FAR 11.203—Customer satisfaction.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 11.203 addresses customer satisfaction in the requirements-development process. It requires acquisition organizations to communicate with customers to see whether the requirements document accurately reflects the customer’s needs and to gather suggestions for corrective actions when it does not. It also allows agencies, whenever practicable, to give affected industry an opportunity to comment on the requirements documents before they are finalized. In practice, this section is about validating requirements early, reducing misunderstandings, and improving the quality of solicitations and resulting contracts. It helps contracting teams avoid writing specifications or statements of work that are technically correct on paper but misaligned with mission needs, user expectations, or market realities. It also supports better communication between the government, end users, and industry, which can lead to clearer requirements, fewer protests or performance disputes, and more successful acquisitions.
Key Rules
Check customer alignment
Acquisition organizations must communicate with customers to determine whether the requirements document accurately reflects the customer’s needs. This is a validation step to confirm that the written requirement matches the actual mission or operational need.
Seek corrective suggestions
If the requirements document does not fully reflect customer needs, the organization must obtain suggestions for corrective actions. The goal is to identify and address gaps, ambiguities, or errors before the acquisition moves forward.
Allow industry comment when practicable
Whenever practicable, the agency may provide affected industry an opportunity to comment on the requirements documents. This is discretionary, but it encourages market input and can improve clarity, feasibility, and competition.
Responsibilities
Acquisition Organizations
Communicate with customers to verify that the requirements document reflects their needs and to gather suggestions for corrective actions when it does not.
Customers / End Users
Review the requirements document and provide feedback on whether it matches their needs, including identifying needed corrections or improvements.
Agency
When practicable, consider giving affected industry an opportunity to comment on the requirements documents before finalization.
Affected Industry
If the agency opens the document for comment, review the requirements and provide practical feedback on clarity, feasibility, and potential issues.
Practical Implications
This section pushes teams to validate requirements early, before they become locked into a solicitation or contract.
A common pitfall is treating the requirements document as complete without checking whether it truly reflects user needs, which can lead to rework, poor performance, or disputes.
Another risk is failing to distinguish between customer preferences and actual mission requirements; the document should capture what is needed, not just what is preferred.
Industry comment can improve requirements quality, but agencies should manage the process carefully to avoid sharing sensitive information or creating unequal access concerns.
For contracting officers and program teams, the practical takeaway is to build in time for customer review and, where appropriate, market feedback before issuing the final requirements document.
Official Regulatory Text
Acquisition organizations shall communicate with customers to determine how well the requirements document reflects the customer’s needs and to obtain suggestions for corrective actions. Whenever practicable, the agency may provide affected industry an opportunity to comment on the requirements documents.