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Title 10 — Armed ForcesRelease 119-73not60

§4655 Prohibition of Contractors Limiting Subcontractor Sales Directly to the United States

Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle A— General Military Law › Part V— ACQUISITION › Subpart H— Contract Management › Chapter 363— PROHIBITION AND PENALTIES › § 4655

Last updated Apr 3, 2026|Official source

Summary

Requires the Department of Defense to put a rule in its contracts saying contractors must not make deals with their subcontractors that unreasonably stop those subcontractors from selling items or processes (including computer software) they made under the contract directly to the United States. Contractors also must not take other actions that unreasonably block those sales. The rule does not stop a contractor from using legal rights it already has. It does not apply to contracts at or below the simplified acquisition threshold (see section 134 of title 41). For contracts for commercial products or commercial services, a rule that limits a subcontractor’s sales to buyers other than the contractor is not considered unreasonable if the United States is treated the same as any other potential buyer. Commercial product and commercial service are defined in title 41.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §4655

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Each contract for the purchase of supplies or services made by the Department of Defense shall provide that the contractor will not—
(1)enter into any agreement with a subcontractor under the contract that has the effect of unreasonably restricting sales by the subcontractor directly to the United States of any item or process (including computer software) made or furnished by the subcontractor under the contract (or any follow-on production contract); or
(2)otherwise act to restrict unreasonably the ability of a subcontractor to make sales to the United States described in clause (1).
(b)This section does not prohibit a contractor from asserting rights it otherwise has under law.
(c)This section does not apply to a contract that is for an amount not greater than the simplified acquisition threshold (as defined in section 134 of title 41).
(d)(1)An agreement between the contractor in a contract for the acquisition of commercial products or commercial services and a subcontractor under such contract that restricts sales by such subcontractor directly to persons other than the contractor may not be considered to unreasonably restrict sales by that subcontractor to the United States in violation of the provision included in such contract pursuant to subsection (a) if the agreement does not result in the United States being treated differently with regard to the restriction than any other prospective purchaser of such commercial products or commercial services from that subcontractor.
(2)In paragraph (1), the terms “commercial product” and “commercial service” have the meanings given those terms in section 103 and 103a, respectively, of title 41.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 4655 was renumbered section 7655 of this title.

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283 renumbered section 2402 of this title as this section. 2018—Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 115–232, § 836(e)(4)(A), substituted “commercial products or commercial services” for “commercial items” in two places. Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 115–232, § 836(e)(4)(B), substituted “the terms ‘commercial product’ and ‘commercial service’ have the meanings given those terms in section 103 and 103a, respectively, of title 41.” for “the term ‘commercial item’ has the meaning given such term in section 103 of title 41.” 2011—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 111–350, § 5(b)(25)(A), substituted “section 134 of title 41)” for “section 4(11) of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 403(11)))”. Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 111–350, § 5(b)(25)(B), substituted “section 103 of title 41” for “section 4(12) of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 403(12))”. 1994—Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 103–355 added subsecs. (c) and (d).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2021 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Effective Date

of 2018 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 115–232 effective Jan. 1, 2020, subject to a

Savings Provision

, see section 836(h) of Pub. L. 115–232, set out as an

Effective Date

of 2018 Amendment;

Savings Provision

note under section 453b of Title 6, Domestic Security.

Effective Date

of 1994 AmendmentFor

Effective Date

and applicability of amendment by Pub. L. 103–355, see section 10001 of Pub. L. 103–355, set out as a note under section 8752 of this title.

Effective Date

Pub. L. 98–525, title XII, § 1234(c), Oct. 19, 1984, 98 Stat. 2604, provided that: “Section 2402 of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4655] (as added by subsection (a)), shall take effect at the end of the 180-day period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 19, 1984].”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 4655

Title 10 — Armed Forces

Last Updated

Apr 3, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60