Thornberry puts forth DoD acquisition reform bill
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry proposes bill that seeks to reform the Defense Department's acquisition processes via commercial practices.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) has proposed legislation to let the Defense Department use online commercial marketplaces for more purchases as part of a larger acquisition reform effort, our sister publication FCW reported Thursday.
Thornberry told reporters the legislation applies primarily to office supplies or other standard commercial items DoD uses but the bill's implications for IT are not clear at the moment.
The Defense Acquisition Streamlining and Transparency Act would also increase the use of data analysis to support validations of requirements for services contracts by the defense secretary and military services. In addition, the bill also aims to better "inform the planning, programming, budgeting and execution process" of DoD.
From fiscal year 2023 onward, the defense secretary has to give Congress a full breakdown of services contracts by type and amount for each DoD agency under the proposed legislation.