By Kelline R. Linton,
Junior Associate.
The House Armed Services Committee recently announced a new initiative to extensively review and reform the Department of Defense’s acquisition system. HASC Vice Chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Tex.) and Ranking Member Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) will lead the initiative.
The Committee began the long-term reform process with a hearing on October 29 that discussed recommendations ranging from extending the period of time that program managers stay on the job to creating better incentives for federal contractors. The Committee indicated that it wants to streamline the acquisition process by simplifying the acquisition rules. It also wants to enable more accurate up-front assessments of acquisitions.
While it is too early to determine the impact of HASC’s initiative, we recommend that federal contractors monitor the reform efforts as changes are likely in the future, especially given the current fiscal pressures on the acquisition system. We also will continue to examine these developments and provide you with an analysis on their impact to the acquisition process.
For more information about the Committee’s initiative, please see http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings-display?ContentRecord_id=df2275cc-a8dd-40dc-878f-ed7afc2cdacd.
