FAR 1.102-4—Acquisition Team.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 1.102-4 explains the concept of the Federal Acquisition Team and why the FAR treats acquisition as a team effort rather than a series of isolated actions. This section covers who is included in the team, starting with the customer and ending with the contractor, and it emphasizes the guiding principles of teamwork, unity of purpose, and open communication. It also makes clear that team members do not all participate at the same time; instead, each participant should be involved at the appropriate point in the acquisition process. In practice, this means acquisition decisions should be made collaboratively, with the right stakeholders engaged early enough to shape requirements, strategy, and execution. The section is intended to improve the quality, speed, and effectiveness of federal acquisitions by aligning all participants around the mission and the desired outcome.
Key Rules
Team starts with the customer
The acquisition team is defined broadly and begins with the customer, not just the contracting office. This reflects the FAR’s view that requirements and acquisition decisions should be driven by mission needs and end-user outcomes.
Team includes the contractor
The contractor is part of the acquisition team in the sense that the system is designed to reach from the customer to the contractor of the product or service. This underscores that successful acquisition depends on coordinated interaction between government and industry.
Promote teamwork and unity
The purpose of defining the team is to encourage teamwork, unity of purpose, and open communication among all participants. The section is meant to reduce stovepipes and support a shared understanding of the acquisition goal.
Use open communication
Members of the team should share information and communicate openly to support the vision and goals of the acquisition system. In practice, this means stakeholders should exchange relevant information early and often, within applicable legal and policy limits.
Participate at the right time
Individual team members are expected to participate in the acquisition process at the appropriate time. This means involvement should be sequenced based on role and need, rather than requiring every participant in every decision.
Responsibilities
Customer
Define the mission need, participate as part of the acquisition team, and engage early enough to help shape requirements and desired outcomes.
Contracting Officer
Facilitate teamwork and communication across the acquisition team, ensure the right participants are involved at the right time, and manage the acquisition process in a way that supports the system’s goals.
Program/Requirements Personnel
Work with the acquisition team to translate mission needs into clear requirements and provide technical or operational input when needed.
Legal, technical, and other supporting specialists
Contribute expertise at the appropriate stage of the acquisition, helping the team make informed decisions while avoiding unnecessary delay or duplication.
Contractor
Participate as the supplier of the product or service, communicate openly and professionally with the government team, and support successful performance of the acquisition objective.
Agency
Foster an acquisition culture that supports collaboration, shared purpose, and timely involvement of the right stakeholders.
Practical Implications
This section supports early stakeholder engagement, which can improve requirements quality and reduce rework later in the acquisition.
A common pitfall is treating acquisition as only a contracting-office function; FAR 1.102-4 pushes agencies to involve the customer and other experts as part of one team.
Another risk is over-involving too many people too early or too late; the rule is not that everyone participates in everything, but that each participant joins at the appropriate time.
Open communication is encouraged, but it still must be managed within procurement integrity, source selection, and other legal constraints.
For contractors, this section signals that successful performance depends not only on contract compliance but also on constructive communication and understanding the government’s mission goals.
Official Regulatory Text
The purpose of defining the Federal Acquisition Team (Team) in the Guiding Principles is to ensure that participants in the System are identified beginning with the customer and ending with the contractor of the product or service. By identifying the team members in this manner, teamwork, unity of purpose, and open communication among the members of the Team in sharing the vision and achieving the goal of the System are encouraged. Individual team members will participate in the acquisition process at the appropriate time.