization first, not a repeal of competition policy.
- Use the current Part 6 text to confirm whether an acquisition falls within an exception.
- Check the revised presolicitation and postaward labels before citing section numbers in filings or internal guidance.
- Do not assume another agency can be used to avoid Part 6 requirements.
Process
- 1
Check the current Part 6 text
Confirm whether the acquisition is subject to Part 6 and whether an exception applies.
- 2
Map the overhaul labels
Use the FAR Overhaul Part 6 guide to track the presolicitation and postaward section numbering.
- 3
Document the competition path
If using a non-full-and-open path, align the justification or approval with the cited Part 6 framework.
Important Note
The FAR Overhaul page is deviation guidance. Before citing a section number in a solicitation, justification, or internal memo, verify the operative Part 6 text and the current section numbering.
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