Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement

Executive Order 14275 of April 15, 2025

Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement

By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Purpose. The Federal Government is the
largest buyer of goods and services in the world--yet
conducting business with the Federal Government is
often prohibitively inefficient and costly. More than
40 years ago, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)
was implemented to establish uniform procedures for
acquisitions across executive departments and agencies
(agencies). The “vision” of the Federal Acquisition
System, codified at section 1.102 of the FAR, is to
“deliver on a timely basis the best value product or
service to the customer, while maintaining the public's
trust and fulfilling public policy objectives[,]” but
since its inception, the FAR has swelled to more than
2,000 pages of regulations, evolving into an excessive
and overcomplicated regulatory framework and resulting
in an onerous bureaucracy.

Federal procurement under the FAR receives consistently
negative assessments regarding its efficiency.
Comprehensive studies such as the 2024 Senate committee
report entitled “Restoring Freedom's Forge” and the
2019 report by the Advisory Panel on Streamlining and
Codifying Acquisition Regulations, created by the
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016
(Public Law 114-92) and made up of experts in
acquisition and procurement policy, conclude that the
FAR is a barrier to, rather than a prudent vehicle for,
doing business with the Federal Government. Its harmful
effects permeate various items paid for by American
taxpayers, from commercial products like laptops and
office supplies to major defense weapons systems. The
management and expenditure of nearly $1 trillion
annually in procurements cannot continue on this
trajectory. Fortunately, its inadequacies are self-
inflicted and can be remedied through a comprehensive
reform of the FAR.

Executive Order 14192 of January 31, 2025 (Unleashing
Prosperity Through Deregulation), established that the
policy of the executive branch is to be prudent and
financially responsible in the expenditure of funds and
to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens placed on
the American people. Reforming the FAR will advance
this objective.

Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the United States
to create the most agile, effective, and efficient
procurement system possible. Removing undue barriers,
such as unnecessary regulations, while simultaneously
allowing for the expansion of the national and defense
industrial bases is paramount. Accordingly, the FAR
should contain only provisions required by statute or
essential to sound procurement, and any FAR provisions
that do not advance these objectives should be removed.

Sec. 3. Definitions. (a) “FAR” means the Federal
Acquisition Regulation codified at title 48 of the Code
of Federal Regulations.

    (b) “Administrator” refers to the Administrator
of the Office of Federal Public Procurement Policy.
    (c) “Agency” means an executive department, a
military department, or any independent establishment
within the meaning of 5 U.S.C. 101, 102, and 104(1),
respectively, and any wholly owned Government
corporation within the meaning of 31 U.S.C. 9101.

Sec. 4. Reforming the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
Within 180 days of the date of this order, the
Administrator, in coordination with the other members
of the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR
Council), the heads of agencies, and appropriate senior
acquisition and procurement officials from agencies,
shall take appropriate actions to amend the FAR to
ensure that it contains only provisions that are
required by statute or that are otherwise necessary to
support simplicity and usability, strengthen the
efficacy of the procurement system, or protect economic
or national security interests.

Sec. 5. Aligning Agency Supplements to the FAR.

    (a) Within 15 days of the date of this order, each
agency exercising procurement authority pursuant to the
FAR shall designate a senior acquisition or procurement
official to work with the Administrator and the FAR
Council to ensure agency alignment with FAR reform and
to provide recommendations regarding any agency-
specific supplemental regulations to the FAR. The
Administrator, the FAR Council, and each agency
designee under this subsection shall collaborate to
identify and appropriately address FAR provisions that
are inconsistent with the policy objectives described
in section 2 of this order.
    (b) Within 20 days of the date of this order, the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in
consultation with the Administrator, shall issue a
memorandum to agencies that provides guidance regarding
implementation of this order. That memorandum shall
ensure consistency and alignment of policy objectives
and implementation regarding changes to the FAR and
agencies' supplemental regulations to the FAR.
    (c) The memorandum issued pursuant to subsection
(b) of this section shall propose new agency
supplemental regulations and internal guidance that
promote expedited and streamlined acquisitions. With
respect to such proposals, the Administrator shall
direct the appropriate agency and its subordinate
agencies to adhere to the ten-for-one requirement
described in Executive Order 14192.
    (d) The Administrator and the FAR Council shall
issue deviation and interim guidance, as appropriate
and consistent with applicable law, until final rules
reforming the FAR are published.

Sec. 6. Regulatory Sunset. In amending the FAR under
section 4 of this order, the Administrator, in
coordination with the FAR Council, shall:

    (a) identify all FAR provisions not required by
statute that will remain in the FAR;
    (b) consider amending the FAR such that any
provisions identified in accordance with subsection (a)
of this section will expire 4 years after the effective
date of the final rule promulgated in accordance with
section 4 of this order unless renewed by the FAR
Council; and
    (c) consider whether any new FAR provision not
required by statute that is promulgated after the
effective date of the final rule promulgated in
accordance with subsection (b) of this section should
include a provision stating that it will expire 4 years
after its effective date unless renewed by the FAR
Council.

Sec. 7. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order
shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the
head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with
applicable law and subject to the availability of
appropriations.
    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not,
create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity by any party

against the United States, its departments, agencies,
or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any
other person.

    (Presidential Sig.)

THE WHITE HOUSE,

    April 15, 2025.