GSA announced significant changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and procurement practices last week, issuing two key deviations to the FAR in response to President Trump’s earlier Executive Order on merit-based contracting. These changes aimed to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) factors from federal contracting source selection criteria. A federal judge in Maryland found the EO was likely unconstitutionally vague, lacked clear definitions, and potentially discriminated against certain viewpoints in violation of the First Amendment. Despite the pause, the changes do not affect existing equal opportunity provisions for veterans and workers with disabilities, nor do they impact generally applicable civil rights laws.
