Justification & Approval (J&A)
A Justification & Approval (J&A) is the formal document required by FAR 6.303 to justify awarding a federal contract without full and open competition, citing one of seven statutory exceptions and approved at thresholds based on dollar value.
When a contracting officer proposes to limit or bypass competition, the Competition in Contracting Act requires written justification. The J&A identifies the statutory authority (most commonly "only one responsible source" under FAR 6.302-1), describes the market research supporting that conclusion, and explains actions the agency will take to remove barriers to future competition.
Approval authority escalates with value — from the contracting officer, to the competition advocate, up to the senior procurement executive for the largest actions. Weak market research is the most common reason J&As get challenged, and a poorly supported J&A is a standing protest risk.
Sole-source justifications under SBIR Phase III and 8(a) follow different rules, and OTs fall outside FAR Part 6 entirely.
Regulatory Reference
FAR 6.303; FAR 6.302
RFO Status
The Part 6 model deviation was among the first issued (spring 2025) and streamlines competition coverage without generally substantive change; agencies adopted it through class deviations — GSA's RFO-2025-06 in July 2025, DoD via class deviation 2026-O0017, Revision 2 (August 5, 2026), covering DFARS 206. Part 6 is not in the June 2026 first-batch proposed rules, so published FAR 6.303 remains the citation absent an agency deviation. (verified September 12, 2026)
Category
Documents & Artifacts
How AcqBot Helps
AcqBot drafts J&As from your requirement data and market research record, cites the correct exception authority, and routes the document through the right approval chain based on dollar value — all inside one workflow.
Related glossary entries
Performance Work Statement (PWS)
A Performance Work Statement (PWS) describes required outcomes and measurable performance standards for a services acquisition rather than prescribing how the work must be done, enabling contractors to propose their own methods under performance-based acquisition.
Statement of Work (SOW)
A Statement of Work (SOW) is the contract document that prescribes, in specific and directive terms, the tasks a contractor must perform, the deliverables due, and the schedule — placing responsibility for the approach on the government.
Statement of Objectives (SOO)
A Statement of Objectives (SOO) is a brief government document stating top-level acquisition objectives and desired outcomes, leaving offerors free to propose their own technical approach and performance work statement in response.
Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE)
An Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) is the government's own documented estimate of what a requirement should cost, developed without contractor input, used to validate budgets, evaluate price reasonableness, and support negotiation positions.