IB 
Union Calendar No. 433 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3593 
[Report No. 113–586] 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the construction of 
major medical facilities, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 21, 2013 
Mr. COFFMAN (for himself and Mrs. KIRKPATRICK) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
SEPTEMBER 15, 2014 
Additional sponsors: Mr. GARDNER, Mr. TIPTON, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. ROE of 
Tennessee, Mr. STIVERS, and Mr. FORBES 
SEPTEMBER 15, 2014 
Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union 
and ordered to be printed 
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A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the 
construction of major medical facilities, and for other 
purposes. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as ‘‘The VA Construction As-
sistance Act of 2013’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) According to testimony by the Director of 
Physical Infrastructure of the General Account-
ability Office before the Committee on Veterans’ Af-
fairs of the House of Representatives in May 2013, 
schedule delays of major medical center construction 
projects of the Department of Veterans Affairs have 
averaged 35 months, with the delays ranging from 
14 months to 74 months. 
(2) The average cost increase attributed to such 
delays has been $336,000,000 per project. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) the management of the major medical cen-
ter construction projects of the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs has been an abysmal failure; 
(2) in order to minimize repeated delays and 
cost increases to such projects, the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs should fully implement all rec-
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ommendations made by the Comptroller General of 
the United States in an April 2013 report to im-
prove construction procedures and practices of the 
Department; and 
(3) management of the major medical facility 
projects currently underway as of the date of the en-
actment of this Act in Denver, Colorado, Orlando, 
Florida, and New Orleans, Louisiana, should be sub-
ject to the oversight of a special project manager of 
the Army Corps of Engineers that is independent of 
the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
SEC. 3. IMPLEMENTATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY 
CONSTRUCTION REFORMS. 
Section 8104 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(i)(1) With respect to each project described in 
paragraph (2), the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) use the services of a medical equipment 
planner as part of the architectural and engineering 
firm for the project; 
‘‘(B) develop and use a project management 
plan to ensure clear and consistent communication 
among all parties; 
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‘‘(C) subject the project to construction peer ex-
cellence review; 
‘‘(D) develop— 
‘‘(i) a metrics program to enable the moni-
toring of change-order processing time; and 
‘‘(ii) goals for the change-order process 
consistent with the best practices of other de-
partments and agencies of the Federal Govern-
ment; and 
‘‘(E) to the extent practicable, use design-build 
processes to minimize multiple change orders. 
‘‘(2) A project described in this paragraph is a con-
struction or alteration project that is a major medical fa-
cility project.’’. 
SEC. 4. SPECIAL PROJECT MANAGER FOR CERTAIN MED-
ICAL CENTER CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. 
(a) APPOINTMENT
OF
SPECIAL
PROJECT
MAN-
AGER.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the en-
actment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall enter into an agreement with the Army Corps of En-
gineers to procure, on a reimbursable basis, the services 
of the Army Corps of Engineers with respect to appointing 
not less than one special project manager who has experi-
ence in managing construction projects that exceed 
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$60,000,000 to oversee covered projects until the date on 
which the project is completed. 
(b) DUTIES.—A special project manager appointed 
under subsection (a) to oversee a covered project shall— 
(1) conduct oversight of all construction-related 
operations at the project, including with respect to— 
(A) the performance of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs involving the prime contrac-
tors; and 
(B) the compliance of the Department with 
the Federal Acquisition Regulation, including 
the VA Acquisition Regulation; 
(2) advise and assist the Department in any 
construction-related activity at the project, including 
the approval of change-order requests for the pur-
pose of achieving a timely completion of the project; 
and 
(3) recommend to the Department best con-
struction practices to improve operations for the 
project. 
(c) PLANS AND REPORT.— 
(1) COMPLETION PLANS.—Not later than 90 
days after being appointed under subsection (a), a 
special project manager shall submit to the Commit-
tees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Represent-
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atives and the Senate detailed plans of the covered 
project for which the special project manager is so 
appointed. 
(2) PROGRESS REPORTS.—Not later than 180 
days after being appointed under subsection (a), and 
each 180-day period thereafter until the date on 
which the covered project is completed, a special 
project manager shall submit to the Committees on 
Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives 
and the Senate a report detailing the progress of the 
covered project for which the special project man-
ager is so appointed. Each report shall include— 
(A) an analysis of all advice and assistance 
provided to the Department under subsection 
(b); 
(B) an analysis of all changes ordered by 
the Department with respect to the project, or 
claimed to have been made by contract between 
the Department and the prime contractor, in-
cluding the extent to which such changes com-
ply with the Federal Acquisition Regulation, in-
cluding the VA Acquisition Regulation; 
(C) an analysis of the communication and 
working relationship between the Department 
and the prime contractor, including any rec-
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ommendations made by the prime contractor to 
aid in the completion of the project; and 
(D) identification of opportunities and rec-
ommendations with respect to improving the op-
eration of any construction-related activity to 
reduce costs or complete the project in a more 
timely manner. 
(d) COOPERATION.— 
(1) INFORMATION.—The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall provide a special project manager ap-
pointed under subsection (a) with any necessary doc-
uments or information necessary for the special 
project manager to carry out subsections (b) and (c). 
(2) ASSISTANCE.—Upon request by the special 
project manager, the Secretary shall provide to the 
special project manager administrative assistance 
necessary for the special project manager to carry 
out subsections (b) and (c). 
(e) COVERED PROJECTS DEFINED.—In this section, 
the term ‘‘covered projects’’ means each construction 
project that is a major medical facility project (as defined 
in section 8104(a)(3)(A) of title 38, United States Code) 
being carried out as of the date of the enactment of this 
Act at the following locations: 
(1) Denver, Colorado. 
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(2) Orlando, Florida. 
(3) New Orleans, Louisiana. 
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Union Calendar No. 433 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3593 
[Report No. 113–586] 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve 
the construction of major medical facilities, and 
for other purposes. 
SEPTEMBER 15, 2014 
Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
State of the Union and ordered to be printed 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:08 Sep 15, 2014
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