The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is the principal set of rules in the Federal Acquisition Regulation System. This system consists of sets of regulations issued by agencies of the federal government of the United States to govern what is called the "acquisition process"; this is the process through which the government purchases ("acquires") goods and services. That process consists of three phases: (1) need recognition and acquisition planning, (2) contract formation, and (3) contract administration. The FAR System regulates the activities of government personnel in carrying out that process. It does not regulate the purchasing activities of private sector firms, except to the extent that parts of it are incorporated into government solicitations and contracts by reference.

The FAR is codified in Title 48 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations. It is issued pursuant to the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act of 1974 (Pub. L. 93-400 and Title 41 of the United States Code), Chapter 7. Statutory authority to issue and maintain the FAR resides with the Secretary of Defense, the Administrator of General Services, and the Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 41 U.S.C. § 421(c)(1), subject to the approval of the Administrator of Federal Procurement Policy, 41 U.S.C. § 405.

The largest single part of the FAR is Part 52, which contains standard contract clauses and "solicitation provisions." Solicitation provisions are certifications, notices, and instructions for firms that plan to compete for a specific contract. Many contract clauses incorporate parts of the FAR into government contracts by reference, by which means they impose FAR rules on contractors. If the FAR requires that a clause which addresses an important topic be included in a government contract, and if the government's acquisition personnel omit the clause without authorization, the agency boards of contract appeals and the Federal courts may interpret the contract as though the clause were, in fact, included. This is done pursuant to a legal doctrine known as the Christian Doctrine, which is based on the underlying principle that government regulations have the force and effect of law, and government personnel may not deviate from the law without proper authorization. The boards and courts charge prospective contractors with knowing what the law requires and knowing the limitations of the authority of government acquisition personnel.

The single most heavily regulated aspect of acquisition is contract pricing, which is addressed throughout the FAR, but especially in Subpart 15.4, Parts 30 and 31, and Subparts 42.7, 42.8, and 42.17. A large part of the FAR, Subchapter D, describes various socio-economic programs, such as the various small business programs, purchases from foreign sources, and laws written to protect laborers and professionals working under government contracts.

The FAR and its agency supplements are said by the federal courts to have "the force and effect of law," see Davies Precision Machining, Inc. v. U.S., 35 Fed. Cl. 651 (1995). Nearly all government agencies are required to comply with the FAR. However, some agencies are exempt (e.g., the Central Intelligence Agency, the United States Postal Service, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Bonneville Power Administration); in those cases, the agency promulgates its own specific procurement rules.

Purpose[link]

The purpose of the FAR is to provide "uniform policies and procedures for acquisition."^[1] Among its guiding principles is to have an acquisition system that satisfies customer's needs in terms of cost, quality, and timeliness; minimize administrative operating costs; conduct business with integrity, fairness, and openness; and fulfill other public policy objectives.^[2]

The FAR also includes socioeconomic requirements, such as for certain items to be required to be purchased from United States firms only and for large organizations to use smaller businesses as subcontractors.

When a government agency issues a contract or a proposal, it will specify a list of FAR provisions that apply to that contract, which may be numerous. In order to be awarded a contract, a bidder must either comply with the provisions, demonstrate that it will be able to comply with them at the time of award, and/or claim an exemption from them. As an example, Part 30 (which references Cost Accounting Standards) allows for small businesses to be exempt from those requirements; if the bidder can demonstrate that it meets the small business criteria, Part 30 would then not apply.

In many cases, a contract award can be challenged and set aside if a challenger can prove that either the contracting agency and/or the successful bidder did not comply with the contract solicitation requirements, usually so that the challenger can either be awarded the contract in lieu of the original bidder's award of the contract or get another shot at a bid.

Structure[link]

The Federal Acquisition Regulation is contained within Chapter 1 of Title 48, appropriately titled "Federal Acquisition Regulation."^[3] Chapter 1 is divided into Subchapters A-H, which encompass Parts 1-53 (with Parts 54-99 being reserved). Chapter 1 appears in Volumes 1 and 2 of Title 48, with Subchapters A-G appearing in Volume 1 while Subchapter H occupies all of Volume 2.^[4][5] The proper way to cite a regulation within the CFR is by title, part, and section, without respect to volume, chapter, or subchapter. For instance, Section 101 of Part 1 of Title 48 would be cited as 48 CFR 1.101.

The table of contents, as of the edition published October 1, 2010, is as follows:^[4][5]

In Volume 1:

• Subchapter A: General
  • Part 1. Federal Acquisition Regulations System
  • Part 2. Definitions of Words and Terms
  • Part 3. Improper Business Practices and Personal Conflicts of Interest
  • Part 4. Administrative Matters
• Subchapter B: Acquisition Planning
  • Part 5. Publicizing Contract Actions
  • Part 6. Competition Requirements
  • Part 7. Acquisition Planning
  • Part 8. Required Sources of Supplies and Services
  • Part 9. Contractor Qualifications
  • Part 10. Market Research
  • Part 11. Describing Agency Needs
  • Part 12. Acquisition of Commercial Items
• Subchapter C: Contracting Methods and Contract Types
  • Part 13. Simplified Acquisition Procedures
  • Part 14. Sealed Bidding
  • Part 15. Contracting by Negotiation
  • Part 16. Types of Contracts
  • Part 17. Special Contracting Methods
  • Part 18. Emergency Acquisitions
• Subchapter D: Socioeconomic Programs
  • Part 19. Small business programs
  • Parts 20-21. Reserved
  • Part 22. Application of Labor Laws to Government Acquisitions
  • Part 23. Environment, Energy and Water Efficiency, Renewable Energy Technologies, Occupational Safety, and Drug-Free Workplace
  • Part 24. Protection of Privacy and Freedom of Information
  • Part 25. Foreign Acquisition
  • Part 26. Other Socioeconomic Programs
• Subchapter E: General Contracting Requirements
  • Part 27. Patents, Data, and Copyrights
  • Part 28. Bonds and Insurance
  • Part 29. Taxes
  • Part 30. Cost Accounting Standards Administration
  • Part 31. Contract Cost Principles and Procedures
  • Part 32. Contract Financing
  • Part 33. Protests, Disputes, and Appeals
• Subchapter F: Special Categories of Contracting
  • Part 34. Major System Acquisition
  • Part 35. Research and Development Contracting
  • Part 36. Construction and Architect-Engineer Contracts
  • Part 37. Service Contracting
  • Part 38. Federal Supply Schedule Contracting
  • Part 39. Acquisition of Information Technology
  • Part 40. Reserved
  • Part 41. Acquisition of Utility Services
• Subchapter G: Contract Management
  • Part 42. Contract Administration and Audit Services
  • Part 43. Contract Modifications
  • Part 44. Subcontracting Policies and Procedures
  • Part 45. Government Property
  • Part 46. Quality Assurance
  • Part 47. Transportation
  • Part 48. Value Engineering
  • Part 49. Termination of Contracts
  • Part 50. Extraordinary Contractual Actions and the Safety Act
  • Part 51. Use of Government Sources by Contractors

In Volume 2:

• Subchapter H: Clauses and Forms
  • Part 52. Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses
  • Part 53. Forms
  • Parts 54-99. Reserved

Supplements[link]

As the original purpose of the FAR was to consolidate the numerous individual agency regulations into one comprehensive set of standards which would apply government-wide, officially individual agencies are discouraged from issuing supplemental regulations. However, nearly every major cabinet-level department (and many agencies below them) has issued such regulations, which often place further restrictions or requirements on contractors.

One of the best-known examples of an agency supplement is the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (or DFARS), which is used by the Department of Defense.

The most common format for agency FAR supplements is to follow the basic FAR format. To continue the example above, the companion DFARS section on lobbying costs is DFARS Subpart 231, Section 205, Subsection 22 (referenced as DFARS 231.205-22).

Criticisms[link]

Some have suggested that the complexity of complying with the FAR discourages competition, especially by small companies. See, e.g., Government Accountability Office, Managing the Supplier Base in the 21st Century (Report GAO-06-533SP) at 7.

See also[link]

• Government contracts

References[link]

External links[link]

• Federal Acquisition Regulations
• Defense FAR Supplement
• NASA FAR Supplement
• FARSite

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2010)

The Basics
The Basics at the Oxford Art Factory, 2010
Background information
Origin	Melbourne, Australia
Genres	Rock
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Independent, Albert Records
Associated acts	Gotye, Down Hills Home, Dog With Wheels, Blood Red Bird
Website	The Basics Official Website
Members
Wally De Backer Kris Schroeder Tim Heath
Past members
Michael Hubbard
Notable instruments
Lead guitar, drums, bass guitar.

The Basics ( /ˈbæzɪtʃ/ BAZZ-ich) are a three-piece band from Melbourne, Australia, formed by Wally De Backer and Kris Schroeder in 2002. Their style has been described as anything from 'indie-pop' to 'rock'n'roll' to 'pop-rock', though their records show they span a wide range of genres, including reggae, ska, country, and electro-pop. They are "recognised as one of Australia's hardest-working bands".^[1]

With close to 1000 shows in their ten-year career, their live performances are well-known for their sense of humour and energy.^[2]

Formation[link]

The Basics were formed after Kris met Wally at a party in Melbourne.^[3] The event was to see off the young aspiring producer, who was about to depart for Los Angeles, and together with a number of musician friends, the two jammed on some blues-rock standards. Later that night, they bonded over a mutual love of The Beatles, 70s and 80s cartoon theme songs and old Sierra adventure games.

Initially, they played around Melbourne as an acoustic guitar/drums combo, starting at The Opposition in Frankston and the House of Fools in Footscray, where in late 2002 they met Michael Hubbard and later invited him to join them on electric guitar.^[4] Though lacking any real experience with the instrument, Kris willingly purchased his first bass guitar, and the trio was born. During this time, the group start performing songs with more complicated three-part harmony.

During late 2002 and early 2003, The Basics recorded and released an album called Get Back through MGM Distribution. They began what was to become regular tours of the East and West coasts of Australia.

2004-2005: Current lineup[link]

Tim Heath joined the group in June 2004, after Michael decided to pursue his solo career, which has included being one half of Down Hills Home.^[4] Tim was reportedly the only person to reply to an advertisement in Melbourne's Beat Magazine looking for a new guitarist. Tim apparently answered the advertisement - which said the applicant "must have a love of 50s and 60s rock'n'roll" - thinking that he would be meeting "a couple of old guys to play with on the weekends over some beers". They soon recorded For Girls Like You.

The Basics in 2005 continued to tour and play small festivals, and after releasing For Girls Like You through MGM Distribution, they departed for a national tour of Australia, which lasted for two months and took them to every Australian state and territory. Stuart Padbury, a young Melbourne sound engineer, joined them on much of this tour. On returning, the band began demonstrating songs for a new album.

2006-2009: Touring and soundtracks[link]

In 2006, The Basics began recording what was to become known as Stand Out/Fit In. Taking several months, it was not completed until the end of the year, despite intentions to have it released in June. Instead, they held a successful 'album preview', where each of the tracks was demonstrated in 'rough form' accompanied by a music video for each (produced by Melbourne photographic artist James Bryans). The band also talked about the origins of the songs. This event brought a lot of attention to the band for the idea's originality. They pre-released a radio single 'Just Hold On' from the album. The band were invited to play the hugely popular Homebake Festival in Sydney, where they received a great response, after being introduced onto the stage by a short stocky Asian guy with big calves ("one of the highlights" wrote The Daily Telegraph).

In 2007, the band departed on a tri-state residency which saw them play Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane every week for the month of April - a bold move which brought further attention to the band for its original idea.^[5] Riding on the wave of this tour, Schroeder, De Backer and Heath departed on their first overseas tour which saw them performing 26 shows around Japan, Norway and the United Kingdom.^[6] They also toured twice more up the East Coast, one of which was with popular Japanese band The Bawdies. Their song 'Rattle My Chain' was used in a series of commercials for Volvo Australia. The song 'Hey There!' featured in the British film The Bank Job - starring Jason Statham - and was used as the backing for a February 2007 short film directed by Tim Longhurst called The Rip. Their song 'Better' was featured in a surfing documentary about the invention of the shortboard in 1967.

In 2008, the band appeared on Australia's Channel 9 for Australia Day celebrations, performing two of their songs - 'Just Hold On' and 'Hey There!' - to an estimated audience of 2 million. Securing an Australian Government grant, they embarked on a two-month tour of Australia, specifically targeting "culturally underprivileged groups" in rural and regional schoolchildren and Indigenous communities. The programme had them holding masterclasses and performing alongside Indigenous groups in the remote Northern Territory and Queensland.^[7][8] Their initiative also had them raising money for the charity Lifeline^{[disambiguation needed ]}, their contribution to which was recognised with a plaque at the end of the tour. Season two of Californication starring David Duchovny featured their cover of the classic 'Have Love, Will Travel', most famously covered by 'The Sonics'.

In 2009, The Basics for the first time enjoyed the support of Australian radio network Triple J, which had reportedly snubbed the band's previous material.^[9] The singles 'With This Ship' and 'Like A Brother' were added to the station's playlist, and momentum carried The Basics overseas for a second tour of the United Kingdom and Norway, and also a series of shows in Dublin, Ireland. They were joined by the longtime front-of-house engineer Stuart Padbury, who had been mixing them since 2005. The band was often seen in the Grafton Street Mall in Dublin, busking to promote their concerts there. Their second show in Oslo, Norway, saw the band perform with Hot Tub, one of the members of the Norwegian boy band "Boyzvoice", in his first performance for several years. Season Eight of Scrubs featured the song 'Lookin' Over My Shoulder'.

Despite all this promise, the band's album Keep Your Friends Close - produced and part-recorded by Peter Cobbin at London's Abbey Road Studios - though enjoying many favourable reviews,^{[10][11][12][13]} failed to impress Richard Kingsmill, music director of Triple J. This effectively ended the band's apparent upward spiral and the resulting album launch tour was reportedly "trying".

2010: Hiatus and live album[link]

In 2010, following the band's fourth stint at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, and the recording of a yet-unreleased live album, an indefinite hiatus was announced on the band's websites. This was in part due to the impending release of a new album produced by Wally for his Gotye project, and also to reported tensions within the band following the previous year's disappointments.

However, this hiatus was soon broken with a two-month residency at the Northcote Social Club in Melbourne, which saw an apparent return to form.^[14] The band's EP "Wait For You" enjoys airplay on Triple J.^[15] The Basics also played a one-off show at Sydney's Oxford Art Factory.^[16]

On 20 August 2010, The Basics released their fourth LP /ðəˈbæzɪtʃ/, available free and exclusively from their website for digital download^[17]. The band had reportedly moved to expand their listenership through this free giveaway, though 300 "Deluxe" CD/vinyl versions have been printed. /ðəˈbæzɪtʃ/ was recorded at the Northcote Social Club on 6 February, "in front of a live studio audience", and like the previous record, was mixed by Peter Cobbin at Abbey Road Studios. Technically a self-titled album, the phonetics spell out the accurate pronunciation of the band’s name. Kris Schroeder: "For years we’ve worked at bringing our live energy into the studio and thus far it’s been a bit hit-and-miss. Our trick this time was to pull a switcheroo and bring the studio to us instead; the result is the best and closest to us we’ve sounded yet."

Melbourne thespian and Dog With Wheels bassist David Bramble - friends with Heath from university days - has occasionally joined the band on tour, playing keys, often while sporting a large moustache. Other guests have included Jake Mason (saxophone), also of Cookin' on 3 Burners and The Bamboos^{[disambiguation needed ]}, Gideon Brazil (saxophone, flute), Simon Imrei (guitar and vocals) and Monty MacKenzie (saxophone).

Covers have often made an appearance from various sources: to date, some of the bands covered have been Cream, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Police, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, New Kids on the Block, Richard Berry, Sonny Curtis and The Crickets, JJ Cale, Harry Nilsson, Bill Scott, Ryan Adams and The Coasters (via The Beatles for their cover of Three Cool Cats).

Members[link]

Current

• Wally De Backer - drums, vocals (2002-present)
• Kris Schroeder - bass, vocals (2002-present)
• Tim Heath - guitar, vocals (2004-present)

Former

• Michael Hubbard - guitar, vocals (2002-2004)

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Get Back (15 January 2004)
• Stand Out/Fit In (5 May 2007)
• Keep Your Friends Close (25 September 2009)
• /ðəˈbæzɪtʃ/ (20 August 2010)

EP[link]

• For Girls Like You (11 July 2005)
• Lookin' Over My Shoulder (10 February 2007)
• Like A Brother (5 June 2009)
• Wait For You (21 May 2010)

Singles[link]

• Call It Rhythm & Blues (20 August 2004)
• Just Hold On
• With This Ship (22 February 2009)

Upcoming projects[link]

The band is taking a three year hiatus, with an announced return to the stage together in early 2014. Wally De Backer launched Making Mirrors under his Gotye act in August 2011, Tim Heath will be touring and recording with Blood Red Bird, and Kris Schroeder recorded a solo EP titled, Patience in the Face of Control, before leaving Australia to work with the Red Cross in Kenya for a two year sabbatical.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Myspace Website

Michael "Mike" Gold (April 12, 1894 – May 14, 1967) is the pen-name of Jewish American writer Itzok Isaac Granich. A lifelong communist, Gold was a novelist and literary critic, his semi-autobiographical novel Jews Without Money from 1930 was a bestseller.

Biography[link]

Gold was born Itzok Isaac Granich on April 12, 1894^[1] on the Lower East Side of New York City to Romanian Jewish immigrant parents - Chaim Granich and Gittel Schwartz Granich.^[2] He had two brothers. Mike Gold signed his first published writings Irwin Granich. He reportedly took the pseudonym Michael Gold at the time of the Palmer Raids on radicals in 1919-20 from a Jewish Civil War veteran he admired for having fought to "free the slaves."^[3][4][5] During the 1930s and 1940s Gold was considered the Dean of U.S. Proletarian Literature.

Literary career[link]

The Masses, a socialist journal edited by Floyd Dell and Max Eastman, published his first pieces in August, 1914. "Three Whose Hatred Killed Them" is a poem about anarchists killed in a Lexington Avenue tenement by their own bomb. Gold praised their pure intentions. Until his death he was an ardent supporter of the Communist Revolution of 1917 and the Soviet Union in all its phases. In 1921-22 Gold and Claude McKay became Executive Editors of Max Eastman's magazine The Liberator. In 1925 Gold visited Moscow. In 1926 he was a founding editor of The New Masses, which published leftist works and also set up radical theater groups. Gold was editor-in-chief from 1928 to 1934. As he had at The Liberator, he liked to publish letters, poems and fiction by ordinary workers more than those of literary leftists.

One of the articles he wrote for The New Masses was "Gertrude Stein: A Literary Idiot", in which he assaults her works as appearing "to resemble the monotonous gibberings of paranoiacs in the private wards of asylums ... The literary idiocy of Gertrude Stein only reflects the madness of the whole system of capitalist values. It is part of the signs of doom that are written largely everywhere on the walls of bourgeois society."

In "Proletarian Realism" (1930), Gold said of Marcel Proust: "The worst example and the best of what we do not want to do is the spectacle of Proust, master-masturbator of the bourgeois literature."^[6]

Jews Without Money[link]

Gold had been working on his one novel, Jews Without Money,^[7] a fictionalized autobiography about growing up in the impoverished world of the Lower East Side, throughout the 1920s.^[3] Published in the midst of the 1928 Great Depression, in 1930, it was an immediate success and went through many print-runs in its first years and was translated into over 14 languages. It also became a prototype for the American Proletarian novel. On the last page of the book, the poor Jewish boy prays for the arrival of a Marxist worker's revolution that will emancipate the working class.

Jews without Money is set in a slum populated mainly by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. The father of the hero is a painter, who suffers from lead poisoning. When he falls from a scaffold, he is disabled and can no longer work. His business fails and the family is pushed into poverty. The wife has to seek work in a restaurant. Although he is a bright boy, young Michael decides he must leave school.

In his Author's Note to the novel, Gold wrote, "I have told in my book a tale of Jewish poverty in one ghetto, that of New York. The same story can be of a hundred other ghettoes scattered over all the world. For centuries the Jew has lived in this universal ghetto."

Popularity[link]

"The Russian Bolsheviks will leave the world a better place than Jesus left it. They will leave it on the threshold of the final victory—the poor will have bread and peace and culture in another generation, not churches and a swarm of lying parasite minister dogs, the legacy of Jesus." Gold wrote in 1922.^[8]

Gold himself was fond of repeating a quote from the novel: "O workers' Revolution!... You are the true Messiah!"^[9]

The popularity of the novel made Gold a national figure and cultural commissar of the Communist Party. He was a daily columnist for its paper, the Daily Worker, until his death.

As a critic, Gold fiercely denounced left wing authors who he held deviated from the Communist Party line. Among those he denounced were Albert Maltz and "renegade" Ernest Hemingway, who responded with "Go tell Mike Gold, Ernest Hemingway says he should go fuck himself." ^[10]

Death and legacy[link]

Gold died in Terra Linda, California, on May 14, 1967 from complications following a stroke. He was 73 years old.^[11]

Gold's papers reside at the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Archives at New York University in New York City.

Footnotes[link]

Works[link]

• Life of John Brown. Girard, KS: Haldeman-Julius Co, 1924.
• Proletarian Song Book of Lyrics from the Operetta "The Last Revolution." With J. Ramirez and Rudolph Liebich. Chicago: Local Chicago, Workers Party of America, 1925.
• The Damned Agitator and Other Stories. Chicago: Daily Worker Publishing Co., 1927. —Little Red Library #7.
• Money: A Play in One Act. New York: Samuel French, 1929.
• 120 Million. New York: International Publishers, 1929.
• Jews Without Money. New York: International Publishers, 1930.
• Charlie Chaplins Parade. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1930.
• Proletarian Literature in the United States: An Anthology. (Contributor.) New York: International Publishers, 1935.
• Change the World! New York: International Publishers, 1936.
• "Battle Hymn": A Play in Three Acts. With Michael Blankfort.) New York: Play Bureau, Federal Theatre Project, 1936.
• The Hollow Men. New York: International Publishers, 1941.
• David Burliuk: Artist-Scholar, Father of Russian Futurism. New York: A.C.A. Gallery, 1944.
• Rhymes for Our Times. With Bill Silverman and William Avstreih, Bronx, NY: Lodge 600, Jewish People's Fraternal Order of the International Workers Order, 1946.
• The Mike Gold Reader New York: International Publishers, 1954.

Additional reading[link]

• Radical Representations: Politics and Form in U.S. Proletarian Fiction, 1929-1941 (Post-Contemporary Interventions by Barbara Foley, Duke University Press, 1993, p. 312.
• Mike Gold: Dean of American Proletarian Literature by John Pyros (Published Dramatika; January 1980)
• Encyclopedia of Literature and Politics: Censorship, Revolution, and Writing A-Z [Three Volumes] by M. Keith Booker (Published 2005 Greenwood Publishing Group)
• Bloom, James. Left Letters: The Culture Wars of Mike Gold and Joseph Freeman (Columbia University Press, 1992)
• Rideout, Walter B. The Radical Novel in the United States: 1900-1954: Some Interrelations of Literature and Society. New York: Hill and Wang, 1966.
• James A. Michener Art Museum: Bucks County Artists - Michael Gold

External links[link]

• Guide to the Grace Granich and Max Granich Papers, 1929-1998, Tamiment Library, New York University, New York City.
• Gold's Spartacus Schoolnet article