FAR 1.304—Agency control and compliance procedures.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 1.304 explains how agencies must manage their own acquisition regulations so they do not undermine the FAR’s goal of uniform, flexible federal procurement rules. It covers three main subjects: agency control over issuing acquisition regulations and local directives, limits on repeating or conflicting with FAR text, and the duty to review agency-specific coverage for possible governmentwide use in the FAR. In practice, this section is about regulatory discipline: agencies may issue their own rules, but they must do so carefully, with formal review procedures, and only when the added guidance is necessary and legally permissible. The section exists to prevent unnecessary proliferation of agency-specific rules, reduce inconsistency across the federal acquisition system, and preserve the flexibilities built into the FAR. For contracting officers and contractors, the practical effect is that agency supplements and local directives should be checked for validity, necessity, and consistency with the FAR before they are relied on or enforced.
Key Rules
Control agency regulations
Agencies must control and limit the issuance of agency acquisition regulations, especially local directives that restrict the flexibilities provided by the FAR. They must also establish formal review procedures to ensure these documents comply with FAR Part 1.
Avoid unnecessary repetition
Agency acquisition regulations should not simply repeat, paraphrase, or restate material already contained in the FAR or in higher-level agency acquisition regulations. Agency supplements should add only needed, agency-specific guidance.
No conflict with FAR
Agency acquisition regulations may not conflict with or be inconsistent with the FAR unless a law requires the difference or subpart 1.4 permits it. This preserves the FAR as the controlling baseline for federal acquisition policy.
Review for broader applicability
Agencies must evaluate their regulatory coverage to determine whether it could apply to other agencies. If a rule is not unique to one agency, it should be recommended for inclusion in the FAR.
Limit local restrictions
Local agency directives should not unnecessarily narrow the acquisition flexibilities available under the FAR. Any restriction should be justified, authorized, and consistent with higher-level policy.
Responsibilities
Agencies
Control and limit issuance of agency acquisition regulations and local directives; establish formal review procedures; ensure compliance with FAR Part 1; avoid unnecessary repetition and inconsistency; and identify agency-specific rules that should be proposed for FAR-wide adoption.
Agency acquisition regulation drafters and reviewers
Draft only necessary supplemental coverage, check for duplication or conflict with the FAR, and route regulations through the required formal review process before issuance.
Contracting Officers
Apply agency supplements and local directives only after confirming they are valid, consistent with the FAR, and within the agency’s authority; avoid following local guidance that improperly restricts FAR flexibilities.
Policy officials / acquisition leadership
Oversee the regulatory control process, ensure internal review mechanisms are in place, and determine when agency-specific coverage should be elevated for FAR consideration.
Practical Implications
Contractors and contracting officers should treat agency supplements as secondary to the FAR and check whether a local rule is actually authorized before relying on it.
A common pitfall is agencies issuing duplicative or overly detailed regulations that add confusion without adding legal value; this section pushes against that practice.
Another risk is local directives that quietly narrow competition, negotiation, or other FAR flexibilities without a proper basis; those restrictions may be vulnerable if inconsistent with higher authority.
Agencies should periodically review their supplements to identify rules that are not truly agency-specific and recommend them for inclusion in the FAR to promote uniformity.
For day-to-day procurement work, this section means regulatory research matters: the operative rule may be in the FAR, an agency supplement, or a local directive, but only if it survives the consistency and review requirements here.
Official Regulatory Text
(a) Under the authorities of 1.301 (d), agencies shall control and limit issuance of agency acquisition regulations and, in particular, local agency directives that restrain the flexibilities found in the FAR, and shall establish formal procedures for the review of these documents to assure compliance with this part 1 . (b) Agency acquisition regulations shall not- (1) Unnecessarily repeat, paraphrase, or otherwise restate material contained in the FAR or higher-level agency acquisition regulations; or (2) Except as required by law or as provided in subpart 1.4 , conflict or be inconsistent with FAR content. (c) Agencies shall evaluate all regulatory coverage in agency acquisition regulations to determine if it could apply to other agencies. Coverage that is not peculiar to one agency shall be recommended for inclusion in the FAR.