DFARS

The FAR applies to all executive agencies; DFARS supplements it for DoD and follows the same numbering, so DFARS Part 215 adds to FAR Part 15. DFARS clauses are numbered in Part 252, such as 252.204-7012 on safeguarding covered defense information and cyber incident reporting.

DoD also publishes the DFARS Procedures, Guidance and Information (PGI), which explains how contracting officers apply the rules. Military departments and defense agencies add their own further supplements.

Read Sections I and K of a defense solicitation for the DFARS clauses and representations it includes. Cybersecurity requirements are the ones that most often decide eligibility: clauses such as 252.204-7012 and the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification requirements can require specific controls and assessments before award.

A common mistake is treating DFARS clauses as boilerplate. Flag each one that imposes an obligation in your compliance matrix and in the bid/no-bid decision, since some cannot be met after the fact.

Defense solicitations also bring DoD-specific evaluation habits, such as detailed staffing and transition requirements, small business participation plans and data rights assertions under DFARS Part 227. Each of these has its own rules and its own pages in the proposal. Build a short DFARS checklist for your company covering the clauses you see most often, what each requires of you, and who on your team is responsible, and update it whenever DoD changes a clause your work depends on.