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

House Conference Report 109-360

SEC. 818. ACQUISITION STRATEGY FOR COMMERCIAL SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SERVICES.

(a) Requirement for Spend Analysis- The Secretary of Defense shall, as a part of the effort of the Department of Defense to develop a revised strategy for acquiring commercial satellite communication services, perform a complete spend analysis of the acquisitions by the Department of commercial satellite communication services for the period from fiscal year 2000 through fiscal year 2005. That analysis shall, at a minimum, include a determination of the following:

(1) Total acquisition costs in aggregate, by fiscal year, for items and services purchased.

(2) Total quantity of items and services purchased.

(3) Quantity and cost of items and services purchased by each entity from each supplier and who used the items and services purchased.

(4) Purchasing patterns that may lead to recommendations in which the Department of Defense may centralize operations, consolidate requirements, or leverage purchasing power.

(b) Report on Acquisition Strategy-

(1) IN GENERAL- Not later than five months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the acquisition strategy of the Department of Defense for commercial satellite communications services.

(2) ELEMENTS- The report required by paragraph (1) shall include the following:

(A) A description of the spend analysis required by subsection (a), including the results of the analysis.

(B) The proposed strategy of the Department for acquiring commercial satellite communication services, which--

(i) shall be based in appropriate part on the results of the analysis required by subsection (a); and

(ii) shall take into account various methods of aggregating purchases and leveraging the purchasing power of the Department, including through the use of multiyear contracting for commercial satellite communication services.

(C) A proposal for such legislative action as the Secretary considers necessary to acquire appropriate types and amounts of commercial satellite communications services using methods of aggregating purchases and leveraging the purchasing power of the Department (including the use of multiyear contracting), or if the use of such methods is determined inadvisable, a statement of the rationale for such determination.

(D) A proposal for such other legislative action that the Secretary considers necessary to implement the strategy of the Department for acquiring commercial satellite communication services.

The Senate amendment contained a provision (sec. 809B) that would require the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to the congressional defense committees, not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this act, on the proposed strategy of the Department of Defense for acquiring commercial satellite communications services.

The House bill contained no similar provision.

The House recedes with a clarifying amendment that would further define the spend analysis as required under the Senate provision.