The Department of Defense, General Services Administration, and NASA have issued a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2019. This rule concerns the criteria and limits on using the "lowest price technically acceptable" (LPTA) process when selecting sources in federal contract solicitations. The new rule aims to minimize the use of LPTA for acquiring services and supplies where cost and technical trade-offs could be more beneficial. It was created to ensure that offers are not solely judged on price but also consider the quality of goods or services proposed.
Simple Explanation
The government made a new rule to make sure they don’t just pick the cheapest option when buying things; they also want to make sure what they're buying is good quality.