48 CFR § 3.301 - 3.301 General.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t48/s3.301"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "48 CFR § 3.301 - 3.301   General."
title_number: 48
title_name: "Federal Acquisition Regulations System"
section_number: "3.301"
section_name: "3.301   General."
chapter_number: 1
chapter_name: "FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION"
subchapter_number: "A"
subchapter_name: "GENERAL"
part_number: "3"
part_name: "IMPROPER BUSINESS PRACTICES AND PERSONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-04-05"
last_updated: "2026-04-05"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "41 U.S.C. 1121(b); 40 U.S.C. 121(c); 10 U.S.C. chapter 4 and 10 U.S.C. chapter 137 legacy provisions (see 10 U.S.C. 3016); and 51 U.S.C. 20113."
regulatory_source: "48 FR 42108, Sept. 19, 1983, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "3"
---


# 3.301 3.301   General.

(a) Practices that eliminate competition or restrain trade usually lead to excessive prices and may warrant criminal, civil, or administrative action against the participants. Examples of anticompetitive practices are collusive bidding, follow-the-leader pricing, rotated low bids, collusive price estimating systems, and sharing of the business.

(b) Contracting personnel are an important potential source of investigative leads for antitrust enforcement and should therefore be sensitive to indications of unlawful behavior by offerors and contractors. Agency personnel shall report, in accordance with agency regulations, evidence of suspected antitrust violations in acquisitions for possible referral to—

(1) The Attorney General under 3.303; and

(2) The agency office responsible for contractor debarment and suspension under subpart 9.4.

[48 FR 42108, Sept. 19, 1983, as amended at 50 FR 1727, Jan. 11, 1985; 50 FR 52429, Dec. 23, 1985; 84 FR 19840, May 6, 2019]