FAR 12.103 Commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) items
Section Federal Acquisition Regulation
Facts
- Citation
- FAR 12.103
- Type
- Section
- Last amended
- 86 FR 61017 Effective Dec 6, 2021
- Proposed changes
- 1
- Text as of
- FAC 2026-01
- Official text
- acquisition.gov
Text from acquisition.gov. Federal Register history from the Federal Register's records of the rules that amended this section.
Text
Commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) items are defined in 2.101. Unless indicated otherwise, all of the policies that apply to commercial products also apply to COTS items. Section 12.505 lists the laws that are not applicable to COTS (in addition to 12.503 and 12.504).
Federal Register history
Proposed changes
| Proposed rule | Published | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary FAR Overhaul Parts 8, 12, 13, 15, 38, 44, and 51 | Closed Oct 19, 2026No final rule found |
Sections cited
- FAR 2.101 Definitions
- FAR 12.505 Applicability of certain laws to contracts for the acquisition of COTS items
- FAR 12.503 Applicability of certain laws to Executive agency contracts for the acquisition of commercial products and commercial services
- FAR 12.504 Applicability of certain laws to subcontracts for the acquisition of commercial products and commercial services
Quick answers
What is FAR 12.103?
FAR 12.103 is a section of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, titled "Commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) items".
When was FAR 12.103 last changed?
The most recent final rule on record is "Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revision of Definition of “Commercial Item”" (86 FR 61017), published Nov 4, 2021 and effective Dec 6, 2021.
Are changes to FAR 12.103 proposed?
One proposed change has no final rule yet.
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