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

Subtitle E — Acquisition Workforce Provisions

NDAA Section

House Conference Report 110-477

SEC. 855. FEDERAL ACQUISITION WORKFORCE IMPROVEMENTS.

(a) Associate Administrator for Acquisition Workforce Programs- The Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy shall designate a member of the Senior Executive Service as the Associate Administrator for Acquisition Workforce Programs. The Associate Administrator for Acquisition Workforce Programs shall be located in the Federal Acquisition Institute (or its successor). The Associate Administrator shall be responsible for--

(1) supervising the acquisition workforce training fund established under section 37(h)(3) of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 433(h)(3));

(2) developing, in coordination with Chief Acquisition Officers and Chief Human Capital Officers, a strategic human capital plan for the acquisition workforce of the Federal Government;

(3) reviewing and providing input to individual agency acquisition workforce succession plans;

(4) recommending to the Administrator and other senior government officials appropriate programs, policies, and practices to increase the quantity and quality of the Federal acquisition workforce; and

(5) carrying out such other functions as the Administrator may assign.

(b) Acquisition and Contracting Training Programs Within Executive Agencies-

(1) REQUIREMENT- The head of each executive agency, after consultation with the Associate Administrator for Acquisition Workforce Programs, shall establish and operate acquisition and contracting training programs. Such programs shall--

(A) have curricula covering a broad range of acquisition and contracting disciplines corresponding to the specific acquisition and contracting needs of the agency involved;

(B) be developed and applied according to rigorous standards; and

(C) be designed to maximize efficiency, through the use of self-paced courses, online courses, on-the-job training, and the use of remote instructors, wherever such features can be applied without reducing the effectiveness of the training or negatively affecting academic standards.

(2) CHIEF ACQUISITION OFFICER AUTHORITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES- Subject to the authority, direction, and control of the head of an executive agency, the Chief Acquisition Officer for such agency shall carry out all powers, functions, and duties of the head of the agency with respect to implementation of this subsection. The Chief Acquisition Officer shall ensure that the policies established by the head of the agency in accordance with this subsection are implemented throughout the agency.

(c) Government-Wide Policies and Evaluation- The Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy shall issue policies to promote the development of performance standards for training and uniform implementation of this section by executive agencies, with due regard for differences in program requirements among agencies that may be appropriate and warranted in view of the agency mission. The Administrator shall evaluate the implementation of the provisions of subsection (b) by executive agencies.

(d) Acquisition and Contracting Training Reporting- The Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy shall ensure that the heads of executive agencies collect and maintain standardized information on the acquisition and contracting workforce related to the implementation of subsection (b).

(e) Acquisition Workforce Human Capital Succession Plan-

(1) IN GENERAL- Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, each Chief Acquisition Officer for an executive agency shall develop, in consultation with the Chief Human Capital Officer for the agency and the Associate Administrator for Acquisition Workforce Programs, a succession plan consistent with the agency's strategic human capital plan for the recruitment, development, and retention of the agency's acquisition workforce, with a particular focus on warranted contracting officers and program managers of the agency.

(2) CONTENT OF PLAN- The acquisition workforce succession plan shall address--

(A) recruitment goals for personnel from procurement intern programs;

(B) the agency's acquisition workforce training needs;

(C) actions to retain high performing acquisition professionals who possess critical relevant skills;

(D) recruitment goals for personnel from the Federal Career Intern Program; and

(E) recruitment goals for personnel from the Presidential Management Fellows Program.

(f) Training in the Acquisition of Architect and Engineering Services- The Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy shall ensure that a sufficient number of Federal employees are trained in the acquisition of architect and engineering services.

(g) Utilization of Recruitment and Retention Authorities- The Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, shall encourage executive agencies to utilize existing authorities, including direct hire authority and tuition assistance programs, to recruit and retain acquisition personnel and consider recruiting acquisition personnel who may be retiring from the private sector, consistent with existing laws and regulations.

(h) Definitions- In this section:

(1) EXECUTIVE AGENCY- The term `executive agency' has the meaning provided in section 4(1) of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 403(1)).

(2) CHIEF ACQUISITION OFFICER- The term `Chief Acquisition Officer' means a Chief Acquisition Officer for an executive agency appointed pursuant to section 16 of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 414).

The House bill contained a provision (sec. 825) that would require the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy to conduct a study of the composition, scope, and functions of the government-wide acquisition workforce and develop a comprehensive definition of, and method of measuring the size of, such workforce.

The Senate amendment contained no similar provision.

The Senate recedes with an amendment directing the Administrator to: designate a member of the Senior Executive Service as Associate Administrator for Acquisition Workforce Programs; work with agency heads to establish acquisition training programs; develop performance standards for acquisition workforce training; ensure that agency heads collect and maintain standardized information on the acquisition workforce; work with agency heads to develop acquisition workforce human capital plans; and work with the Office of Personnel Management to encourage agencies to utilize existing personnel authorities to recruit and retain qualified acquisition personnel.

House Armed Services Committee Report 110-146

SECTION 825--STUDY OF ACQUISITION WORKFORCE

This section would require the Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy to conduct a study of the composition, scope, and functions of the government-wide acquisition workforce and develop a comprehensive definition of, and method of measuring the size of, such workforce.

This section would also require the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy to submit a report on the results of the study, along with findings and recommendations, to the relevant congressional committees, no later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act.