The Buy American Act and Other Federal Procurement Domestic Content Restrictions

Federal law imposes a number of restrictions requiring federal agencies to acquire items that are produced or manufactured in the United States. The Buy American Act of 1933 (BAA) is the earliest and arguably best known of the major domestic content restriction laws. It generally requires federal agencies to apply a price preference for "domestic end products" and/or use "domestic construction materials" for contracts performed in the United States. Whether an end product (i.e., an article, material, or supply to be acquired for public use) is considered domestic for BAA purposes depends, in part, upon whether it is unmanufactured or manufactured. Unmanufactured end products and construction materials qualify as domestic if they are mined or produced in the United States