DeepSeek exclusions fall into the procurement chain: U.S. federal agencies need to check third-party model reliance

October 20th,Federal GazetteThe Supply Chain Security Order for DeepSeek was published, requiring the federal civil administration to exclude the relevant products from information systems and procurement. It also extends to third-party products and services that use DeepSeek to achieve technology development. It is not a comprehensive commercial ban for American society, but it forces the government procurement chain to explain what models are used in the software.

The Federal Gazette PDF24 July 2026The original date of issuance of the order was included, and 20 October was the date of publication of the bulletin. The document is based on the Federal Procurement Supply Chain Security Act 2018 and applies to the federal civil administration; Other systems govern the national security system and sensitive isolation facilities. The Minister of Homeland Security, Maxwell Mullin, signed the order. The administrative boundaries of this measure are defined jointly by the date, signatory and the applicable body.

Third-party provisions place pressure on the procurement officer and the supplier. Even if a software does not display the DeepSeek trademark, it may fall within the scope of review as long as the backstage calls the relevant model, interface or contains its realization technology. The agency needs to take stock of existing contracts and systems components, and the supplier needs to disclose direct and indirect reliance; Products that cannot be identified as source may face removal, replacement or discontinuation of procurement.

Remote calls, local deployment and use of open weights are not the same technology relationships. Remote services involve input data, logs and access to service providers; Local operations can reduce data outflows, but there are still problems with model sources, code updates and component integrity. Orders are administratively easy to execute by placing suppliers and achieving relationships, while technical requirements for a more detailed reliance list are required, otherwise the agency will have to rely on product names to speculate on risks.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry criticizedThe United States has generalized the concept of national security. The institutional context of the United States procurement community includes the broad powers granted to security agencies by China ' s national intelligence and data law, as well as the independence of enterprises and the space for relief when faced with national data requirements. These doubts do not prove that data are leaked in every DeepSeek deployment, but have become part of foreign governments’ decision to let China’s model into the political system.

The actual effect of the order would appear in the contract attachment, the software material list and the replacement plan. DeepSeek has been entering more and more applications through open ecology, making it easier to be resealed and more difficult for buyers to identify dependence on interfaces alone. The United States Department of Homeland Security has drawn down the exclusion line, and every federal civil agency will then have to find out in its own system what products it crosses.