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TITLE VIII--ACQUISITION POLICY, ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT, AND RELATED MATTERS

Subtitle E--Other Matters

P. L. 111-

House Conference Report 111-288

    (a) Study Required.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study of Department of Defense procurements that use solicitations in which evaluation factors other than cost or price, when combined, are more important than cost or price.

    (b) Issues To Be Addressed.--The study required by subsection (a) shall include, at a minimum, an assessment of--

    (1) the frequency with which evaluation factors other than cost or price, when combined, are given more weight than cost or price in solicitations for competitive proposals;

    (2) the types of contracts for products or services for which such evaluation factors are most frequently used;

    (3) the reasons why the Department of Defense chooses to use such evaluation factors; and

    (4) the extent to which the use of such factors is or is not in the interest of the Department of Defense.

    (c) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committees on Armed Service of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the results of the study required by subsection (a).

   The House bill contained a provision (sec. 836) that would require the Department of Defense to justify each contract solicitation that gives greater weight to factors relating to performance than to cost or price.

   The Senate amendment contained no similar provision.

   The Senate recedes with an amendment that would require the Comptroller General to review Department of Defense procurements in which performance-related factors are given greater weight than cost or price and to assess the extent to which the use of such weights is likely to be in the best interest of the Department.