Acquisition reform

Extracted Attributes

• Purpose

  Improve government procurement processes, enhance efficiency, combat cronyism, leverage technology, reduce regulatory oversight

• Focus Area

  Government procurement, Information Technology (IT) acquisition, Defense acquisition

• Key Legislation

  Federal Acquisition Reform Act of 1996, Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996 (together known as Clinger–Cohen Act), Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA)

• Problem Addressed

  Cronyism in government procurement, systemic failures in federal acquisition, troubled IT program rollouts

• Proposed Solution

  Implementation of transparent Open Standards

• Advocated Approach

  Holistic assessment and solution for government-wide reform, avoiding piece-meal efforts

Timeline

• The Federal Acquisition Reform Act of 1996 was enacted as Division D of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996. It is also known as part of the Clinger–Cohen Act. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1996-02-10

• The Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) was introduced into the United States House of Representatives by Rep. Darrell E. Issa. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2013-03-18

• House Majority Leader Eric Cantor announced that the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act would be considered under a suspension of the rules on February 25, 2014. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2014-02-21

• The U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act in a voice vote. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2014-02-25

• The White House, Congress, and the Department of Defense dedicated resources to making acquisition reform a priority, recognizing troubled IT program rollouts as symptomatic of broader systemic failures. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2014

• The Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) became law as a part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2015

• Joe Lonsdale called for fundamental acquisition reform and the implementation of transparent Open Standards to counter cronyism in government procurement during an episode of the All-In Podcast. (Source: Related Documents)

  Recent

Federal Acquisition Reform Act of 1996

The Federal Acquisition Reform Act of 1996 was U.S. national legislation enacted as Division D of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996 (110 Stat. 186; Pub. L. 104–106 (text) (PDF)). Together with the Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996, it is known as the Clinger–Cohen Act.

Web Search Results

• Wikipedia Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act - Wikipedia

  The Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act made changes to the ways the U.S. federal government buys and manages computer technology.( It became law as a part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (Title VIII, Subtitle D, H.R.3979. [...] The Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act would modify the current framework governing the management of information technology (IT) within the federal government to: (1) require presidential appointment or designation of the chief information officer (CIO) in 16 specified federal agencies (thereby providing consistency with the presidential appointment or designation of chief financial officers for such agencies, but specifically excludes the United States Department of Defense [...] The Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act was introduced into the United States House of Representatives on March 18, 2013 by Rep. Darrell E. Issa (R, CA-49).( It was referred to the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor announced on February 21, 2014 that the bill would be considered under a suspension of the rules on February 25, 2014.( On February 25, 2014, the House voted to pass the bill in a voice vote.

• Acquisition Reform: What Does It Look Like?

  Many around Washington have started the dialogue on acquisition reform as the solution to a decades’ long government challenge to leverage the power and efficiency of technology. The White House, Congress, and the Department of Defense have dedicated resources to making acquisition reform a priority in 2014. However, it is important to keep in mind that troubled IT program rollouts, like Healthcare.gov, are symptomatic of broader systemic failures in federal acquisition. Any viable solution [...] We here at the IT Alliance for Public Sector recommend that any assessment and solution for reform at a minimum must: Industry is ready for acquisition reform, and the taxpayers deserve it. Quick legislative fixes will not work. We encourage policy makers to focus on a holistic approach for government-wide reform, and avoid the piece-meal efforts that have only served to lead us to our current, overcomplicated, and inefficient system. Share: Related ## Sitemap [...] must include, as a starting point, a holistic assessment of the acquisition practices and requirements of the U.S. federal government and recommendations to address the challenges and problems identified in that assessment should also take a holistic approach. We should also avoid latching onto proposals that only offer incremental changes and brand them as improvements and solutions to the broader systemic problems – they aren’t.

• Acquisition Reform, at a Crossroads

  The acquisition reform movement of the 1990s offers lessons for policymakers currently working to reduce regulatory oversight of the weapons acquisition system.

• A Call to Inaction on Defense Acquisition Law - Defense One

  It’s time for Congress to take a strategic pause in defense acquisition reform; in Hippocratic terms, to do no harm for a year or two. Current laws and regulations are sufficient to protect the interests of the government. Adding new laws and regulations (even salutary ones) increases complexity, bureaucracy, and work for an already burdened industry compliance force. Instead of adding more rules and regulations, Congress should focus on strengthening and empowering the defense acquisition [...] Defense One Defense One Katherine Welles / Shutterstock Stay Connected # A Call to Inaction on Defense Acquisition Law ## The best thing Congress could do for a while is stop passing new legislation. Bryan Smith All of the defense-acquisition-reform legislation passed in recent years by Congress has been well-intentioned; some of it has also been helpful. [...] workforce, incentivizing acquisition staffs to tolerate more risk, and take full advantage of the flexibilities already in law and regulation. This need not result in new legislation. Instead Congress could use advisory report language without reporting requirements, or provide its guidance through the regular oversight and hearing process.

• Defense Acquisition Reform: Persistent Challenges Require New ...

  Reform efforts so far have mostly been workarounds to the current system. Our prior work has shown that leading companies use iterative