(a)

(1) Acquisition regulations—(i) Department-wide acquisition regulations. The Department of Transportation's (DOT's) Senior Procurement Executive (SPE) is the individual having authority to issue or authorize the issuance of agency regulations that implement or supplement the FAR to include agency-unique policies, procedures, contract clauses, solicitation provisions, and forms that govern the contracting process. This authority is re-delegated from the Assistant Secretary for Administration to the SPE.

(ii) Operating Administration (OA) acquisition regulations. OA supplemental acquisition regulations proposed to be inserted in the TAR as a TAR supplement regulation shall be reviewed and approved by the SPE. If approved by the SPE, the Office of the Senior Procurement Executive will prepare the rule for publication in the Federal Register in accordance with FAR 1.501. OA regulations may be more restrictive or require higher approval levels than those required by the TAR unless otherwise specified.

(2) Acquisition procedures. The SPE issues or authorizes the issuance of internal agency guidance at any organizational level. DOT internal operating procedures are contained in the TAM. OA procedures necessary to implement or supplement the FAR, TAR, or TAM may be issued by the head of the contracting activity (HCA), who may delegate this authority to any organizational level deemed appropriate. OA procedures may be more restrictive or require higher approval levels than those permitted by the TAM unless otherwise specified.

(b) The authority of the agency head under FAR 1.301(b) to establish procedures to ensure that agency acquisition regulations are published for comment in the Federal Register in conformance with the procedures in FAR subpart 1.5 is delegated to the Office of the General Counsel, Assistant General Counsel for Regulation.

(a) Changes to the TAR may be the result of recommendations from internal DOT personnel, other Government agencies, or the public. Proposed changes shall be submitted in the following format to the Office of the Senior Procurement Executive (OSPE), 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590 or DOTAcquisitionPolicy@dot.gov and must include the following elements:

(1) Problem. Succinctly state the problems created by current TAR language and describe the factual or legal reasons necessitating regulatory change.

(2) Recommendation. Identify the recommended change by using the current language (if applicable) and striking through the proposed deleted words with a horizontal line. Insert proposed language in bold and brackets. If the change is extensive, reflect proposed deleted language in strikethrough and proposed new or revised language with complete paragraphs in bold and brackets.

(3) Discussion. Explain why the change is necessary and how it will solve the problem. Address any cost or administrative impact on Government activities, offerors, and contractors, to include potential impact to small businesses. Provide any other information and documents, such as statutes, legal decisions, regulations, and reports, that may be helpful.

(4) Point of contact. Provide a point of contact who can answer questions regarding the recommendation.

(b) The TAR is maintained by the SPE through the TAR/TAM change process. This process consists of input from various DOT elements including representatives from DOT OAs specifically designated to formulate Departmental acquisition policies and procedures.

(c) Transportation Acquisition Circulars (TACs) (see 1201.301–72) will be used to publish the TAR throughout DOT.

(a) Effective dates set forth in TACs. Unless otherwise stated in the body of TACs, statements to the effect that the policy or procedures are “effective upon receipt,” or “upon a specified date,” or that changes set forth in the document are “to be used upon receipt,” mean that any new or revised provisions, clauses, procedures, or forms must be included in solicitations, contracts, or modifications issued thereafter.

(b) Effective dates for in-process acquisitions. Unless expressly directed by statute or regulation, solicitations in process or negotiations that are completed when a TAC is issued are not required to include or insert new requirements, forms, clauses, or provisions, as may be set forth in a TAC. However, the chief of the contracting office must determine that it is in the best interest of the Government to exclude the new information and the determination and findings must be included in the contract file.

Transportation Acquisition Circulars (TACs) will be numbered consecutively on a fiscal year basis beginning with number “01” prefixed by the last two digits of the fiscal year (e.g., TACs 21–01 and 21–02 indicate the first two TACs issued in fiscal year 2021).

(a) DOT shall control the proliferation of acquisition regulations and any revisions thereto (except as noted in paragraph (b) of this section) by using an internal TAR change process.

(b) Specific OA-unique regulations will not be processed through the TAR/TAM change process but shall be reviewed by OA legal counsel and submitted to the OSPE for review and approval. (See 1252.101 for additional instructions pertaining to provisions and clauses.)