The General Services Administration (GSA) announced two new class deviations to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) today to comply with executive orders that President Trump has issued since taking office on Jan. 20.
The FAR is a set of regulations that governs Federal procurement and contracting, and is jointly maintained by GSA, the Department of Defense, and the National Aeronautics and Space Agency.
The class deviations were put into place on Feb. 15, and were made to comply with Trump’s executive orders which banned diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) procurement and contracting practices, and rolled back executive orders put into place by the Biden administration.
“These actions are the first steps in transforming the FAR into a sensible, common sense guideline to ensure that the federal government is working with industry as an attractive partner for business,” Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service, said in a statement.
“The FAR has grown to more than 2,000 pages – it’s burdensome, outdated, and doesn’t allow agencies to buy at the speed of need, which leads to poor outcomes for the public we serve,” he continued. “The time is now to streamline the FAR to better align with commercial practices.”
DEIA-related changes made to FAR reflect Trump’s EO which requires the inclusion of terms in contracts that prohibit programs that promote DEIA and directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to review and remove DEIA-related language and mandates from Federal acquisition, contracting, grants, and financial assistance.
The order instead placed an emphasis on “individual merit,” and also requires OMB and the U.S. Attorney General to evaluate strategies for eliminating DEIA practices.
Biden-era EOs rolled back which were related to the FAR included requiring Federal agencies to assess whether their procurement and contracting policies promoted equity for underserved businesses; emphasized sustainability, climate resilience, and clean energy standards; prohibited Federal contractors from using salary history in hiring; and streamlined and modernized regulatory review processes.
“The steps taken by GSA will make it easier for industry to sell their products and services to the government,” Stephen Ehikian, acting administrator and deputy administrator for GSA, said in a statement. “GSA is leading the way in transforming government and strongly encourages other agencies to follow our lead.”
Recent updates to FAR follow other actions taken by the Federal government to comply with Trump’s executive orders. Earlier this month, the Office of Personnel Management issued guidance requiring all agencies to eliminate DEIA programs within 60 days.
