Published 2026 | TIKC NewsWire
Most compliance rules govern what you sell the government. Section 889 governs what you own and use, anywhere in your company. It prohibits the federal government from contracting with any entity that uses certain Chinese-made telecommunications and video surveillance equipment or services, even when that gear has nothing to do with the federal work. For a small contractor running cameras, phones, or network hardware bought years ago, this is a landmine most do not know is under their feet. And because you certify your compliance, getting it wrong is not just a technical lapse. It is a false certification.
What Section 889 actually prohibits
Section 889 has two parts. Part A bars the government from buying covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial part of any system. Part B, the one that surprises people, prohibits the government from contracting with any entity that uses covered equipment or services, regardless of whether it is connected to the government contract. The covered list centers on named Chinese manufacturers of telecom and video surveillance gear. If that equipment is anywhere in your operations, your eligibility is at risk until you remove it or obtain a waiver.
Why small contractors get caught
The trap is ordinary business equipment. A few security cameras in the warehouse. A batch of inexpensive network switches. A phone system bought on price. None of it was chosen with federal rules in mind, and none of it touches the contract, yet any of it can make your required 889 representation false. Add the fact that covered gear is often rebranded or embedded inside a larger product, and you can be noncompliant without ever having seen the prohibited name. This is a supply-chain hygiene problem, and it demands the same discipline as a Buy American or country-of-origin certification.
The certification is where the risk lives
You represent your 889 status in your System for Award Management profile and in offers. That representation is a statement the government relies on to award and pay. If you certify that you do not use covered equipment while prohibited cameras are watching your loading dock, the government’s position is that you made a false statement, and every resulting payment request can carry False Claims Act exposure. The same enforcement logic that turns a false cybersecurity score into fraud, as in the CMMC cases, applies squarely to a false 889 certification.
How to get and stay compliant
Compliance starts with an honest inventory. You cannot certify what you have not checked. Map your telecom, networking, and video surveillance equipment, trace it to real manufacturers rather than the label on the box, and document what you find. Where you discover covered gear, remove and replace it, and keep the records showing when and how. Build vendor representations into your purchasing so you stop buying the problem, and reassess periodically, because your environment changes. If a genuine need requires covered equipment, understand the narrow waiver process rather than quietly certifying around it.
What to do now
- Inventory everything. Catalog telecom, network, and video surveillance equipment and services across your whole operation, not just the contract.
- Trace to the real maker. Identify actual manufacturers, since covered components are often rebranded or embedded.
- Remove and document. Replace covered equipment and keep records of what you removed and when.
- Fix your purchasing. Require supplier representations so new buys stay clean, and reassess on a schedule.
- Certify only what you verified. Make sure your SAM representation matches reality before you sign it.
Section 889 rewards the contractor who treats its own supply chain like part of the contract, because now it is. Inventory honestly, clean house, and certify from facts you can prove. Brick by brick.
FAQ
What is Section 889?
A federal prohibition that bars the government from buying certain covered Chinese telecommunications and video surveillance equipment or services, and from contracting with any entity that uses such equipment or services, even outside the federal contract.
Does it matter if the equipment is not used on my government work?
Yes. Part B of Section 889 reaches your use of covered equipment anywhere in your operations, regardless of its connection to the contract.
How do I know if my equipment is covered?
Inventory your telecom, networking, and video surveillance gear and trace it to the actual manufacturer, because covered components are often rebranded or embedded in other products.
What happens if my 889 certification is wrong?
A false representation can cost you eligibility and, because the government relies on it to award and pay, can create False Claims Act exposure on top of losing the contract.
Sources
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, Section 889. (2026).
Federal Acquisition Regulation. (2026). Subpart 4.21, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment.
This article is general information, not legal advice.
About the Author
Melanie Patterson
Founder and CEO of Team Integrity Knowledge Center and creator of GovCon iSource. Former nurse turned entrepreneur with over 10 years guiding small, women-owned, and minority-owned businesses to over $10 million in government awards. Build, grow, scale, brick by brick. Contact
