Commercially Available off-the-shelf (COTS) Item

From Knowledge base

“Commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS)[1]” item—


(1) Means any item of supply (including construction material) that is—


(i) A commercial item (as defined in paragraph (1) of the definition in this section);


(ii) Sold in substantial quantities in the commercial marketplace; and


(iii) Offered to the Government, under a contract or subcontract at any tier, without modification, in the same form in which it is sold in the commercial marketplace; and


(2) Does not include bulk cargo, as defined in section 3 of the Shipping Act of 1984 (46 U.S.C. App. 1702), such as agricultural products and petroleum products.

References and Notes

  1. FAR 2.1