(a) Contractors and subcontractors at all tiers shall, to the maximum extent practicable:
(1) Be required to incorporate commercial items or nondevelopmental items as components of items delivered to the Government; and
(2) Not be required to apply to any of its divisions, subsidiaries, affiliates, subcontractors or suppliers that are furnishing commercial items or commercial components any clause, except those -
(i) Required to implement provisions of law or executive orders applicable to subcontractors furnishing commercial items or commercial components; or
(ii) Determined to be consistent with customary commercial practice for the item being acquired.
(b) Under a contract that is over $5 million for the procurement of items other than commercial items, and under which the contractor is acting as a purchasing agent for the Government with respect to a purchase that exceeds the simplified acquisition threshold, the contractor shall, to the maximum extent practicable, conduct market research to determine-
(1) If commercial items or, to the extent commercial items suitable to meet the agency’s needs are not available, nondevelopmental items are available that-
(i) Meet the agency’s requirements;
(ii) Could be modified to meet the agency’s requirements; or
(iii) Could meet the agency’s requirements if those requirements were modified to a reasonable extent; and
(2) The extent to which commercial items or nondevelopmental items could be incorporated at the component level.
(c) The clause at 52.244-6, Subcontracts for Commercial Items and Commercial Components, implements the policy in paragraph (a) of this section. Notwithstanding any other clause in the prime contract, only those clauses identified in the clause at 52.244-6 are required to be in subcontracts for commercial items or commercial components.
(d) Agencies may supplement the clause at 52.244-6 only as necessary to reflect agency unique statutes applicable to the acquisition of commercial items.
