What is a broad agency announcement?

A broad agency announcement (BAA) is a general solicitation in which an agency describes areas of research interest and invites proposals, instead of asking every offeror to price one statement of work. Section 35.016 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), at Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2026-01, limits the technique to basic and applied research and to development "not related to the development of a specific system or hardware procurement." Title 10, section 3012, paragraph (2), treats the selection of science and technology proposals from a general solicitation, after peer or scientific review, as a competitive procedure.

What the codified FAR requires

FAR 35.016 allows a BAA only when meaningful proposals with varying technical or scientific approaches can reasonably be expected. The announcement and its supporting documents must:

• describe the agency's research interest, for one program or for broad areas;
• state the selection criteria, their relative importance, and the method of evaluation;
• give the period during which proposals will be accepted; and
• explain how to prepare and submit a proposal.

The contracting officer publicizes the BAA through the Governmentwide point of entry (GPE) at least once a year. That notice satisfies the synopsis rule, so individual awards made from the BAA need not be synopsized separately.

FAR 6.102(d)(2) supplies the competition link. Selection of basic and applied research is a competitive procedure if the award results from a BAA that is general in nature, states its selection criteria, and solicits all capable offerors, and from a peer or scientific review.

How proposals are judged without a common statement of work

Because offerors answer a research area rather than a shared work statement, 35.016(d) requires a written evaluation report on each proposal but says proposals "need not be evaluated against each other." Under paragraph (e), the primary bases for selection are technical merit, importance to agency programs, and availability of funds, with cost realism and reasonableness considered to the extent appropriate.

The Army Research Laboratory (ARL) shows the steps in its BAA for foundational research. Staff first screen each proposal for scientific merit, contribution to the Army mission, and expected funds. Proposals that pass go to peer review by subject matter experts, both Government and non-Government employees, although an applicant may restrict review to Government employees. Each proposal is evaluated against the stated criteria, not against other proposals, and receives "select" or "do not select." Cost realism and reasonableness come after that.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) states three criteria in its Long Range BAA: scientific and technical merit, naval relevance, and availability of funds, which does not apply to white papers. The three are equally important. ONR's scientific and technical community recommends awards. The contracts office then analyzes cost, determines responsibility, and confirms funds, so a recommendation does not guarantee an award.

The overhaul text DoD uses in 2026

The FAR Overhaul's Part 35, issued July 24, 2025, moves the BAA to 35.102. The substance carries over, with two changes in wording. The announcement must specify a proposal due date rather than an acceptance period, and notices may also go to "other electronic platforms and communities used by the target audience."

DoD class deviation 2026-O0014, signed December 18, 2025, directs contracting officers to use that text and a revised Defense FAR Supplement (DFARS) Part 235 from February 1, 2026. DFARS 235.102(a) lets DoD use a BAA for science and technology proposals in four budget activities: basic research (6.1), applied research (6.2), advanced technology development (6.3), and advanced component development and prototypes (6.4). DFARS 235.172 states that such an award fulfills the requirement for full and open competition, and points to subpart 234.72 for contract line items or options covering development and demonstration or initial production of the technology.

The companion Part 6 deviation, 2026-O0017, also effective February 1, 2026, places the BAA procedure at DFARS 206.101-70(a), citing 10 U.S.C. 3012(2), in place of the overhaul's FAR 6.101(b)(3)(ii).

How two DoD research offices use them

ONR's Long Range BAA, N00014-25-S-B001, was published October 1, 2024, and replaced the version published October 2, 2023. Amendment 0008 sets the deadline at December 31, 2026, or until a successor BAA is issued. The BAA covers basic research, applied research, advanced technology development and, under certain conditions, advanced component development and prototypes. The BAA excludes technical, engineering, and other support services. Awards may be contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or other transaction agreements. Specific efforts are announced as BAA Calls under the umbrella BAA, and white papers are limited to five pages.

ARL's BAA, W911NF-23-S-0001, combines a FAR Part 35 BAA with a funding opportunity announcement under 2 CFR 200.204 and replaced two 2017 announcements. The BAA stays open through November 20, 2027. Research topics live on the ARL website, and a change to that list is not an amendment. A technical point of contact reviews any white paper and replies "encouraged" or "not encouraged" to submit a proposal; a white paper is not required.

Both documents cite codified FAR 6.102(d)(2) and 35.016, not the overhaul section numbers.

What to check

• Does the announcement cite codified FAR 35.016 or overhaul FAR 35.102, and for DoD, DFARS 235.102 under deviation 2026-O0014?
• Is the work research or technology development within budget activities 6.1 to 6.4, rather than a specific system or hardware procurement?
• Does the BAA state its criteria, their relative importance, and the method of evaluation, as 35.016(b) requires?
• Who reviews proposals: Government employees only, or outside experts too, as ARL allows unless the applicant restricts it?
• Is there a written evaluation report for each proposal, with selection resting on technical merit, program importance, and funds rather than a ranking?
• Is the BAA still open? ONR's Long Range BAA closes December 31, 2026, and ARL's runs through November 20, 2027.

Sources

1. 1FAR 35.016 Broad agency announcement · Acquisition.gov, FAC 2026-01, effective March 13, 2026
2. 2FAR 6.102 Use of competitive procedures · Acquisition.gov, FAC 2026-01, effective March 13, 2026
3. 3United States Code, 2024 Edition, Title 10, Section 3012 - Competitive procedures · U.S. Government Publishing Office
4. 4FAR Overhaul - Part 35 · Acquisition.gov, FAR Overhaul (Part 35 issued July 24, 2025)
5. 5Class Deviation - Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Overhaul Part 35, Defense FAR Supplement (DFARS) Part 235 (DARS Tracking Number 2026-O0014) · Defense Pricing, Contracting, and Acquisition Policy, effective February 1, 2026
6. 6Class Deviation - Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Overhaul Part 6, Defense FAR Supplement (DFARS) Part 206 (DARS Tracking Number 2026-O0017) · Defense Pricing, Contracting, and Acquisition Policy, effective February 1, 2026
7. 7Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Navy and Marine Corps Science and Technology, N0001425SB001, Amendment 0008 · Office of Naval Research
8. 8DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory Broad Agency Announcement for Foundational Research, W911NF-23-S-0001, Amendment 4 · U.S. Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground, via Grants.gov (posted January 8, 2025)

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