Title 48—Federal Acquisition Regulations System--Volume 1
PART 1601—FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM
1601.101   Purpose.
(a) This subpart establishes chapter 16, Office of Personnel Management Federal Employees Health Benefits Acquisition Regulation, within title 48, the Federal Acquisition Regulation System, of the Code of Federal Regulations. The short title of this regulation shall be FEHBAR.
(b) The purpose of the FEHBAR is to implement and supplement the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) specifically for acquiring and administering contracts with health insurance carriers in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP).
1601.102   Authority.
(a) The FEHBAR is issued by the Director of the Office of Personnel Management in accordance with the authority of 5 U.S.C. chapter 89 and other applicable law and regulation.
(b) The FEHBAR does not replace or incorporate regulations found at 5 CFR part 890, which provides the substantive policy guidance for administration of the FEHBP under 5 U.S.C. Chapter 89. The following is the order of precedence in interpreting a contract provision under the FEHBP:
(1) 5 U.S.C. Chapter 89;
(2) 5 CFR part 890;
(3) 48 CFR Chapters 1 and 16;
(4) The FEHBP contract.
1601.103   Applicability.
The FAR is generally applicable to contracts negotiated in the FEHBP pursuant to 5 U.S.C. chapter 89. The FEHBAR implements and supplements the FAR where necessary to identify basic and significant acquisition policies unique to the FEHBP.
1601.104   Issuance.
1601.104-1   Publication and code arrangement.
(a) The FEHBAR and its subsequent changes are published in
(1) Daily issues of the Federal Register; and
(2) Cumulative form of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(b) The FEHBAR is issued as chapter 16 of title 48 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
1601.104-2   Arrangement of regulation.
(a) General. The FEHBAR conforms with the arrangement and numbering system prescribed by FAR 1.104. However, when a FAR part or subpart is adequate for use without further OPM implementation or supplementation, there will be no corresponding FEHBAR part, subpart, etc. The FEHBAR is to be used in conjunction with the FAR and the order for use is:
(1) FAR;
(2) FEHBAR.
(b) Citation. (1) In formal documents, such as legal briefs, citation of chapter 16 material that has been published in the Federal Register will be to title 48 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(2) In informal documents, any section of chapter 16 may be identified as “FEHBAR” followed by the section number.
1601.106   OMB approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act.
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 (Pub. L. 96-511) requires Federal agencies to obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) before collecting information from ten or more members of the public. The information collection and recordkeeping requirements contained in this regulation have been approved by the OMB. The following OMB control numbers apply.
1601.301   Policy.
(a) Procedures, contract clauses, and other aspects of the acquisition process for contracts in the FEHBP shall be consistent with the principles of the FAR. Changes to the FAR that are otherwise authorized by statute or applicable regulation, dictated by the practical realities associated with the unique nature of health care procurements, or necessary to satisfy specific needs of the Office of Personnel Management shall be implemented as amendments to the FEHBAR and published in the Federal Register, or as deviations to the FAR in accordance with FAR subpart 1.4.
(b) Internal procedures, instructions, and guides that are necessary to clarify or implement the FEHBAR within OPM may be issued by agency officials specifically designated by the Director, OPM. Normally, such designations will be specified in the OPM Administrative Manual, which is routinely available to agency employees and will be made available to interested outside parties upon request. Clarifying or implementing procedures, instructions, and guides issued pursuant to this section of the FEHBAR must—
(1) Be consistent with the policies and procedures contained in this regulation as implemented and supplemented from time to time; and
(2) Follow the format, arrangement, and numbering system of this regulation to the extent practicable.