Defense authorization bill becomes law
President Bush today signed into law the fiscal 2009 National Defense Authorization Act.
The bill (S. 3001) mandates changes to contracting regulations, including more competition for task and delivery orders. It also limits to one year the length of certain noncompetitive contracts, such as those awarded for urgent and compelling circumstances.
"This law will strengthen competition in federal contracting, help rebuild the government’s long-neglected acquisition workforce, and increase accountability and transparency to protect taxpayer dollars,” said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who introduced many of the contracting reforms in a separate bill that was included in the authorization bill.
The House and Senate passed the legislation in September.
Read more stories about provisions of the defense authorization bill:
DOD authorization bill reinforces competition, transparency, oversight
DOD bill would raise profile of chief management officers
Bill would tighten task-order rules governmentwide
Administration opposes curbs on contractors
About the Author
Matthew Weigelt is acquisition editor for Federal Computer Week.