Awarded a Prior DoD FAR Part 12 Contract? You May Now Have a CID for the Previously Acquired Products/Services!

On April 28, 2022, the DoD issued a final rule that, effective immediately, requires the government to treat a contract previously awarded using FAR part 12 procedures as a prior commercial item determination (“CID”) for the acquired product or service, unless the head of contracting activity determines that the prior use of FAR part 12 procedures was improper or is no longer appropriate. The final rule implements section 848 of the NDAA for 2018, and applies to DoD contracts regardless of dollar value. Note, however, that prior FAR Part 12 purchases made pursuant to 41 U.S.C. 1903 (for supplies or services to be used to facilitate defense against or recovery from cyber, nuclear, biological, chemical, or radiological attack) or 10 U.S.C. 2380a (for supplies or services from nontraditional defense contractors) may not serve as a prior commercial item determination unless the products or services purchased in that prior acquisition otherwise received a CID.