FAR 34.003—Responsibilities.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 34.003 explains who is responsible for setting up and managing the internal decision framework for major system acquisitions under A-109. It requires the agency head or designee to issue written procedures, and those procedures must identify the key decision points in each major system acquisition and the agency official(s) responsible for making those decisions. The section also describes what normally makes a system acquisition “major”: it must be critical to the agency mission, involve relatively large resource commitments for that agency, and require special management attention, including specific decisions by the agency head. Finally, it allows agencies to add their own criteria, consistent with A-109, for deciding which system acquisitions should be treated as major. In practice, this section matters because it drives governance, approval authority, and oversight for high-impact acquisitions, helping agencies control risk and ensure senior-level accountability.
Key Rules
Written procedures required
The agency head or designee must establish written procedures to implement A-109. This means the agency cannot rely on informal practices; the process for major system acquisitions must be documented and usable by acquisition and program personnel.
Decision points must be identified
Agency procedures must identify the key decision points for each major system acquisition. These procedures should show when major approvals, reviews, or go/no-go decisions occur so the acquisition is managed through defined milestones.
Decision-makers must be named
The procedures must identify the agency official or officials responsible for each key decision point. This ensures accountability by making clear who has authority to approve, direct, or stop the acquisition at critical stages.
Major systems are mission-critical
Systems acquisitions normally designated as major are those directed at and critical to fulfilling an agency mission need. The focus is on acquisitions that are central to mission performance, not routine or low-impact purchases.
Major systems involve significant resources
A major system acquisition normally entails allocating relatively large resources for the particular agency. The size of the commitment is judged in relation to the agency’s own budget and portfolio, not by a universal dollar threshold in this section.
Special management attention is required
A major system acquisition is one that warrants special management attention, including specific agency-head decisions. This means the acquisition is important enough to justify elevated oversight and senior leadership involvement.
Agencies may add criteria
Agency procedures may establish additional criteria, as allowed by A-109, for designating major system acquisitions. Agencies can therefore apply stricter or more detailed internal standards, so long as they remain consistent with A-109.
Responsibilities
Agency Head or Designee
Establish written procedures implementing A-109 and ensure the agency has a formal framework for identifying and governing major system acquisitions.
Agency Procedures / Acquisition Governance Structure
Define the key decision points for each major system acquisition and specify which agency official or officials are responsible for each decision.
Agency Officials with Decision Authority
Make the required decisions at the identified milestones, including any specific agency-head decisions needed for special management attention.
Agency
Apply the normal criteria for major system acquisitions and, if desired, adopt additional criteria for designating programs as major in accordance with A-109.
Practical Implications
Agencies need a documented governance process for major systems; without it, decision authority can be unclear and approvals may be challenged.
Contracting and program teams should know early whether a system acquisition is likely to be treated as major, because that affects oversight, timing, and the level of review required.
A common pitfall is treating “major” as only a dollar-based label; this section ties the designation to mission importance, resource commitment, and management attention, not just cost.
Because the agency may add its own criteria, contractors should not assume the same major-system threshold applies across agencies or even across programs within one agency.
Clear identification of decision points and decision-makers helps prevent schedule delays, rework, and unauthorized commitments by ensuring the right official acts at the right time.
Official Regulatory Text
(a) As required by A-109, the agency head or designee shall establish written procedures for its implementation. (b) The agency procedures shall identify the key decision points of each major system acquisition and the agency official(s) for making those decisions. (c) Systems acquisitions normally designated as major are those programs that, as determined by the agency head, (1) are directed at and critical to fulfilling an agency mission need, (2) entail allocating relatively large resources for the particular agency, and (3) warrant special management attention, including specific agency-head decisions. The agency procedures may establish additional criteria, as specified in A-109, for designating major programs system acquisitions.