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About the FAR Companion The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR Council) is restoring common sense to Federal buying by eliminating rules from the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) that are neither statutory nor essential to sound procurement. This management action, which is directed by Executive Order 14275 and OMB Memorandum M-25-26, is expected to result in the removal of well over 1,000 mandates from the FAR, allowing buyers to use their business judgment to determine when many government-wide procurement policies and practices are suitable and how they are best implemented. The FAR Council has developed this FAR Companion to help acquisition officials exercise their discretion.

The FAR Companion provides context, additional information, and practical advice for planning, awarding, managing, and closing out contracts, consistent with the FAR’s core buying principles. The FAR Companion is designed to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of federal buying by:
-consolidating practitioner insights in one place from a variety of helpful sources -- such as innovation and vendor engagement strategies, handbooks, training materials, and management memoranda – saving buyers time in finding and leveraging best practices;

- preserving a number of policies and “how to” procedures formerly mandated in the prestreamlined FAR that continue to reflect good stewardship but are more appropriately applied with discretion as part of problem-solving and are not a “one-size-fits-all” mandate;

- building the confidence of the acquisition workforce to take managed risks, by providing advice – not direction – and avoiding compliance requirements that create a fear of protests; and

-creating an agile and efficient government-wide resource to highlight and evolve proven acquisition practices and reduce the amount of guidance needed from agencies. Chief Acquisition Officers (CAOs) and senior procurement executives (SPEs) should ensure the acquisition workforce becomes familiar with the FAR Companion and understands the FAR Companion is non-regulatory, contains no mandates, and is not intended to serve as the basis for protests or legal action

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