{"abstract":"This document amends the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Acquisition Regulation (VAAR). This document revises the VAAR to conform to plain language principles, updates delegations of authority, and removes non-regulatory material. The document also makes changes in format, arrangement, and numbering to make the VAAR parallel to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) as required by the FAR. In addition, provisions that simply restate FAR provisions that are already applicable have been removed, and procedures for providing notice and a hearing to resolve issues regarding possible violations of the Gratuities clause, for establishing qualified products lists, for suspending or debarring a contractor, for expediting payments to small businesses, and for reducing or suspending payments upon a finding of contract fraud have been added. The VAAR clause on Organizational Conflicts of Interest has been expanded to cover a broader range of services that may be subject to organizational conflicts of interest. Additional VAAR clauses have been added to the list of clauses for use in commercial item solicitations and contracts. Items that have been deleted include requirements for setting aside construction and architect-engineer solicitations for small businesses that are in conflict with current statute, a requirement to conduct an audit of section 8(a) price proposals that is contrary to current FAR requirements, and a VAAR provision that requested data from offerors on veteran-owned small businesses that has been replaced by a FAR provision. Guidance to contracting officers on the types of data that should be requested from a contractor when evaluating the contractor's financial condition has been added. Other additions include a requirement to use the clause on Assignment of Claims in purchase orders and guidance to contracting officers on the criteria for revising the payment due dates for invoices. This final rule also makes non-substantive clarifying changes and corrections to the proposed rule. The Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006 (Pub. L. 109-461) was issued subsequent to the proposed rule. It will be addressed in a future rulemaking.","action":"Final rule.","agencies":[{"raw_name":"DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS","name":"Veterans Affairs Department","id":520,"url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/veterans-affairs-department","json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/agencies/520","parent_id":null,"slug":"veterans-affairs-department"}],"body_html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/html/2008/01/15/E7-25380.html","cfr_references":[{"chapter":8,"citation_url":null,"part":null,"title":48}],"citation":"73 FR 2712","comment_url":null,"comments_close_on":null,"correction_of":null,"corrections":[],"dates":"Effective Date: February 14, 2008.","disposition_notes":null,"docket_ids":[],"dockets":[],"document_number":"E7-25380","effective_on":"2008-02-14","end_page":2792,"executive_order_notes":null,"executive_order_number":null,"full_text_xml_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/xml/2008/01/15/E7-25380.xml","html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2008/01/15/E7-25380/va-acquisition-regulation-plain-language-rewrite","images":{},"images_metadata":{},"json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/documents/E7-25380?publication_date=2008-01-15","mods_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/metadata/granule/FR-2008-01-15/E7-25380/mods.xml","not_received_for_publication":null,"page_length":81,"page_views":{"count":1222,"last_updated":"2026-10-22 20:15:04 -0400"},"pdf_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2008-01-15/pdf/E7-25380.pdf","presidential_document_number":null,"proclamation_number":null,"public_inspection_pdf_url":null,"publication_date":"2008-01-15","raw_text_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/2008/01/15/E7-25380.txt","regulation_id_number_info":{"2900-AK78":{"issue":"200710","html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/regulations/2900-AK78/department-of-veterans-affairs-acquisition-regulations-plain-language-rewrite","title":"Department of Veterans Affairs Acquisition Regulations Plain Language Rewrite","xml_url":"http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=200710&RIN=2900-AK78&operation=OPERATION_EXPORT_XML","priority_category":"Other Significant"}},"regulation_id_numbers":["2900-AK78"],"regulations_dot_gov_info":{"checked_regulationsdotgov_at":"2011-11-13T15:16:35Z"},"regulations_dot_gov_url":null,"significant":true,"signing_date":null,"start_page":2712,"subtype":null,"title":"VA Acquisition Regulation: Plain Language Rewrite","toc_doc":"Plain language rewrite","toc_subject":"Acquisition regulations:","topics":["Asbestos","Frozen foods","Government procurement","Loan programs-social programs","Loan programs-veterans","Taxes","Telecommunications","Transportation","Utilities","Vocational rehabilitation"],"type":"Rule","volume":73}