FAR 4.403 Responsibilities of contracting officers
Section Federal Acquisition Regulation
Facts
- Citation
- FAR 4.403
- Type
- Section
- Last amended
- 85 FR 40061 Effective Aug 3, 2020
- Proposed changes
- 2
- 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
(a) Presolicitation phase. Contracting officers shall review all proposed solicitations to determine whether access to classified information may be required by offerors, or by a contractor during contract performance.
(1) If access to classified information of another agency may be required, the contracting officer shall-
(i) Determine if the agency is covered by the NISP; and
(ii) Follow that agency’s procedures for determining the security clearances of firms to be solicited.
(2) If the classified information required is from the contracting officer’s agency, the contracting officer shall follow agency procedures.
(b) Solicitation phase. Contracting officers shall-
(1) Ensure that the classified acquisition is conducted as required by the NISP or agency procedures, as appropriate; and
(2) Include-
(i) An appropriate Security Requirements clause in the solicitation (see 4.404); and
(ii) As appropriate, in solicitations and contracts when the contract may require access to classified information, a requirement for security safeguards in addition to those provided in the clause (52.204-2, Security Requirements).
(c) Award phase. Contracting officers shall inform contractors and subcontractors of the security classifications and requirements assigned to the various documents, materials, tasks, subcontracts, and components of the classified contract as identified in the requirement documentation as follows:
(1) Nondefense agencies that have industrial security services agreements with DoD, and DoD components, shall use the Contract Security Classification Specification, DD Form 254. The contracting officer, or authorized agency representative, is the approving official for the DD Form 254 associated with the prime contract and shall ensure the DD Form 254 is properly prepared, distributed by and coordinated with requirements and security personnel in accordance with agency procedures, see 4.402(d)(1).
(2) Contracting officers in agencies not covered by the NISP shall follow agency procedures.
Federal Register history
Proposed changes
| Proposed rule | Published | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul Parts 1, 2, 4, 33, 39, 40, and 53 | Closed Jul 23, 2026No final rule found | |
| Federal Acquisition Regulation: Controlled Unclassified Information | Closed Mar 17, 2025No final rule found |
Sections cited
- FAR 4.402(d)(1) General
Quick answers
What is FAR 4.403?
FAR 4.403 is a section of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, titled "Responsibilities of contracting officers".
When was FAR 4.403 last changed?
The most recent final rule on record is "Federal Acquisition Regulation: Requirements for DD Form 254, Contract Security Classification Specification" (85 FR 40061), published Jul 2, 2020 and effective Aug 3, 2020.
Are changes to FAR 4.403 proposed?
2 proposed changes have no final rule yet.
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