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SEC. 834. PILOT PROGRAM TO ACCELERATE
THE PROCUREMENT AND FIELDING OF INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES.
(a) Pilot Program.--Subject to availability
of appropriations, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a
competitive, merit-based pilot program to accelerate the
procurement and fielding of innovative technologies by, with
respect to such technologies--
(1) reducing acquisition or life-cycle
costs;
(2) addressing technical risks;
(3) improving the timeliness and
thoroughness of test and evaluation outcomes; and
(4) rapidly implementing such
technologies to directly support defense missions.
(b) Guidelines.--Not later than one year
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
issue guidelines for the operation of the pilot program
established under this section. At a minimum such guidelines
shall provide for the following:
(1) The issuance of one or more
solicitations for proposals by the Department of Defense in
support of the pilot program, with a priority established for
technologies developed by small business concerns (as defined
under section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)) or
nontraditional defense contractors (as defined under section
2302 of title 10, United States Code).
(2) A process for--
(A) the review of proposals received
in response to a solicitation issued under paragraph (1) by
the Secretary of Defense and by each Secretary of a military
department;
(B) the merit-based selection of the
most promising cost-effective proposals; and
(C) the procurement of goods or
services offered by such a proposal through contracts,
cooperative agreements, other transaction authority, or by
another appropriate process.
(c) Maximum Amount.--The total amount of
funding provided for any proposal selected for an award under
the pilot program established under this section shall not
exceed $50,000,000, unless the Secretary (or designee of the
Secretary) approves a greater amount of funding.
(d) Data Collection.--
(1) Plan required before
implementation.--The Secretary of Defense may not provide
funding under this section until the date on which the
Secretary--
(A) completes a plan for carrying
out the data collection required under paragraph (2); and
(B) submits the plan to the
congressional defense committees.
(2) Data collection required.--The
Secretary of Defense shall collect and analyze data on the
pilot program established under this section for the purposes
of--
(A) developing and sharing best
practices for achieving the objectives of the pilot program;
(B) providing information on the
implementation of the pilot program and related policy
issues; and
(C) reporting to the congressional
defense committees as required under subsection (e).
(e) Biannual Reports.--Not later than
March 1 and September 1 of each year beginning after the date of
the enactment of this Act until the termination of the pilot
program established under this section, the Secretary of Defense
shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on
the pilot program.
(f) Termination.--The authority to carry
out a pilot program under this section shall terminate on
September 30, 2027. |
Pilot program to accelerate the
procurement and fielding of innovative technologies (sec. 834)
The House bill contained a provision (sec.
5207) that would direct the Secretary of Defense to establish
and carry out a 5-year pilot program to be known as the
‘‘Warfighter
Innovation Transition Project’’ to provide grants to, or enter
into contracts or other agreements with, innovative technology
producers to transition their technologies from pilot programs,
prototype projects, or other research and development programs
into production for implementation within the Department of
Defense. This provision would also direct the Secretary to
collect and analyze data and submit biannual reports on the
value of each grant, contract, or other agreement; the
technology funded; the estimated future costs of the technology;
and any lessons learned from the pilot effort.
The Senate amendment contained no
similar provision.
The agreement includes the House
provision with an amendment that would clarify the purpose,
required guidance, and reporting requirements related to the
program. We direct the Secretary to ensure that each biannual
report include:
(1) An explanation of how grants,
contracts, or other agreements made under the pilot met
mission requirements during the period covered by the report,
including the value of each grant, contract, or other
agreement; a description of the technology funded with such
grant, contract, or other agreement; and the estimate of
future costs for the successful transition of such technology
to implementation within the Department of Defense;
(2) A description of the capabilities
tested under the program as of the date of the report and the
proposed path to implement such capabilities within the
Department;
(3) The data and analysis required by
the provision; and
(4) A list and detailed description of
lessons learned from the pilot as of the date of the report.
H. R. 4350--House
Report 117-118
Section 5207--Pilot
Program to Facilitate the Agile Acquisition of Technologies for
Warfighters
This section would, subject to the availability of
appropriations in a program element for this purpose, direct the
Secretary of Defense to establish and carry out a 5 year pilot
program to be known as the ``Warfighter Innovation Transition
Project'' to provide grants to, or enter into contracts or other
agreements with, innovative technology producers to transition
their technologies from pilot programs, prototype projects, or
other research and development programs into production for
implementation within the Department of Defense. This section
would also direct the Secretary to collect and analyze data and
submit biannual reports to the congressional defense committees
no later than March 1 and September 1 of each year, on the value
of each grant, contract, or other agreement; the technology
funded; the estimated future costs of the technology; and any
lessons learned from the pilot effort.
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