Prohibitions.

(a) A proposal in the possession or control of the Government, submitted in response to a competitive solicitation, shall not be made available to any person under the Freedom of Information Act. This prohibition does not apply to a proposal, or any part of a proposal, that is set forth or incorporated by reference in a contract between the Government and the contractor that submitted the proposal. (See 10 U.S.C. 3309 and 41 U.S.C. 4702.) (b) No agency shall disclose any information obtained pursuant to 15.403-3(b) that is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. (See 10 U.S.C. 3705(c)(3) and 41 U.S.C. 3505(b)(3).) (c) A dispute resolution communication that is between a neutral person and a party to alternative dispute resolution proceedings, and that may not be disclosed under 5 U.S.C. 574, is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552(b)(3)). [62 FR 257, Jan. 2, 1997, as amended at 62 FR 51270, Sept. 30, 1997; 63 FR 58594, Oct. 30, 1998; 68 FR 56689, Oct. 1, 2003; 79 FR 24208, Apr. 29, 2014; 87 FR 73898, Dec. 1, 2022]