Lawyer Article
Proposed Federal Acquisition Regulation to Address IPv6
August 24, 2006
This article was published in the August 24th edition of Southeast Tech Wire.
On August 26, 2006, the federal government proposed that IPv6 be covered in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”) that governs federal procurement contracts. The proposed rule cites the OMB memo issued on August 2, 2005, which gives guidance to federal agencies regarding the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 by June 2008. A June 30, 2006 Government Accountability Office report concluded that federal agencies have taken steps in planning for the transition to IPv6, but several have not completed key activities. This proposed rule would further the implementation of the transition.
The proposed rule revises three FAR provisions:
- FAR 7.105, Contents of Written Acquisition Plans—to ensure agency planners comply with the IPv6 capability requirements as a part of acquisition planning
- FAR 12.202, Market Research and Description of Agency Need (for commercial item acquisitions) -- to state that requirements documents for information technology shall include IPv6 capable products and services
- FAR 39.101, Policy (for acquisition of information technology) -- calling for agencies to include requirements for IPv6 capable products and services and to establish procedures for granting exceptions
Comments on the proposed rule are due October 23, 2006.
This document is intended as an informational reminder and does not constitute legal advice. If you have any questions or would like to discuss a particular situation, please contact the Womble Carlyle Government Contracts Group.
The purpose of this memo is to provide general information about significant legal developments and should not be construed as legal advice on any specific facts and circumstances.