Understanding Executive Order 14275: “Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement”
On April 15, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14275, initiating a comprehensive revision of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and related supplements, including the Defense Federal Acquisition Supplement (DFARS). This order, commonly referred to as the “Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO),” mandated the FAR Council to review the FAR and retain only the provisions required by statute or deemed essential for effective procurement of goods and services.
As a result, the FAR Council has undertaken a full review and re-write of all 52 FAR parts and has since posted FAR Part Deviation Guidance detailing all changes made. These deviations are set to take effect November 3, 2025, and primarily focus on eliminating redundancy, updating the FAR language to accommodate technological advancements, and simplifying terminology. While the core processes and requirements remain largely the same, the overhaul emphasizes a preference for commercial procurement, streamlined procedures, and simplified emergency procurement acquisition.
The overarching objective was to return the FAR to its statutory foundations, reduce regulatory complexity, and foster a more agile and efficient government procurement environment. These simplifications are intended to open the door for increased participation by small businesses, manufacturers, new contractors, and others who have not traditionally worked with federal agencies and the federal procurement process. At the same time, because so much guidance was removed from the FAR, the FAR Companion Guide was created to help procurement professionals adapt to the new framework.
The FAR Companion Guide and Practitioner Albums
Historically, the FAR has served as a “one-stop-shop”, a comprehensive resource for laws governing contracting and guidance for agency contracting officers. With the Overhaul’s removal of nonessential language, much of the prescribed guidance was eliminated, thus leaving room for buyers to make judgement calls on when and how to implement policies and practices.
As a resource to assist with decisions and judgment calls, the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) and the FAR Council published the “FAR Companion Guide.” This is a resource for government procurement personnel and is intended to be used in tandem with the FAR. It offers strategic tips and insights from experienced practitioners and aims to provide context, additional information, and practical advice for planning, awarding, managing, and closing out contracts. Each part of the Companion Guide corresponds directly to a FAR part, with matching citations (e.g., “FAR Part 4.101” is accompanied by FAR Companion “FC4.101”).
The Companion Guide is not mandatory and does not carry legal authority. It is intended to be used as a reference for guidance, advice, best practices, and innovations, and consolidates practitioner insights, training material, and procurement strategies. This guide is a living document and will continue to evolve just as the FAR continues to evolve.
Complementing the FAR Companion Guide is another supplementary resource – the Practitioner Albums. Like the Companion Guide, each of the Practitioner Albums aligns with a corresponding FAR part. It is evident that these additional non-regulatory albums were tailored with government procurement personnel in mind — synthesizing the regulatory changes into an organized, structured, and user-friendly format. Each Practitioner Album contains:
- A summary of key changes made by the deviation;
- A line-out document highlighting what was removed from the FAR part; and
- Additional resources, like best practices, videos, and tested practitioner tools to accelerate adoption of innovative practices for getting better outcomes.
The streamlined FAR and corollary non-mandatory, non-regulatory resources, i.e., the FAR Companion Guide and Practitioner Albums, will collectively form the Strategic Acquisition Guidance (SAG) framework that provides a common-sense authoritative foundation for nimble response and delivery of mission capability.
Key Themes in the FAR Overhaul
While there are no major changes to the FAR requirements and processes, the guide outlines some overarching themes in the FAR Overhaul that are worth noting:
- Simplification and Competition: Some changes to FAR are intended to simplify solicitations and maximize competition by avoiding complex requirements that impair competition.
- Protest Reduction: Substantial language has been removed from the FAR that protesters may have wanted to include in their protests, thus potentially narrowing the protest universe.
- Commercial Solutions: There is a continued emphasis on and preference for use of government-wide acquisition vehicles and commercial products and services.
- Timely Acquisitions: The FAR Companion Guide includes extensive guidance on construction and IT acquisitions, encouraging these types of procurements to be completed within 180 days from solicitation release.
Impact of the FAR Overhaul: What Contractors Need to Know
The implications and impact of these changes remain to be seen as the agencies implement the revised FAR and the FAR Companion Guide in real-world procurement scenarios. This overhaul reflects a decisive move toward a more agile, commercial-friendly federal acquisition system. Both new and seasoned federal contractors should familiarize themselves with the FAR Companion Guide and Practitioner Albums and how they will impact future procurements. While contractors will not need to use the new Companion Guide or Practitioner Albums in their day-to-day operations, we still encourage contractors to be familiar with the guidance, as it will affect their bids and solicitations going forward.
Lastly, the formal enactment of changes resulting from the FAR Overhaul remains subject to the traditional rule-making process, meaning issuance of Proposed Rules, a public comment period, and publication of Final Rules, ultimately leading to an official change to the FAR. In the meantime, the deviation language effective November 3, 2025, will govern.
BDO’s Federal Government Contracts practice will continue to monitor developments and impacts related to the FAR Overhaul, including the FAR Companion Guide. For questions on contracting strategy, compliance, or procurement opportunities, please contact our Federal Government Contracts practice.
Have questions about what the FAR Overhaul means for your business? Contact us to get the answers you need when you need them.