(a) When the contracting officer considers it necessary or advantageous to award a contract for construction of a design-bid-build project, as defined at FAR 36.102, to a firm or person that designed the project, the contracting officer must request prior approval from one of the following:
(1) The facility or VISN director, as appropriate, or, for National Cemetery Administration contracts, the Director, Technical Support Service, for contracts involving nonrecurring maintenance (NRM) funds.
(2) The Director, Office of Construction and Facilities Management, for contracts involving construction funds.
(b) The contracting officer must furnish complete justification in the request.
(c) This section does not apply to design-build contracts, as defined at FAR 36.102.