BAA (Broad Agency Announcement)

A broad agency announcement (BAA) is a general solicitation that names areas of research interest and invites proposals for basic and applied research, with awards chosen through peer or scientific review.

The FAR has long set out BAA procedures at FAR 35.016. It says agencies may use BAAs for "scientific study and experimentation directed toward advancing the state-of-the-art or increasing knowledge or understanding rather than focusing on a specific system or hardware solution."

Under the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul, the FAR Part 35 model deviation moves broad agency announcements from 35.016 to 35.102 and keeps their core substance with plain-language edits. DoW adopted the new Part 35 through Class Deviation 2026-O0014, and the FAR Council has published a proposed rule to write the Part 35 changes into the FAR itself. Until that rule is final, the codified FAR still numbers the provision 35.016.

Each BAA proposal is judged on its own against the criteria in the announcement, not against a common statement of work. Under FAR 35.016, the primary basis for selection is technical merit, importance to agency programs and fund availability, with cost realism and reasonableness also considered where appropriate.

A BAA is not the right vehicle when the government wants a specific system, hardware solution or production quantity. The Adaptive Acquisition Framework notes that BAAs are restricted to basic and applied research, while a CSO can buy commercial solutions that directly meet program requirements.