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

Subtitle A—Acquisition Policy and Management.

P. L. 117-81

Joint Explanatory Statement

(a) In General.--Subchapter IV of chapter 87 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1746 the following new section:

``Sec. 1746a. Acquisition workforce educational partnerships

``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, shall establish a program within Defense Acquisition University to--

``(1) facilitate the engagement of relevant experts, including with the acquisition research activities established under section 2361a of this title, with the faculty of the Defense Acquisition University to assess and modify the curriculum of the Defense Acquisition University, as appropriate, to enhance the capabilities of the Defense Acquisition University to support educational, training, and research activities in support of acquisition missions of the Department of Defense;

``(2) establish a cross-discipline, peer mentoring program for academic advising and to address critical retention concerns with respect to the acquisition workforce;

``(3) partner with extramural institutions and military
department functional leadership to offer training and on-the-job
learning support to all members of the acquisition workforce
addressing operational challenges that affect procurement
decisionmaking;

``(4) support the partnerships between the Department of Defense and extramural institutions with missions relating to the training and continuous development of members of the acquisition workforce;

``(5) accelerate the adoption, appropriate design and customization, and use of flexible acquisition practices by the acquisition workforce by expanding the availability of training and on-the-job learning and guidance on such practices and incorporating such training into the curriculum of the Defense Acquisition University; and

``(6) support and enhance the capabilities of the faculty of the Defense Acquisition University, and the currency and applicability of the knowledge possessed by such faculty, by--

``(A) building partnerships between the faculty of the Defense Acquisition University and the director of, and individuals involved with, the activities established under section 2361a of this title;

``(B) supporting the preparation and drafting of the reports required under subsection (f)(2); and

``(C) instituting a program under which each member of the faculty of the Defense Acquisition University shall be detailed to an operational acquisition position in a military department or Defense Agency, or to an extramural institution, for not less than six months out of every five year period.

``(b) Senior Official.--Not later than 180 days after the enactment of this section, the President of the Defense Acquisition University shall designate a senior official to execute activities under this section.

``(c) Support From Other Department of Defense Organizations.--The Secretary of Defense may direct other elements of the Department of Defense to provide personnel, resources, and other support to the program established under this section, as the Secretary determines appropriate.

``(d) Funding.--Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment may use amounts available in the Defense Acquisition Workforce and Development Account (as established under section 1705 of this title) to carry out the requirements of this section.

``(e) Annual Reports.--Not later than September 30, 2022, and annually thereafter, the President of the Defense Acquisition University shall submit to the Secretary of Defense and the congressional defense committees a report describing the activities conducted under this section during the one-year period ending on the date on which such report is submitted.

``(f) Exemption to Report Termination Requirements.--Section 1080(a) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114-92; 129 Stat. 1000; 10 U.S.C. 111 note), as amended by section 1061(j) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114-328; 130 Stat. 2405; 10 U.S.C. 111 note), does not apply with respect to the reports required to be submitted to Congress under this section.

``(g) Definitions.--In this section:

``(1) Acquisition workforce.--The term `acquisition workforce' has the meaning given such term in section 1705(g) of this title.

``(2) Extramural institutions.--The term `extramural institutions' means participants in an activity established under section 2361a of this title, public sector organizations, and nonprofit credentialing organizations.''.

(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for subchapter IV of chapter 87 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 1746 the following new item:

``1746a. Acquisition workforce educational partnerships.''.

The House bill contained a provision (sec. 801) that would direct the President of the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) to create a program and designate a program manager to partner with outside entities to augment the DAU curriculum with experiential learning opportunities and ensure the entire acquisition workforce receives training related to critical operational challenges. The section would further establish a formal partnership with outside faculty and require an annual report on legislative proposals and recommendations related to emerging acquisition policy issues.

The Senate amendment contained no similar provision.

The agreement includes the House provision with an amendment that would modify the program and its implementation and remove the curriculum adjustments, establishment of a Program Director of Strategic Partnerships, and the requirement for faculty reports.

We encourage the President of the DAU to take advantage of this program to engage with experts to ensure the DAU curriculum aligns with educational best practices. We recognize that critical thinking skills are essential in addressing challenges that arise across a range of acquisition workforce tasks, including: procurement decision-making, such as data rights negotiations; managing limited resources due to budget shortfalls; mitigating the effects of extreme weather events throughout the full life cycle of a project; partnering with contractors to attract new companies and ensure supply chain resilience; and enabling rapid and efficient procurement of technologies to respond to technological changes.

We direct the President of the DAU to submit a plan for implementing the program established under subsection (a) to the congressional defense committees not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act. The plan shall include a description of the following elements: (1) Support that will be provided for the program by other elements of the Department of Defense to facilitate the engagement of private sector experts; (2) Plans and schedule for the implementation of the program, including future funding and administrative support of the program and modifications to curriculum to achieve the goals of this section; (3) A strategy to develop partnerships with outside organizations as required by this section and integrate with the other programs and initiatives within the Department relating to innovation and outreach to the academic and the private sector; (4) Performance indicators by which the program will be assessed and evaluated; and (5) Additional authorities the President of the DAU may require to carry out the  responsibilities under this section.

H. R. 4350--House Report 117-118

Section 801--Acquisition Workforce Educational Partnerships

This section would direct the president of the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) to create a program and designate a program manager to partner with outside entities to augment the DAU curriculum with experiential learning opportunities and ensure the entire acquisition workforce receive training related to critical operational challenges. The section would further establish a formal partnership with outside faculty and require an annual report on legislative proposals and recommendations related to emerging acquisition policy issues.