# AFFARS PART 5301Federal Acquisition Regulations System

- PART 5301
  Federal Acquisition Regulations System

- SUBPART 5301.1 — PURPOSE, AUTHORITY, ISSUANCE

- 5301.101 Purpose.
- 5301.102-90 Statement of guiding principles for the Air Force acquisition system.
- 5301.105 Issuance. (No Text)

- 5301.105-1 Publication and code arrangement.

- SUBPART 5301.2 — ADMINISTRATION

- 5301.201 Maintenance of the FAR. (No Text)

- 5301.201-1 The two councils.
- 5301.201-1-90 Maintenance of the AFFARS.

- SUBPART 5301.3 — AGENCY ACQUISITION REGULATIONS

- 5301.301 Policy.
- 5301.303 Publication and codification.
- 5301.304 Agency control and compliance procedures.

- SUBPART 5301.4 — DEVIATIONS FROM THE FAR

- 5301.402 Policy.
- 5301.403 Individual deviations.
- 5301.404 Class deviations.

- SUBPART 5301.6 — CAREER DEVELOPMENT, CONTRACTING AUTHORITY, AND RESPONSIBILITIES

- 5301.601 General. (See changes in Policy Memo 08-C-13)
- 5301.601-90 Contracting Assessment Program (CAP).
- 5301.602 Contracting officers. (No Text)

- 5301.602-1 Authority.
- 5301.602-2 Responsibilities.
- 5301.602-3 Ratification of unauthorized commitments.

- 5301.603 Selection, appointment, and termination of appointment. (No Text)

- 5301.603-1 General.
- 5301.603-2 Selection.
- 5301.603-3 Appointment
- 5301.603-4 Termination

- SUBPART 5301.90 — CLEARANCE

- 5301.9000 Scope and definitions. (See changes in Policy Memo 08-C-10)
- 5301.9001 Policy, thresholds, and approvals. (See changes in Policy Memos 08-C-10 and 08-C-15)

- SUBPART 5301.91--OMBUDSMAN PROGRAM

- 5301.9101 Purpose.
- 5301.9102 Policy.
- 5301.9103 Solicitation provision and contract clause.

PART 5301
Federal Acquisition Regulations System

[Revised June 5, 2008]

SUBPART 5301.1 — PURPOSE, AUTHORITY, ISSUANCE

(See changes in Policy Memos 08-C-10, 08-C-13, and 08-C-15)

5301.101 Purpose.

The Air Force Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (AFFARS) establishes uniform policies and procedures for the Air Force implementing and supplementing the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the Department of Defense FAR Supplement (DFARS), and other Department of Defense publications concerning contracting.
5301.102-90 Statement of guiding principles for the Air Force acquisition system.

(a) The Air Force relies on its acquisition system to acquire the weapons, equipment, supplies and services essential to its daily operations and warfighting mission. The Air Force acquisition mission is directly related to and supportive of the Air Force’s warfighting mission. The Air Force acquisition mission begins with a thorough understanding of customers and their mission needs. The success of Air Force acquisition is measured by the success of its customers.

(b) Every member of the Air Force acquisition community will be trained, knowledgeable, and skilled in the use of acquisition methods and tools that deliver the best value weapons, equipment, supplies and services to its customers in terms of quality, timeliness and price.

(c) Air Force contracting officers and other members of the acquisition team are empowered to make fast and effective decisions. Flexible and responsive acquisition policies provide an environment that encourages innovation and reasonable risk-taking. Whenever necessary, established policies, processes and methods for accomplishing the acquisition mission shall be challenged, analyzed, and replaced by creative methods that meet customers’ needs in an ever-changing business environment.

(d) Contracting officers must possess: an understanding of the product or service being purchased; an extensive knowledge of the marketplace and market conditions; research and analytical skills; and the ability to exercise effective leadership, sound business judgment, and risk management techniques.

(e) All members of the Air Force acquisition team shall strive to achieve a cooperative atmosphere and “partnered” relationship with its contractors. Such partnerships must be established, nurtured, and focused on mission success.

(f) Open communications between the Air Force and contractors contribute to the success of an acquisition. Early industry involvement and open communications are the cornerstones of the Air Force's enhanced cooperative relationship with industry. Timely release of information to potential offerors is essential to maximize the value of their inputs to the planning, requirements generation, and acquisition processes.

(g) The acquisition mission will be greatly enhanced, and the acquisition workforce will be deeply enriched by deliberately cross-feeding new and innovative procedures/strategies among acquisition professionals Air Force-wide in order to facilitate continuous improvement. Discussions and sharing must be highly encouraged up, down, and across organizational boundaries with superiors, subordinates, and peers. Innovations and best practices do little good until they are shared among acquisition teams.

(h) MAJCOM and DRU commanders, PEOs, and acquisition managers and supervisors shall establish procedures to encourage and reward acquisition teams and/or individuals who effectively implement these principles.

5301.105 Issuance. (No Text)

5301.105-1 Publication and code arrangement.

(a) The AFFARS is published on the FARSite by the Contracting Laboratory, Hill AFB, UT. AFMC and AFSPC shall publish their FAR Supplements on the World Wide Web at the FARSite by sending an electronic copy of their FAR Supplement and any subsequent changes to the Contracting Laboratory.

SUBPART 5301.2 — ADMINISTRATION

5301.201 Maintenance of the FAR. (No Text)
5301.201-1 The two councils.

(d) (i) Proposed revisions to the FAR, DFARS, or AFFARS shall be submitted to SAF/AQCP in accordance with DFARS 201.201-1(d)(i).

5301.201-1-90 Maintenance of the AFFARS.

The AFFARS is prepared and maintained by the Chief, Contract Policy & Implementation Division, Deputy Assistant Secretary (Contracting) (SAF/AQCP).

SUBPART 5301.3 — AGENCY ACQUISITION REGULATIONS

5301.301 Policy.

The AFFARS is issued by the DAS(C) based on the authority granted by Secretary of the Air Force Order (SAFO) 101.1, 5 Jun 99, and ASAF(A) memorandum, Delegation of Contract and Agreement Authority, 12 Dec 06. AFMC is authorized to issue a FAR Supplement and AFSPC is authorized to issue a FAR Supplement to support SMC contract activity.
5301.303 Publication and codification.

(a) (i) The Air Force is assigned Chapter 53 of Title 48 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Air Force activities shall insert the number 53 before the primary citation in their FAR supplements. If the primary citation is to a single-digit part number, Air Force activities shall also insert a zero.

(ii) The AFFARS uses the DFARS numbering conventions.

5301.304 Agency control and compliance procedures.

FAR Supplements comply with the control and compliance procedures established in FAR 1.3, as supplemented, and do not restrain the flexibilities found in the FAR, DFARS and/or AFFARS. MAJCOMs and DRUs shall submit procurement policies, regulations, procedures, clauses, and forms that require approval by USD(AT&L)DP to SAF/AQCP. The request shall include a detailed justification using the format in DFARS 201.201-1. SAF/AQCP will arrange for publication in the Federal Register, if necessary. The requesting activity is responsible for evaluating public comments and preparing the final package for SAF/AQCP to submit to USD(AT&L)DP.

SUBPART 5301.4 — DEVIATIONS FROM THE FAR

5301.402 Policy.

(2) Submit requests for deviations which require USD(AT&L)/DP or SAF/AQC approval through the Senior Contracting Official (SCO) to SAF/AQCK for processing.

5301.403 Individual deviations.

a. SCOs are authorized to approve individual deviations except as restricted by DFARS 201.4.

b. Except as described in (c) below, individual deviation approval authority may only be delegated to an SCCO.

c. Individual deviations from FAR 15.3, DFARS 215.3, AFFARS 5315.3, and MP5315.3 shall be approved by the SCO. This approval authority shall not be further delegated.

d. See Mandatory Procedure MP5301.4 for annual deviation reporting requirements.

5301.404 Class deviations.

(b)(ii) Class deviation approval authority for the DRUs has been retained by the DAS(C).

(iii) SAF/AQC is the Class deviation approval authority from FAR 15.3, DFARS 215.3, AFFARS 5315.3, and MP5315.3.

(iv) MAJCOM SCOs are authorized to approve class deviations except as restricted by DFARS 201.4 and paragraph (iii) above. Class deviation approval authority shall not be further delegated.

(v) Class deviation requests to SAF/AQC must comply with DFARS 201.402(2).

(vi) See Mandatory Procedure MP5301.4 for annual deviation reporting requirements.

SUBPART 5301.6 — CAREER DEVELOPMENT, CONTRACTING AUTHORITY, AND RESPONSIBILITIES

5301.601 General. (See changes in Policy Memo 08-C-13)

(a) (i) Heads of Contracting Activities (HCAs) Responsibilities.

(A) PEOs are the HCAs for their assigned programs and acquisitions; however, this designation of HCA does not include “Other Contracting” authority -- See paragraph (B) below for the designation of HCAs for “Other Contracting”. PEOs shall not delegate HCA responsibilities unless specifically authorized elsewhere in the AFFARS.

(B) The commanders (and when the commander is absent, the vice commanders) of the following organizations are the HCAs for “Other Contracting”: Air Combat Command (ACC), Air Education and Training Command (AETC), Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC), Air Mobility Command (AMC), Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), and United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE). The lowest level that HCA responsibilities may be delegated by the other commands listed above is the SCO, unless specifically stated otherwise in the AFFARS. For AFMC and AFSPC, the lowest level that HCA responsibilities can be delegated is the SCCO, unless specifically stated otherwise in the AFFARS.

(C) The DAS(C) is the HCA for the following organizations: Air Force District of Washington (AFDW), Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), and Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC). The DAS(C) delegates all delegable HCA responsibilities to the commanders of these organizations. All non-delegable HCA responsibilities are retained by the DAS(C). HCA shall not be delegated lower than the level of the staff official with overall responsibility for contracting in the organization, unless specifically stated otherwise elsewhere in the AFFARS.

(D) DAS(C) is the HCA for Air Force component commands tasked to support a “supported commander” during JCS declared contingency operations or exercises (See Appendix CC, Part CC-2).

(ii) General Contracting Authority.

(A) In accordance with Secretary of the Air Force Order (SAFO) 101.1, 5 Jun 99, and ASAF(A) memorandum, Delegation of Contract and Agreement Authority, 12 Dec 06, the authority to enter into, approve, terminate, and take all other appropriate actions with respect to contracts, is delegated from the Secretary of the Air Force and ASAF(A) to the DAS(C) and Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary (Contracting).

(B) The authority to enter into, approve, modify, and terminate contracts is hereby redelegated to MAJCOM and DRU commanders. This authority may be redelegated with or without the authority to make successive redelegations and under such terms, conditions, and limitations as may be deemed appropriate. This delegation is a general one, and all other existing or future authority, to the extent that it would, expressly or by reasonable implication, limit the scope of this delegation or impose conditions or restrictions upon the exercise of the authority delegated, will be controlling over it.

5301.601-90 Contracting Assessment Program (CAP).

SAF/AQC conducts annual assessments of the Air Force’s contracting system. A principal element of this program is a Procurement Management Assessment (PMA) having three primary objectives:

(a) Review contracting operations in order to: (1) evaluate leadership practices; (2) assess customer support/satisfaction; (3) assess the degree of sound business judgment exercised; (4) determine if SAF/AQC policy emphasis areas are managed and executed properly; and (5) ensure contracting standards, policies, and procedures, conform to Federal, DoD, and Air Force expectations.

(b) Collect feedback on the effectiveness and efficiency of current contracting policy.

(c) Collect and share MAJCOM best practices within the Air Force.

Additional CAP information and past PMA results are posted on SAF/AQC’s CAP website.

5301.602 Contracting officers. (No Text)
5301.602-1 Authority.

Contracting officers are authorized to enter into and execute contracts funded either partially or completely with non-appropriated funds.
5301.602-2 Responsibilities.

(c) Legal Review.

(1) Contracting officers shall obtain legal advice during all phases of acquisitions. In particular, contracting officers shall obtain legal advice:

(i) When there is doubt or controversy about the interpretation or application of statutes, directives, and regulations

(ii) When using or applying unique or unusual contract provisions

(iii) When actions are likely to be subject to public scrutiny or receive higher-level agency attention,

(iv) When a protest or claim is likely, and

(v) When contemplating the use of alternative dispute resolution.

(2) In addition to the general conditions identified in 5301.602-2(c)(1) above, the supporting legal office shall review Operational contract actions and SMC contract actions expected to exceed $500,000 and shall review AFMC Non-Operational contract actions expected to exceed $1,000,000, as follows:

(i) Solicitations and amendments, except administrative amendments

(ii) Proposed contracts and modifications

(iii) Orders for supplies or services under indefinite delivery contracts (FAR 16.5) including Federal Supply Schedules (FSS)

(iv) Orders under Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPA) established under FSS

(3) All Justifications and Approvals (J&A) requests for actions expected to exceed $500,000

(4) Regardless of dollar amount, the supporting legal office shall provide advice, coordination, and review for the following matters:

(i) Use of liquidated damages provisions in contracts for other than construction

(ii) Award fee or award term plans

(iii) Source selection decisions and supporting documentation for actions accomplished pursuant to the requirements of Mandatory Procedure MP5315.3

(iv) Issues dealing with licensing, technical data rights and patents

(v) Mistakes in bid (See FAR 14.407)

(vi) Protests before and after award

(vii) Ratifications

(viii) Disputes

(ix) Contractor claims

(x) Termination for default/cause

(xi) Terminations for convenience, except cancellations or terminations of purchase orders

(xii) Debarment or suspension actions

(xiii) Individual or class deviations

(xiv) Any other legal issue at the discretion of the Contracting Officer or supporting legal office.

(5) Legal review is not normally required for:

(i) Funding actions without any other changes

(ii) Unilateral exercise of pre-priced options that were reviewed and approved at the time of award of the basic contract

(6) PEO Programs. SAF/GC is responsible for providing legal support to PEOs and provides oversight responsibility for legal support to Single Managers on PEO Programs. The local staff judge advocate or servicing legal office shall consult with SAF/GCQ in order to provide consistent legal support on PEO programs.

5301.602-3 Ratification of unauthorized commitments.

See the Mandatory Procedures at MP5301.602-3 for required ratification procedures.

(b) Policy.

(2) Ratification approval authority is as follows:

(A) The HCA for actions equal to or greater than $30,000.

(B) The chief of the contracting office for actions less than $30,000.
5301.603 Selection, appointment, and termination of appointment. (No Text)

5301.603-1 General.

The SCO is authorized to select, appoint and terminate contracting officers in accordance with this section. The Contracting Officer Appointment/Termination Request Template, Nov 05 (SAF/ACQP), is recommended for use.

5301.603-2 Selection.

(a) Contracting officer appointments shall be limited to military personnel in Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSCs) 64PX or 6C0X1 and civilians in the GS-1102 or equivalent local national occupational series possessing a level 1 or higher Acquisition Professional Development Program (APDP) certification in contracting who occupy a manning authorization listed under these specialty codes, except as otherwise authorized below.

(b) Military personnel in AFSCs 64PX or 6C0X1 and civilians in the GS-1102 or equivalent local national occupational series who occupy a manning authorization listed under these specialty codes but do not possess a level I APDP certification in contracting may only be issued limited warrants for amounts less than or equal to the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT).

(c) Non-contracting personnel, such as transportation personnel, medical supply personnel, librarians, and chiefs of construction management, may only be issued limited warrants for amounts less than or equal to the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT) provided:

(1) The warrant specifies a dollar limit per transaction; the method(s)of award; and the supplies, equipment and/or non-personal services, to include construction, related to the individual’s specialty that may be procured. For example, librarians may buy books, but not construction materials or services; and,

(2) Personnel have completed training appropriate to the type of instrument and level of responsibility delegated.

5301.603-3 Appointment

(a) Except for AFMC and SMC, the SCO shall issue all unlimited contracting officer warrants and termination contracting officer warrants. The SCO may delegate the authority to issue limited contracting officer warrants to the SQ/CC, or equivalent. Limited warrant values shall be assigned by the issuing authority within the maximum clearance thresholds assigned to the squadron/unit as specified by 5301.9001(g).

(b) For AFMC and SMC, in accordance with their supplements.

5301.603-4 Termination

Contracting Officer warrants shall be terminated upon retirement, reassignment from the position requiring the warrant, or when employment is terminated. Requests for termination of warrants shall be submitted 30 days in advance (or as soon as practicable) of the requested termination date along with the reason for termination. All terminations of warrants shall be in writing and signed by the issuing authority.

SUBPART 5301.90 — CLEARANCE

5301.9000 Scope and definitions. (See changes in Policy Memo 08-C-10)

(a) This subpart establishes clearance requirements for the contract actions identified below:

(1) An action intended to result in award of a competed, sole source or negotiated contract or modification of any contract;

(2) An action intended to result in definitization of an undefinitized contract action (UCA), an undefinitized change order, or an undefinitized long lead contract, or in the pricing of:

(i) An unpriced option or an option with only a not-to-exceed price;

(ii) Provisioned items orders (PIOs); or

(iii) Unpriced orders under Basic Ordering Agreements (BOA);

(3) An action intended to result in issuance of a modification implementing a unilateral price determination;

(4) Priced orders issued under BOA; and

(5) An action intended to result in the exercise of an option when the option exercise is not in strict accordance with the previously approved pricing arrangement or other contract terms and conditions.

(b) Excluded from business or contract clearances are:

(1) actions that create a UCA, undefinitized change order, undefinitized long lead contract;

(2) orders issued against existing contracts in accordance with the terms and conditions of the basic contract; except task orders for services issued against multiple award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts to include GSA schedules;

(3) modifications increasing fund obligations under incrementally funded contracts when modifications do not exceed dollar amounts stated in the original approved clearance; or

(4) modifications solely for changes as a result of Service Contract Act wage rates/fringe benefits or Fair Labor Standards Act minimum wages.

(c) “Business Clearance” means:

(1) For competitive acquisitions, approval to issue the solicitation.

(2) For noncompetitive contract actions, approval to begin negotiations if traditional or commercial pricing is used.

(d) “Begin negotiations” means, for the purpose of noncompetitive contract actions using traditional or commercial pricing, starting discussions with an offeror for the purpose of reaching agreement on all aspects of the proposal. Initiation of audits and fact-finding necessary to evaluate the proposal and develop the Government’s negotiation objective do not constitute negotiations.

(e) “Contract Clearance” means:

(1) For competitive acquisitions, approval by the clearance authority for the SSA to make the decision to award without discussions or to request final proposal revisions in accordance with FAR 15.307.

(2) For noncompetitive contract actions using traditional or commercial pricing, approval by the clearance authority to award a contract or contract modification/contract action.

(3) For actions using Integrated Product Team (IPT)/One Pass pricing method, approval to conclude negotiations and award a contract.

(f) “Traditional Pricing” means, for the purpose of noncompetitive actions, the serial process of the Government (1) defining the requirements; (2) requesting and receiving a proposal; and (3) reviewing and evaluating the proposal in order to establish an objective in preparation for negotiations.

(g) “IPT/One Pass pricing” means the process of concurrent requirements refinement, proposal development, fact-finding, and preliminary agreement between the Government and contractor in a noncompetitive acquisition. In this process, the Government and contractor IPT members communicate in an ongoing, structured manner from early planning stages through repetitive model contract development and review of related cost or pricing data.

5301.9001 Policy, thresholds, and approvals. (See changes in Policy Memos 08-C-10 and 08-C-15)

(a) The objectives of the business and contract clearance process are to ensure that:

(1) Contract actions effectively implement approved acquisition strategies;

(2) Negotiations and contract actions result in fair and reasonable business arrangements;

(3) Negotiations and contract actions are consistent with laws, regulations, and policies; and

(4) An independent review and assessment (i.e. by the clearance authority) for the proposed contract action is accomplished.

(b) The clearance approval authority shall ensure that the clearance process meets the objectives in paragraph (a) above.

(c) The clearance approval authority must seek legal advice (See 5301.602-2) and ensure that counsel has coordinated on any clearance briefings or presentations, and that counsel’s comments are included in the briefing or presentation.

(d) At the discretion of the clearance approval authority, contract clearances involving non-competitive, traditionally or commercially priced acquisitions are not required when the negotiation team stays within a pre-set negotiation range and meets the parameters approved at the business clearance.

(e) The Source Selection Authority (SSA) shall not be the clearance approval authority.

(f) Business clearance is not required for actions using IPT pricing.

(g) Contract actions meeting the contract value thresholds set below shall not be awarded without obtaining the required business and contract clearance approval(s). Clearance approval authority may not be delegated, however unit specific assignments pursuant to subparagraph (2)(i) are authorized.

(1) For PEO programs supported by SMC, PEO programs supported by AFMC and for AFMC Other Contracting (excluding Operational)

Contract Value* | Clearance Approval Authority
>$50M | SCCO
$25M - $50M | Wing level PK/A7K/MSK/SPO Chief of Contracts for SMC PEO Programs/or Deputy
$5M - $25M | Group level PK/A7K/MSKor Deputy/at least one level above the CO for SMC PEO Programs

(2) For Operational Contracting (excluding AFRC)

Contract Value* | Clearance Approval Authority
>$2M | SCO or SCCO
$1M - $2M | SQ/CC or DBO
$500K - $1M | At least one level above the CO

(i) The SCO or SCCO may assign a clearance threshold in excess of the $2M identified above for a squadron/unit. The threshold assigned shall not be greater than $10M or in the case of specialized units, $25M. For unit thresholds above $2M, the squadron commander or equivalent will assign subordinate thresholds within their units. The clearance approving official must be at least one level above the contracting officer.

(ii) On a case-by-case basis, the SCO or SCCO may review a specific contract action below the established threshold in order to ensure compliance with applicable standards and practices.

(iii) The SCO may lower the threshold below the $2M identified above or rescind a previously granted increased threshold for a squadron/unit that is not meeting established standards. In those instances, concurrent notification will be made to SAF/AQCP.

(3) For AFRC

Contract Value* | Clearance Approval Authority
>$500K | AFRC/A7K

* Note: Contract value is determined by applying the sum of the value of the basic portion of the instant acquisition, plus any options, sums reserved for provisioning, and the value of any contingencies, such as ceiling, award fees/terms, and performance incentives.

(4) If the SCCO is a SSA, the clearance approving officials for those acquisitions will be their SCO or deputy. When the SCO or their deputy is the SSA, the clearance official for those acquisitions is ADAS(C). Clearance requests shall be sent through SAF/AQCK.

SUBPART 5301.91--OMBUDSMAN PROGRAM

5301.9101 Purpose.

The purpose of the Air Force ombudsman program is to foster communication between government and industry. The primary function of the ombudsman is to hear concerns about specific issues in acquisitions, to communicate these concerns to senior management personnel responsible for oversight and to assist in the resolution of the concerns.

5301.9102 Policy.

(a) MAJCOM and DRU commanders shall appoint an experienced senior official who is independent of the contracting officer and program manager as the ombudsman at their MAJCOM/DRU. For AFMC and AFSPC Centers, an ombudsman is required at each Center, instead of at the MAJCOM.

(b) The ombudsman will have the authority to call upon other resources of the activity to assist in resolving acquisition issues or concerns (e.g. administrative support, independent review teams).

(c) Contracting officers shall identify the ombudsman in the initial announcement of the acquisition as well as in the draft and final RFP.

(d) The ombudsman shall:

(1) Support acquisition personnel in the resolution of issues or concerns raised by interested parties;

(2) Act in a manner that does not compromise the interested party and, if requested, maintain anonymity of the parties.

(3) Avoid any appearance of usurping normal procurement authority (e.g., program manager, contracting officer, and source selection authority);

(4) Ensure all affected or knowledgeable offices and officials are consulted as part of any resolution process;

(5) Inform the commander, as required, of issues raised and actions taken; for AFMC and AFSPC centers, report only to the Center Commander, Laboratory Commander/Director, or PEO; and for other MAJCOM/DRUS, report only to the MAJCOM CC or PEO;

(6) Review complaints relative to multiple-award task and delivery order contracts awarded under 10 U.S.C. 2304a(d)(1)(B) or 2304b(e) to ensure that all contractors are afforded a fair opportunity to be considered for task and delivery orders in excess of $2,500, consistent with the procedures in the contract;

(7) Consistent with security requirements, have access to the appropriate offices and be allowed to collect all facts relevant to the resolution of issues raised by interested parties. Ombudsmen are granted access to proprietary information. Source selection information must be obtained through the source selection authority.

(e) The Ombudsman Program does not replace the agency level protest, GAO bid protest or disputes processes.

(f) The Air Force ombudsman is the Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary (ADAS) (Contracting), who may take action to assist in resolving issues, concerns, disagreements, and recommendations that cannot be resolved at the MAJCOM/DRU level, or for those having Air Force wide implications.

(g) Government personnel may use the Ombudsman Program as a way to express concerns about an acquisition.

5301.9103 Solicitation provision and contract clause.

Insert a clause substantially the same as the clause at 5352.201-9101, Ombudsman, in all solicitations (including draft solicitations) and contracts.