DOD gets authority to limit contract competition

Defense Department officials have adopted a rule that grants DOD authority to limit competition for contracts when buying to support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The objective is to bring jobs to the people of Iraq and Afghanistan when DOD buys products and services, according to a notice regarding the rule change in today’s Federal Register. For services, the work would have to be done predominantly by the country's citizens.

The amendment to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement is a statutory requirement in the fiscal 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, a 2008 law. The law allows DOD to use certain procurement procedures that could help to provide a stable source of jobs to the two countries, the notice states. DOD officials said they needed guidance that enables contracting officers to use the new procedures as soon as possible.

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Officials say DOD has an urgent need to bring stability to the two countries where the U.S. military is engaged, the notice states.

In the notice, officials say the purchasing under this authority is relatively small and won't affect DOD's industrial base or other technology contractors.