FAR 1.5—Subpart 1.5

Solicitation of agency and public views.

Unsolicited proposed revisions.

FAR 1.502 addresses how the Government should treat unsolicited proposed revisions to the FAR or related acquisition rules. This section is very narrow but important: it says that when someone outside the normal rulemaking process submits a recommendation for a revision, the Government must give it consideration if it is submitted in writing and includes enough data and rationale to evaluate it. In practice, this means contractors, trade associations, agencies, and other stakeholders can influence acquisition policy, but only if they provide a well-supported proposal rather than a bare suggestion. The section is about the threshold for review, not a promise that the recommendation will be adopted. Its practical significance is that it encourages informed participation in acquisition policy development while helping the Government filter out unsupported or incomplete ideas.

Public meetings.

FAR 1.503 addresses when the Federal Acquisition Regulation system may use public meetings as part of the rulemaking or policy-development process. The section is very narrow: it covers the circumstances in which a public meeting may be appropriate, specifically when a decision to adopt, amend, or delete FAR coverage would benefit from significant additional views and discussion. In practice, this means the Government can use a public meeting to gather broader input before changing FAR text or coverage, especially on issues that are complex, controversial, or likely to affect many stakeholders. The purpose is to improve the quality of FAR decisions by allowing open discussion beyond written comments alone. For contractors, agencies, and other interested parties, this section signals that some FAR changes may involve live stakeholder engagement, not just notice-and-comment procedures. It also implies that public meetings are discretionary, not automatic, and are used when they are likely to add meaningful value to the regulatory decision-making process.