NDAA for Fiscal Year 2012

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TITLE VIII--ACQUISITION POLICY, ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT, AND RELATED MATTERS Subtitle D — Provisions Relating to Contracts in Support of Contingency Operations
P. L. 112-	House Conference Report 112-705
SEC. 850. REPORTS ON RESPONSIBILITY WITHIN DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND THE UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR CONTRACT SUPPORT FOR OVERSEAS CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS. (a) DoS and USAID Reports Required- Not later than six months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall, in consultation with the Chief Acquisition Officer of the Department of State and the Chief Acquisition Officer of the United States Agency for International Development, respectively, each submit to the appropriate committees of Congress an assessment of Department of State and United States Agency for International Development policies governing contract support in overseas contingency operations. (b) Elements- Each report under subsection (a) shall include the following: (1) A description and assessment of the roles and responsibilities of the officials, offices, and components of the Department of State or the United States Agency for International Development, as applicable, within the chain of authority and responsibility for policy, planning, and execution of contract support for overseas contingency operations. (2) Procedures and processes of the Department or Agency, as applicable, on the following in connection with contract support for overseas contingency operations: (A) Collection, inventory, and reporting of data. (B) Acquisition planning. (C) Solicitation and award of contracts. (D) Requirements development and management. (E) Contract tracking and oversight. (F) Performance evaluations. (G) Risk management. (H) Interagency coordination and transition planning. (3) Strategies and improvements necessary for the Department or the Agency, as applicable, to address reliance on contractors, workforce planning, and the recruitment and training of acquisition workforce personnel, including the anticipated number of personnel needed to perform acquisition management and oversight functions and plans for achieving personnel staffing goals, in connection with overseas contingency operations. (c) Comptroller General Report- Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the progress of the efforts of the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development in implementing improvements and changes identified under paragraphs (1) through (3) of subsection (b) in the reports required by subsection (a), together with such additional information as the Comptroller General considers appropriate to further inform such committees on issues relating to the reports required by subsection (a). (d) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined- In this section, the term `appropriate committees of Congress' means-- (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.	Reports on responsibility within Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development for contract support for overseas contingency operations (sec. 850) The Senate amendment contained a provision (sec. 872) that would require the Secretary of State and the Administrator for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to submit a report to Congress on contract support for overseas contingency operations, including an assessment of the relevant agency chain of command, procedures and processes, and strategies for improvements. The House bill contained no similar provision. The House recedes. The conferees agree on the importance of a clear chain of responsibility for policy, planning, execution, and management of contract support for overseas contingency operations. The need for further clarification on this issue is underscored by Government Accountability Office report GAO-12-854R, `Agency Actions to Address Recommendations by the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan,' which noted that the Department of State and USAID have no plans to implement approximately two-thirds of the recommendations of the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

SEC. 850. REPORTS ON RESPONSIBILITY WITHIN DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND THE UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR CONTRACT SUPPORT FOR OVERSEAS CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS.