Reviewing RFO Proposed Rules: Parts 5, 24, 29, and 52

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In June 2026, the FAR Council released its first batch of proposed rules in the Federal Register to implement the changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). We recently covered the first of those proposed rules, which amended language in FAR Parts 1, 2, 4, 33, 39, 40, 52, and 53. In this post, we will review how the RFO is being implemented regarding FAR Parts 5, 24, 29, and 52. From a general perspective, it looks like the proposed regulation tracks with the proposed language already issued under the RFO.

We’ve posted quite extensively about the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) project in past blog posts. For some background info, check out these posts: Executive Order, Overview of FAR 2.0, FAR 2.0: Deviations and Companion Guide, FAR Part 6, FAR Part 19 (and the Once 8(a) Rule in that part), FAR Part 12, FAR Part 15, and FAR Part 33.

Structure of Proposed Rule

As a reminder, the FAR Council is issuing twelve rules that collectively will streamline the FAR in its entirety. The first four were published on June 23, 2026. We have already reviewed the first proposed rule from that set here. Reviews of the third and fourth proposed rules are forthcoming.

Purpose

As frequent SmallGovCon readers know, we’ve written about the purpose and structure of the RFO before and summarized that here. In 2025, the FAR council issued model class deviations to replace many FAR provisions. It is now undergoing the formal rulemaking process to obtain public comment and implement the proposed changes subject to that input. This proposed rule is one in a series of such proposals to be rolled out in the coming months and years.

Changes in FAR Parts 5, 24, 29, and 52

Common across the revision of all four FAR parts here is the emphasis on “plain language;” the rule’s efforts include “changes to active voice, edits to improve readability, and reorganization to present information more logically.” All four parts are also being edited to (1) retain statutorily based requirements (such as those in the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act of 1974) and remove duplicative sections, in line with the goal of making the FAR easier to read, navigate, and apply.

Some other notable proposed changes include:

  • Reorganizing Part 5 into three parts aligned to the phases of an acquisition. Where before Part 5 had seven subparts, each relating to a particular aspect of publicizing noncommercial contract actions, it is now broken into:
    • 5.1 Presolicitation
    • 5.2 Solicitation
    • 5.3 Award
  • “New tables 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, and 5-4 present posting content and minimum timeframes in a standardized, visual format” to clarify when and how various notices must be posted and centralize the various requirements into one place.
  • All requirements related to commercial acquisitions have been relocated from FAR Part 5 to Part 12 in order to eliminate confusion “caused by scattered references” and ensure that “all commercial acquisition policies are housed in one location.”
  • Various updates and clarifications for notice exemptions and thresholds.
  • Relocating the definition of “State and Local Taxes” from FAR Part 2 to subpart 29.3 “because the term is only used in part 29.”
  • FAR 29.304(b) has been changed to clarify “that a Government Purchase or Fleet Card is acceptable evidence to support a claim for exemption from state or local taxes.”
  • Part 52 will be renumbered. A new FAR subpart, 52.4, is being considered, and the FAR Council would relocate and renumber all provisions from 52.2 into 52.4. This is intended to “prevent confusion and increase compliance by creating a clear distinction between versions of a provision or clause prior to the RFO.”

Expected Impact of the Rule

The rule as proposed focuses on three goals in particular: “(1) timely acquisition and delivery, (2) lower cost and accountability in all spending, and (3) increased competition.” To these ends, the proposed rule reorganizes Part 5 publicizing requirements into a lifecycle-based structure intended to improve usability, clarity, and consistency, partially by consolidating commercial acquisition policies into one place, “reducing the need for contracting officers to cross-reference multiple parts.”  The intended benefits include “improved regulatory navigation, reduced administrative burden, and fewer procedural errors.”

FAR Parts 24 and 29 feature less substantive reorganization than Part 5 and are more focused on removing “duplicative, non-statutory text” and “streamlining statutory requirements, removing obsolete requirements, refining excise tax references, reorganizing key definitions, and modernizing documentation requirements for tax exemption claims.” While these changes appear relatively minimal and straightforward in practice, the theoretical benefits to both contracting officers and contractors include clarity, efficiency, minimized delays, streamlined bureaucratic processes, and a reduction in administrative burden.

We here at SmallGovCon will continue to review these proposed changes and outlie any specific items that are worth paying attention to. Keep an eye out for future posts on the subject.

Editor’s Note: Special thanks to our wonderful legal clerk Will Orlowski for putting together this blog post.

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