(a) A contracting officer shall not commence negotiations for a sole source contract, commence negotiations for a contract resulting from an unsolicited proposal, or award any other contract without providing for full and open competition unless the contracting officer—

(1) Justifies, if required in 6.302, the use of such actions in writing;

(2) Certifies the accuracy and completeness of the justification; and

(3) Obtains the approval required by 6.304.

(b) The contracting officer shall not award a sole-source contract under the 8(a) authority (15 U.S.C. 637(a)) for an amount exceeding $25 million unless—

(1) The contracting officer justifies the use of a sole-source contract in writing in accordance with 6.303-2;

(2) The justification is approved by the appropriate official designated at 6.304; and

(3) The justification and related information are made public after award in accordance with 6.305.

(c) Technical and requirements personnel are responsible for providing and certifying as accurate and complete necessary data to support their recommendation for other than full and open competition.

(d) Justifications required by paragraph (a) of this section may be made on an individual or class basis. Any justification for contracts awarded under the authority of 6.302-7 shall only be made on an individual basis. Whenever a justification is made and approved on a class basis, the contracting officer must ensure that each contract action taken pursuant to the authority of the class justification and approval is within the scope of the class justification and approval and shall document the contract file for each contract action accordingly.

(e) The justifications for contracts awarded under the authority cited in 6.302-2 may be prepared and approved within a reasonable time after contract award when preparation and approval prior to award would unreasonably delay the acquisitions.

[50 FR 1729, Jan. 11, 1985, as amended at 50 FR 52433, Dec. 23, 1985; 55 FR 25526, June 21, 1990; 64 FR 72418, Dec. 27, 1999; 69 FR 77872, Dec. 28, 2004; 76 FR 14561, Mar. 16, 2011; 80 FR 38296, July 2, 2015; 84 FR 19843, May 6, 2019; 85 FR 62487, Oct. 2, 2020]