FAR 1.102-5—Role of the Acquisition Team.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 1.102-5 explains the role of the Acquisition Team and how decision-making should work in federal procurement. It covers five main topics: empowering Government team members to make acquisition decisions; delegating authority and accountability to the lowest practical level; ensuring the team is trained and prepared to perform assigned duties; fostering cooperative relationships between the Government and contractors while protecting taxpayer interests; and encouraging innovation and sound business judgment when the FAR is silent, so long as the approach is lawful and within authority. In practice, this section is a management and culture provision: it tells agencies to avoid unnecessary centralization, support professional competence, and use the FAR as a framework rather than a rigid barrier to reasonable acquisition solutions. It also reinforces that the contracting officer has a central role and should have broad authority, to the maximum extent practicable and consistent with law, to apply rules and policies to a specific contract. For contractors, it signals that the Government expects collaboration and innovation, but not at the expense of legal compliance or the Government’s duty to the taxpayer. Overall, this section is intended to make acquisitions more effective, more responsive, and more businesslike while preserving accountability and legal limits.
Key Rules
Empower acquisition decision-makers
Government members of the Acquisition Team must be empowered to make decisions within their areas of responsibility, including selection, negotiation, and contract administration. The contracting officer should have authority, to the maximum extent practicable and consistent with law, to decide how rules, regulations, and policies apply to a specific contract.
Delegate to the lowest practical level
Decision-making authority and accountability should be delegated as far down in the system as possible, but only to the extent consistent with law. This promotes speed, responsiveness, and ownership of decisions while preserving legal and organizational controls.
Ensure team readiness and training
The Acquisition Team must be prepared to perform assigned functions and duties. The Government is committed to providing training, professional development, and other resources needed to maintain and improve the knowledge, skills, and abilities of Government participants, and the contractor community is encouraged to do the same.
Promote cooperative relationships
The acquisition system should foster cooperative relationships between the Government and contractors, but always consistent with the Government’s overriding responsibility to the taxpayers. Collaboration is encouraged, but it does not replace stewardship, fairness, or compliance obligations.
Use innovation when FAR is silent
If a policy, procedure, strategy, or practice is in the Government’s best interest and is not specifically addressed in the FAR, and is not prohibited by law, executive order, or other regulation, Government team members should not assume it is forbidden. Instead, they should use sound business judgment and innovate within the limits of their authority.
Contracting officers lead innovation
Contracting officers are expected to encourage business process innovation and ensure business decisions are sound. They serve as the key officials for translating broad acquisition principles into lawful, practical contract actions.
Responsibilities
Contracting Officer
Exercise broad authority to apply rules, regulations, and policies to specific contracts to the maximum extent practicable and consistent with law. Lead efforts to encourage innovation, make sound business decisions, and administer contracts responsibly within delegated authority.
Government Acquisition Team Members
Make decisions within their assigned areas of responsibility, perform assigned functions and duties, and act with accountability for those decisions. Use training and professional development to maintain the knowledge and skills needed for their roles.
Agency / Government
Delegate authority and accountability to the lowest practical level consistent with law, provide training and other resources for Government participants, and maintain a system that supports competent, empowered acquisition personnel.
Contractor Community
Support cooperative relationships with the Government and, where appropriate, pursue training and professional development to improve knowledge, skills, and abilities. Contractors should engage constructively while recognizing the Government’s duty to protect taxpayer interests.
Acquisition Team as a Whole
Work collaboratively, use sound business judgment, and pursue innovative approaches when lawful and beneficial to the Government. Ensure that decisions remain within legal and regulatory limits and are aligned with the public interest.
Practical Implications
This section pushes agencies to avoid bottlenecks: decisions should be made by the people closest to the work whenever possible, which can speed up acquisitions and improve outcomes.
Contracting officers should not treat silence in the FAR as a prohibition. If a proposed approach is lawful and in the Government’s interest, the team should evaluate it on its merits rather than rejecting it simply because it is unconventional.
Training matters. If personnel are not prepared for their assigned responsibilities, the agency risks poor acquisition decisions, weak contract administration, and avoidable disputes.
Collaboration is encouraged, but it is not a license to favor contractor convenience over the Government’s interests. Teamwork must still support competition, fairness, compliance, and stewardship of public funds.
A common pitfall is over-centralization or excessive risk aversion, where staff assume they need higher-level approval for every issue. Another pitfall is innovation without checking legal authority, which can lead to protests, claims, or invalid contract actions.
Official Regulatory Text
(a) Government members of the Team must be empowered to make acquisition decisions within their areas of responsibility, including selection, negotiation, and administration of contracts consistent with the Guiding Principles. In particular, the contracting officer must have the authority to the maximum extent practicable and consistent with law, to determine the application of rules, regulations, and policies, on a specific contract. (b) The authority to make decisions and the accountability for the decisions made will be delegated to the lowest level within the System, consistent with law. (c) The Team must be prepared to perform the functions and duties assigned. The Government is committed to provide training, professional development, and other resources necessary for maintaining and improving the knowledge, skills, and abilities for all Government participants on the Team, both with regard to their particular area of responsibility within the System, and their respective role as a team member. The contractor community is encouraged to do likewise. (d) The System will foster cooperative relationships between the Government and its contractors consistent with its overriding responsibility to the taxpayers. (e) The FAR outlines procurement policies and procedures that are used by members of the Acquisition Team. If a policy or procedure, or a particular strategy or practice, is in the best interest of the Government and is not specifically addressed in the FAR, nor prohibited by law (statute or case law), Executive order or other regulation, Government members of the Team should not assume it is prohibited. Rather, absence of direction should be interpreted as permitting the Team to innovate and use sound business judgment that is otherwise consistent with law and within the limits of their authority. Contracting officers should take the lead in encouraging business process innovations and ensuring that business decisions are sound.