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Research Guides

U.S. Defense Procurement

Study Aids

The following study aids may be borrowed from the Reserve Collection at the Law Library's Circulation Desk for up to 2 hours. Older editions may be found in the Law Library stacks. For more study aids in the Law Library's collection, please consult our Study Aids guide.

Legal Research Databases

Deciphering Acronyms and Abbreviations

Commonly Used:

  • AFARS
    (Army FAR Supplement)
     
  • AFFARS
    (Air Force FAR Supplement)
     
  • ASBCA
    (Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals)
     
  • ASPR
    (Armed Services Procurement Regulation - superseded by DAR in 1978 and DFARS in 1984)
     
  • DAR
    (Defense Acquisition Regulation)
     
  • DFARS
    (Department of Defense FAR Supplement)
     
  • NMCARS
    (Navy & Marine Corps Acquisition Regulation Supplement)
     

Reference Resource:

Interpreting Citations

Bluebook Rules:

  • R14.2: Rules, Regulations, and Other Publications
  • T1.2: Federal Administrative and Executive Materials
     

Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals:

An example of an Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals decision is:

Grumman Aerospace Corp., ASBCA No. 48282, 98-2 BCA ¶ 29,943.
 

  • Grumman Aerospace Corp. = Case name
  • ASBCA = Bluebook abbreviation for Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals
  • No. = Bluebook abbreviation for number
  • 48282 = Decision number
  • 98-2 = Reporter number (first two numbers indicate year of decision)
  • BCA = Bluebook abbreviation for Board of Contract Appeals Decisions
  • 29,943 = Paragraph number of decision


Decisions of the Comptroller General:

Decisions may be published in either the Comptroller General's Procurement Decisions (CPD) or the Decisions of the Comptroller General of the United States (Comp. Gen.).  An example of a Comptroller General's Procurement Decisions citation is:

Gemini Industries, Inc., B-281323, 99-1 CPD ¶ 22 (Comp. Gen. Jan. 25, 1999).
 

  • Gemini Industries, Inc. = Protesting party
  • B-281424 = Comptroller General file "B" number
  • 99-1 = Reporter number (first two numbers indicate year of decision)
  • CPD = Comptroller General's Procurement Decisions
  • 22 = Paragraph number of decision
  • Comp. Gen. = Bluebook abbreviation for Comptroller General
  • Jan. 25, 1999 = Date of decision


An example of a Decisions of the Comptroller General of the United States citation is:

Kiewit Western Co., 65 Comp. Gen. 54 (1985).
 

  • Kiewit Wester Co. = Protesting party
  • 65 = Reporter volume number
  • Comp. Gen. = Bluebook abbreviation for Decisions of the Comptroller General of the United States
  • 54 = Page number where decision starts
  • 1985 = Year of decision


Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS)

An example of a Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement citation is:

DFARS 216.405-2(3).
 

  • DFARS = Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement
  • 216 = Part
  • 216.4 = Subpart
  • 216.405 = Section
  • 216.405-2 = Subsection
  • 216.405-2(3) = Paragraph


Federal Claims Reporter:

An example of a cite to a decision in the Federal Claims Reporter is:

Beres v. United States, 92 Fed. Cl. 737 (2010).
 

  • Beres & United States = Parties to the case
  • 92 = Reporter volume number
  • Fed. Cl. = Bluebook abbreviation for Federal Claims Reporter
  • 737 = Page number where decision starts
  • 2010 = Year of decision

How to Research Government Contracts