SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Federal Information 
Technology Acquisition Reform Act’’. 
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title. 
Sec. 2. Table of contents. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
TITLE I—MANAGEMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY WITHIN 
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 
Sec. 101. Increased authority of agency Chief Information Officers over infor-
mation technology. 
Sec. 102. Lead coordination role of Chief Information Officers Council. 
Sec. 103. Reports by Government Accountability Office. 
TITLE II—DATA CENTER OPTIMIZATION 
Sec. 201. Purpose. 
Sec. 202. Definitions. 
Sec. 203. Federal data center optimization initiative. 
Sec. 204. Performance requirements related to data center consolidation. 
Sec. 205. Cost savings related to data center optimization. 
Sec. 206. Reporting requirements to Congress and the Federal Chief Informa-
tion Officer. 
TITLE III—ELIMINATION OF DUPLICATION AND WASTE IN 
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION 
Sec. 301. Inventory of information technology software assets. 
Sec. 302. Website consolidation and transparency. 
Sec. 303. Transition to the cloud. 
Sec. 304. Elimination of unnecessary duplication of contracts by requiring busi-
ness case analysis. 
TITLE IV—STRENGTHENING AND STREAMLINING INFORMATION 
TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT PRACTICES 
Subtitle A—Strengthening and Streamlining IT Program Management 
Practices 
Sec. 401. Pilot program on interagency collaboration. 
Sec. 402. Designation of assisted acquisition centers of excellence. 
Subtitle B—Strengthening IT Acquisition Workforce 
Sec. 411. Expansion of training and use of information technology acquisition 
cadres. 
Sec. 412. Plan on strengthening program and project management perform-
ance.
Sec. 413. Personnel awards for excellence in the acquisition of information sys-
tems and information technology. 
TITLE V—ADDITIONAL REFORMS 
Sec. 501. Maximizing the benefit of the Federal strategic sourcing initiative. 
Sec. 502. Governmentwide software purchasing program. 
Sec. 503. Promoting transparency of blanket purchase agreements. 
Sec. 504. Additional source selection technique in solicitations. 
Sec. 505. Enhanced transparency in information technology investments. 
Sec. 506. Enhanced communication between government and industry. 
Sec. 507. Clarification of current law with respect to technology neutrality in 
acquisition of software. 
Sec. 508. No additional funds authorized. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) CHIEF ACQUISITION OFFICERS COUNCIL.— 
The term ‘‘Chief Acquisition Officers Council’’ 
means the Chief Acquisition Officers Council estab-
lished by section 1311(a) of title 41, United States 
Code. 
(2) CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER.—The term 
‘‘Chief Information Officer’’ means a Chief Informa-
tion Officer (as designated under section 3506(a)(2) 
of title 44, United States Code) of an agency listed 
in section 901(b) of title 31, United States Code. 
(3) CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICERS COUNCIL.— 
The term ‘‘Chief Information Officers Council’’ or 
‘‘CIO Council’’ means the Chief Information Officers 
Council established by section 3603(a) of title 44, 
United States Code.
(4) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the Office of Management and Budg-
et. 
(5) FEDERAL
AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Federal 
agency’’ means each agency listed in section 901(b) 
of title 31, United States Code. 
(6) FEDERAL CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER.— 
The term ‘‘Federal Chief Information Officer’’ 
means the Administrator of the Office of Electronic 
Government established under section 3602 of title 
44, United States Code. 
(7) INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
OR
IT.—The 
term ‘‘information technology’’ or ‘‘IT’’ has the 
meaning provided in section 11101(6) of title 40, 
United States Code. 
(8) 
RELEVANT
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘relevant congressional commit-
tees’’ means each of the following: 
(A) The Committee on Oversight and Gov-
ernment Reform and the Committee on Armed 
Services of the House of Representatives. 
(B) The Committee on Homeland Security 
and Governmental Affairs and the Committee 
on Armed Services of the Senate.
TITLE I—MANAGEMENT OF IN-
FORMATION 
TECHNOLOGY 
WITHIN 
FEDERAL 
GOVERN-
MENT 
SEC. 101. INCREASED AUTHORITY OF AGENCY CHIEF IN-
FORMATION OFFICERS OVER INFORMATION 
TECHNOLOGY. 
(a) PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENT OF CIOS OF CER-
TAIN AGENCIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 11315 of title 40, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(A) by redesignating subsection (a) as sub-
section (e) and moving such subsection to the 
end of the section; and 
(B) by inserting before subsection (b) the 
following new subsection (a): 
‘‘(a) PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENT OR DESIGNATION 
OF CERTAIN CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICERS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be within each 
agency listed in section 901(b)(1) of title 31 an 
agency Chief Information Officer. Each agency Chief 
Information Officer shall— 
‘‘(A)(i) be appointed by the President; or 
‘‘(ii) be designated by the President, in 
consultation with the head of the agency; and
‘‘(B) be appointed or designated, as appli-
cable, from among individuals who possess dem-
onstrated ability in general management of, and 
knowledge of and extensive practical experience 
in, information technology management prac-
tices in large governmental or business entities. 
‘‘(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—An agency Chief In-
formation Officer appointed or designated under this 
section shall report directly to the head of the agen-
cy and carry out, on a full-time basis, responsibilities 
as set forth in this section and in section 3506(a) 
of title 44 for Chief Information Officers designated 
under paragraph (2) of such section.’’. 
(2) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENTS.—Section 
3506(a)(2) of title 44, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(A) by striking ‘‘(A) Except as provided 
under subparagraph (B), the head of each 
agency’’ and inserting ‘‘The head of each agen-
cy, other than an agency with a Presidentially 
appointed or designated Chief Information Offi-
cer as provided in section 11315(a)(1) of title 
40,’’; and 
(B) by striking subparagraph (B).
(b) AUTHORITY RELATING TO BUDGET AND PER-
SONNEL.—Section 11315 of title 40, United States Code, 
is further amended by inserting after subsection (c) the 
following new subsection: 
‘‘(d) ADDITIONAL
AUTHORITIES
FOR
CERTAIN 
CIOS.— 
‘‘(1) BUDGET-RELATED AUTHORITY.— 
‘‘(A) 
PLANNING.—Notwithstanding 
any 
other provision of law, the head of each agency 
listed in section 901(b)(1) or 901(b)(2) of title 
31 and in section 102 of title 5 shall ensure 
that the Chief Information Officer of the agen-
cy has the authority to participate in decisions 
regarding the budget planning process related 
to information technology or programs that in-
clude significant information technology compo-
nents. 
‘‘(B) ALLOCATION.—Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, amounts appropriated 
for any agency listed in section 901(b)(1) or 
901(b)(2) of title 31 and in section 102 of title 
5 for any fiscal year that are available for infor-
mation technology shall be allocated within the 
agency, consistent with the provisions of appro-
priations Acts and budget guidelines and rec-
ommendations from the Director of the Office 
of Management and Budget, in such manner as 
specified by, or approved by, the Chief Informa-
tion Officer of the agency in consultation with 
the Chief Financial Officer of the agency and 
budget officials. 
‘‘(2) PERSONNEL-RELATED AUTHORITY.—Not-
withstanding any other provision of law, the head of 
each agency listed in section 901(b)(1) or 901(b)(2) 
of title 31 shall ensure that the Chief Information 
Officer of the agency has the authority necessary to 
approve the hiring of personnel who will have infor-
mation technology responsibilities within the agency 
and to require that such personnel have the obliga-
tion to report to the Chief Information Officer in a 
manner considered sufficient by the Chief Informa-
tion Officer.’’. 
(c) SINGLE CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER IN EACH 
AGENCY.— 
(1) REQUIREMENT.—Section 3506(a)(3) of title 
44, United States Code, is amended— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘(A)’’ after ‘‘(3)’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
subparagraph:
‘‘(B) Each agency shall have only one indi-
vidual with the title and designation of ‘Chief 
Information Officer’. Any bureau, office, or sub-
ordinate organization within the agency may 
designate one individual with the title ‘Deputy 
Chief Information Officer’, ‘Associate Chief In-
formation Officer’, or ‘Assistant Chief Informa-
tion Officer’.’’. 
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Section 3506(a)(3)(B) 
of title 44, United States Code, as added by para-
graph (1), shall take effect as of October 1, 2014. 
Any individual serving in a position affected by such 
section before such date may continue in that posi-
tion if the requirements of such section are fulfilled 
with respect to that individual. 
SEC. 102. LEAD COORDINATION ROLE OF CHIEF INFORMA-
TION OFFICERS COUNCIL. 
(a) LEAD COORDINATION ROLE.—Subsection (d) of 
section 3603 of title 44, United States Code, is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘(d) LEAD INTERAGENCY FORUM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Council is designated 
the lead interagency forum for improving agency co-
ordination of practices related to the design, develop-
ment, modernization, use, operation, sharing, per-
formance, and review of Federal Government infor-
mation resources investment. As the lead inter-
agency forum, the Council shall develop cross-agency 
portfolio management practices to allow and encour-
age the development of cross-agency shared services 
and shared platforms. The Council shall also issue 
guidelines and practices for infrastructure and com-
mon information technology applications, including 
expansion of the Federal Enterprise Architecture 
process if appropriate. The guidelines and practices 
may address broader transparency, common inputs, 
common outputs, and outcomes achieved. The guide-
lines and practices shall be used as a basis for com-
paring performance across diverse missions and op-
erations in various agencies. 
‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than December 1 in 
each of the 6 years following the date of the enact-
ment of this paragraph, the Council shall submit to 
the relevant congressional committees a report (to be 
known as the ‘CIO Council Report’) summarizing 
the Council’s activities in the preceding fiscal year 
and containing such recommendations for further 
congressional action to fulfill its mission as the 
Council considers appropriate.
‘‘(3) 
RELEVANT
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—For purposes of the report required by para-
graph (2), the relevant congressional committees are 
each of the following: 
‘‘(A) The Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform and the Committee on 
Armed Services of the House of Representa-
tives. 
‘‘(B) The Committee on Homeland Secu-
rity and Governmental Affairs and the Com-
mittee on Armed Services of the Senate.’’. 
(b) ADDITIONAL FUNCTION.—Subsection (f) of sec-
tion 3603 of such title is amended by adding at the end 
the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(8) Assist the Administrator in developing and 
providing guidance for effective operations of the 
Federal Infrastructure and Common Application 
Collaboration Center authorized under section 11501 
of title 40.’’. 
(c) REFERENCES TO ADMINISTRATOR OF E-GOVERN-
MENT AS FEDERAL CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER.— 
(1) REFERENCES.—Section 3602(b) of title 44, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following: ‘‘The Administrator may also be
referred to as the Federal Chief Information Offi-
cer.’’. 
(2) DEFINITION.—Section 3601(1) of such title 
is amended by inserting ‘‘or Federal Chief Informa-
tion Officer’’ before ‘‘means’’. 
SEC. 103. REPORTS BY GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OF-
FICE. 
(a) REQUIREMENT TO EXAMINE EFFECTIVENESS.— 
The Comptroller General of the United States shall exam-
ine the effectiveness of the Chief Information Officers 
Council in meeting its responsibilities under section 
3603(d) of title 44, United States Code, as added by sec-
tion 102, with particular focus on— 
(1) whether agencies are actively participating 
in the Council and heeding the Council’s advice and 
guidance; and 
(2) whether the Council is actively using and 
developing the capabilities of the Federal Infrastruc-
ture and Common Application Collaboration Center 
authorized under section 11501 of title 40, United 
States Code, as added by section 401. 
(b) REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year, 3 years, and 
5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Comptroller General shall submit to the relevant congres-
sional committees a report containing the findings and
recommendations of the Comptroller General from the ex-
amination required by subsection (a). 
TITLE II—DATA CENTER 
OPTIMIZATION 
SEC. 201. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this title is to optimize Federal data 
center usage and efficiency. 
SEC. 202. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) FEDERAL DATA CENTER OPTIMIZATION INI-
TIATIVE.—The term ‘‘Federal Data Center Optimi-
zation Initiative’’ or the ‘‘Initiative’’ means the ini-
tiative developed and implemented by the Director, 
through the Federal Chief Information Officer, as 
required under section 203. 
(2) COVERED
AGENCY.—The term ‘‘covered 
agency’’ means any agency included in the Federal 
Data Center Optimization Initiative. 
(3) DATA CENTER.—The term ‘‘data center’’ 
means a closet, room, floor, or building for the stor-
age, management, and dissemination of data and in-
formation, as defined by the Federal Chief Informa-
tion Officer under guidance issued pursuant to this 
section.
(4) FEDERAL DATA CENTER.—The term ‘‘Fed-
eral data center’’ means any data center of a cov-
ered agency used or operated by a covered agency, 
by a contractor of a covered agency, or by another 
organization on behalf of a covered agency. 
(5) SERVER UTILIZATION.—The term ‘‘server 
utilization’’ refers to the activity level of a server rel-
ative to its maximum activity level, expressed as a 
percentage. 
(6) POWER USAGE EFFECTIVENESS.—The term 
‘‘power usage effectiveness’’ means the ratio ob-
tained by dividing the total amount of electricity and 
other power consumed in running a data center by 
the power consumed by the information and commu-
nications technology in the data center. 
SEC. 203. FEDERAL DATA CENTER OPTIMIZATION INITIA-
TIVE. 
(a) REQUIREMENT FOR INITIATIVE.—The Federal 
Chief Information Officer, in consultation with the chief 
information officers of covered agencies, shall develop and 
implement an initiative, to be known as the Federal Data 
Center Optimization Initiative, to optimize the usage and 
efficiency of Federal data centers by meeting the require-
ments of this Act and taking additional measures, as ap-
propriate.
(b) REQUIREMENT
FOR PLAN.—Within 6 months 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Federal 
Chief Information Officer, in consultation with the chief 
information officers of covered agencies, shall develop and 
submit to Congress a plan for implementation of the Ini-
tiative required by subsection (a) by each covered agency. 
In developing the plan, the Federal Chief Information Of-
ficer shall take into account the findings and recommenda-
tions of the Comptroller General review required by sec-
tion 205(e). 
(c) MATTERS COVERED.—The plan shall include— 
(1) descriptions of how covered agencies will 
use reductions in floor space, energy use, infrastruc-
ture, equipment, applications, personnel, increases in 
multiorganizational use, server virtualization, cloud 
computing, and other appropriate methods to meet 
the requirements of the initiative; and 
(2) appropriate consideration of shifting Feder-
ally owned data center workload to commercially 
owned data centers. 
SEC. 204. PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO 
DATA CENTER CONSOLIDATION. 
(a) SERVER UTILIZATION.—Each covered agency 
may use the following methods to achieve the maximum
server utilization possible as determined by the Federal 
Chief Information Officer: 
(1) The closing of existing data centers that 
lack adequate server utilization, as determined by 
the Federal Chief Information Officer. If the agency 
fails to close such data centers, the agency shall pro-
vide a detailed explanation as to why this data cen-
ter should remain in use as part of the submitted 
plan. The Federal Chief Information Officer shall in-
clude an assessment of the agency explanation in the 
annual report to Congress. 
(2) The consolidation of services within existing 
data centers to increase server utilization rates. 
(3) Any other method that the Federal Chief 
Information Officer, in consultation with the chief 
information officers of covered agencies, determines 
necessary to optimize server utilization. 
(b) POWER USAGE EFFECTIVENESS.—Each covered 
agency may use the following methods to achieve the max-
imum energy efficiency possible as determined by the Fed-
eral Chief Information Officer: 
(1) The use of the measurement of power usage 
effectiveness to calculate data center energy effi-
ciency.
(2) The use of power meters in facilities dedi-
cated to data center operations to frequently meas-
ure power consumption over time. 
(3) The establishment of power usage effective-
ness goals for each data center. 
(4) The adoption of best practices for man-
aging— 
(A) temperature and airflow in facilities 
dedicated to data center operations; and 
(B) power supply efficiency. 
(5) The implementation of any other method 
that the Federal Chief Information Officer, in con-
sultation with the Chief Information Officers of cov-
ered agencies, determines necessary to optimize data 
center energy efficiency. 
SEC. 205. COST SAVINGS RELATED TO DATA CENTER OPTI-
MIZATION. 
(a) REQUIREMENT TO TRACK COSTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Each covered agency shall 
track costs resulting from implementation of the 
Federal Data Center Optimization Initiative within 
the agency and submit a report on those costs annu-
ally to the Federal Chief Information Officer. Cov-
ered agencies shall determine the net costs from 
data consolidation on an annual basis.
(2) FACTORS.—In calculating net costs each 
year under paragraph (1), a covered agency shall 
use the following factors: 
(A) Energy costs. 
(B) Personnel costs. 
(C) Real estate costs. 
(D) Capital expense costs. 
(E) Maintenance and support costs such as 
operating subsystem, database, hardware, and 
software license expense costs. 
(F) Other appropriate costs, as determined 
by the agency in consultation with the Federal 
Chief Information Officer. 
(b) REQUIREMENT TO TRACK SAVINGS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Each covered agency shall 
track realized and projected savings resulting from 
implementation of the Federal Data Center Optimi-
zation Initiative within the agency and submit a re-
port on those savings annually to the Federal Chief 
Information Officer. Covered agencies shall deter-
mine the net savings from data consolidation on an 
annual basis. 
(2) FACTORS.—In calculating net savings each 
year under paragraph (1), a covered agency shall 
use the following factors:
(A) Energy savings. 
(B) Personnel savings. 
(C) Real estate savings. 
(D) Capital expense savings. 
(E) Maintenance and support savings such 
as operating subsystem, database, hardware, 
and software license expense savings. 
(F) Other appropriate savings, as deter-
mined by the agency in consultation with the 
Federal Chief Information Officer. 
(3) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Federal Chief 
Information Officer shall make publicly available a 
summary of realized and projected savings for each 
covered agency. The Federal Chief Information Offi-
cer shall identify any covered agency that failed to 
provide the annual report required under paragraph 
(1). 
(c) REQUIREMENT TO USE COST-EFFECTIVE MEAS-
URES.—Covered agencies shall use the most cost-effective 
measures to implement the Federal Data Center Optimi-
zation Initiative, such as using estimation to measure or 
track costs and savings using a methodology approved by 
the Federal Chief Information Officer. 
(d) GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE RE-
VIEW.—Not later than 6 months after the date of the en-
actment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 
States shall examine methods for calculating savings from 
the Initiative and using them for the purposes identified 
in subsection (d), including establishment and use of a 
special revolving fund that supports data centers and serv-
er optimization, and shall submit to the Federal Chief In-
formation Officer and Congress a report on the Comp-
troller General’s findings and recommendations. 
SEC. 206. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS TO CONGRESS AND 
THE FEDERAL CHIEF INFORMATION OFFI-
CER. 
(a) AGENCY REQUIREMENT TO REPORT TO CIO.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), each covered agency each year shall sub-
mit to the Federal Chief Information Officer a re-
port on the implementation of the Federal Data 
Center Optimization Initiative, including savings re-
sulting from such implementation. The report shall 
include an update of the agency’s plan for imple-
menting the Initiative. 
(2) DEPARTMENT
OF
DEFENSE.—The Sec-
retary of Defense shall comply with paragraph (1) 
each year by submitting to the Federal Chief Infor-
mation Officer a report with relevant information 
collected under section 2867 of Public Law 112–81
(10 U.S.C. 2223a note) or a copy of the report re-
quired under section 2867(d) of such law. 
(b) FEDERAL CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER RE-
QUIREMENT TO REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Each year, the 
Federal Chief Information Officer shall submit to the rel-
evant congressional committees a report that assesses 
agency progress in carrying out the Federal Data Center 
Optimization Initiative and updates the plan under section 
203. The report may be included as part of the annual 
report required under section 3606 of title 44, United 
States Code. 
TITLE III—ELIMINATION OF DU-
PLICATION AND WASTE IN IN-
FORMATION 
TECHNOLOGY 
ACQUISITION 
SEC. 301. INVENTORY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 
SOFTWARE ASSETS. 
(a) PLAN.—The Director shall develop a plan for con-
ducting a Governmentwide inventory of information tech-
nology software assets. 
(b) MATTERS COVERED.—The plan required by sub-
section (a) shall cover the following: 
(1) The manner in which Federal agencies can 
achieve the greatest possible economies of scale and 
cost savings in the procurement of information tech-
nology software assets, through measures such as re-
ducing the procurement of new software licenses 
until such time as agency needs exceed the number 
of existing and unused licenses. 
(2) The capability to conduct ongoing Govern-
mentwide inventories of all existing software licenses 
on an application-by-application basis, including du-
plicative, unused, overused, and underused licenses, 
and to assess the need of agencies for software li-
censes. 
(3) A Governmentwide spending analysis to 
provide knowledge about how much is being spent 
for software products or services to support deci-
sions for strategic sourcing under the Federal stra-
tegic sourcing program managed by the Office of 
Federal Procurement Policy. 
(c) AVAILABILITY.—The inventory of information 
technology software assets shall be available to Chief In-
formation Officers and such other Federal officials as the 
Chief Information Officers may, in consultation with the 
Chief Information Officers Council, designate. 
(d) DEADLINE AND SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.— 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Director shall complete and submit to Con-
gress the plan required by subsection (a).
(e) IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than two years 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director 
shall complete implementation of the plan required by sub-
section (a). 
(f) REVIEW BY COMPTROLLER GENERAL.—Not later 
than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Comptroller General of the United States shall review 
the plan required by subsection (a) and submit to the rel-
evant congressional committees a report on the review. 
SEC. 302. WEBSITE CONSOLIDATION AND TRANSPARENCY. 
(a) 
WEBSITE
CONSOLIDATION.—The 
Director 
shall— 
(1) in consultation with Federal agencies, and 
after reviewing the directory of public Federal Gov-
ernment websites of each agency (as required to be 
established and updated under section 207(f)(3) of 
the E-Government Act of 2002 (Public Law 107– 
347; 44 U.S.C. 3501 note)), assess all the publicly 
available websites of Federal agencies to determine 
whether 
there 
are 
duplicative 
or 
overlapping 
websites; and 
(2) require Federal agencies to eliminate or 
consolidate those websites that are duplicative or 
overlapping.
(b) WEBSITE TRANSPARENCY.—The Director shall 
issue guidance to Federal agencies to ensure that the data 
on publicly available websites of the agencies are open and 
accessible to the public. 
(c) MATTERS COVERED.—In preparing the guidance 
required by subsection (b), the Director shall— 
(1) develop guidelines, standards, and best 
practices for interoperability and transparency; 
(2) identify interfaces that provide for shared, 
open solutions on the publicly available websites of 
the agencies; and 
(3) ensure that Federal agency Internet home 
pages, web-based forms, and web-based applications 
are accessible to individuals with disabilities in con-
formance with section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act 
of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d). 
(d) DEADLINE FOR GUIDANCE.—The guidance re-
quired by subsection (b) shall be issued not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 303. TRANSITION TO THE CLOUD. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that transition to cloud computing offers significant 
potential benefits for the implementation of Federal infor-
mation technology projects in terms of flexibility, cost, and 
operational benefits.
(b) GOVERNMENTWIDE APPLICATION.—In assessing 
cloud computing opportunities, the Chief Information Of-
ficers Council shall define policies and guidelines for the 
adoption of Governmentwide programs providing for a 
standardized approach to security assessment and oper-
ational authorization for cloud products and services. 
(c) ADDITIONAL BUDGET AUTHORITIES FOR TRANSI-
TION.—In transitioning to the cloud, a Chief Information 
Officer of an agency listed in section 901(b) of title 31, 
United States Code, may establish such cloud service 
Working Capital Funds, in consultation with the Chief Fi-
nancial Officer of the agency, as may be necessary to tran-
sition to cloud-based solutions. Any establishment of a new 
Working Capital Fund under this subsection shall be re-
ported to the Committees on Appropriations of the House 
of Representatives and the Senate and relevant Congres-
sional committees. 
SEC. 304. ELIMINATION OF UNNECESSARY DUPLICATION 
OF CONTRACTS BY REQUIRING BUSINESS 
CASE ANALYSIS. 
(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to le-
verage the Government’s buying power and achieve admin-
istrative efficiencies and cost savings by eliminating un-
necessary duplication of contracts.
(b) REQUIREMENT
FOR
BUSINESS
CASE
AP-
PROVAL.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Chapter 33 of title 41, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 3312. Requirement for business case approval for 
new Governmentwide contracts 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—An executive agency may not 
issue a solicitation for a covered Governmentwide contract 
unless the agency performs a business case analysis for 
the contract and obtains an approval of the business case 
analysis from the Administrator for Federal Procurement 
Policy. 
‘‘(b) REVIEW OF BUSINESS CASE ANALYSIS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to any cov-
ered Governmentwide contract, the Administrator 
for Federal Procurement Policy shall review the 
business case analysis submitted for the contract 
and provide an approval or disapproval within 60 
days after the date of submission. Any business case 
analysis not disapproved within such 60-day period 
is deemed to be approved. 
‘‘(2) BASIS
FOR
APPROVAL
OF
BUSINESS 
CASE.—The Administrator for Federal Procurement 
Policy shall approve or disapprove a business case
analysis based on the adequacy of the analysis sub-
mitted. The Administrator shall give primary consid-
eration to whether an agency has demonstrated a 
compelling need that cannot be satisfied by existing 
Governmentwide contract in a timely and cost-effec-
tive manner. 
‘‘(c) CONTENT OF BUSINESS CASE ANALYSIS.—The 
Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy shall issue 
guidance specifying the content for a business case anal-
ysis submitted pursuant to this section. At a minimum, 
the business case analysis shall include details on the ad-
ministrative resources needed for such contract, including 
an analysis of all direct and indirect costs to the Federal 
Government of awarding and administering such contract 
and the impact such contract will have on the ability of 
the Federal Government to leverage its purchasing power. 
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) 
COVERED
GOVERNMENTWIDE
CON-
TRACT.—The term ‘covered Governmentwide con-
tract’ means any contract, blanket purchase agree-
ment, or other contractual instrument for acquisition 
of information technology or other goods or services 
that allows for an indefinite number of orders to be 
placed under the contract, agreement, or instrument, 
and that is established by one executive agency for
use by multiple executive agencies to obtain goods or 
services. The term does not include— 
‘‘(A) a multiple award schedule contract 
awarded by the General Services Administra-
tion; 
‘‘(B) a Governmentwide acquisition con-
tract for information technology awarded pursu-
ant to sections 11302(e) and 11314(a)(2) of 
title 40; 
‘‘(C) orders under Governmentwide con-
tracts in existence before the effective date of 
this section; or 
‘‘(D) any contract in an amount less than 
$10,000,000, determined on an average annual 
basis. 
‘‘(2) EXECUTIVE AGENCY.—The term ‘executive 
agency’ has the meaning provided that term by sec-
tion 105 of title 5.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions for chapter 33 of title 41, United States Code, 
is amended by adding after the item relating to sec-
tion 3311 the following new item: 
‘‘3312. Requirement for business case approval for new Governmentwide con-
tracts.’’. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than June 1 in each of the 
next 6 years following the date of the enactment of this
Act, the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy 
shall submit to the relevant congressional committees a 
report on the implementation of section 3312 of title 41, 
United States Code, as added by subsection (b), including 
a summary of the submissions, reviews, approvals, and 
disapprovals of business case analyses pursuant to such 
section. 
(d) GUIDANCE.—The Administrator for Federal Pro-
curement Policy shall issue guidance for implementing sec-
tion 3312 of such title. 
(e) REVISION OF FAR.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Federal 
Acquisition Regulation shall be amended to implement sec-
tion 3312 of such title. 
(g) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Section 3312 of such title is 
effective on and after 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act.
TITLE IV—STRENGTHENING AND 
STREAMLINING 
INFORMA-
TION TECHNOLOGY ACQUISI-
TION 
MANAGEMENT 
PRAC-
TICES 
Subtitle 
A—Strengthening 
and 
Streamlining IT Program Man-
agement Practices 
SEC. 401. PILOT PROGRAM ON INTERAGENCY COLLABORA-
TION. 
(a) PILOT PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Chapter 115 of title 40, 
United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘CHAPTER 
115—INFORMATION 
TECH-
NOLOGY ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT 
PRACTICES 
‘‘Sec. 
‘‘11501. Pilot program on interagency collaboration. 
‘‘§ 11501. Pilot program on interagency collaboration 
‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT
TO
CONDUCT
PILOT
PRO-
GRAM.—The Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget shall conduct a three-year pilot program in accord-
ance with the requirements of this section to test alter-
native approaches for the management of commonly used 
information technology by executive agencies.
‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT
AND PURPOSES.—For pur-
poses of the pilot program, the Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget shall establish a Federal Infra-
structure and Common Application Collaboration Center 
(hereafter in this section referred to as the ‘Collaboration 
Center’) within the Office of Electronic Government estab-
lished under section 3602 of title 44. The purpose of the 
Collaboration Center is to serve as a resource for Federal 
agencies, available on an optional-use basis, to assist and 
promote coordinated program management practices and 
to develop and maintain requirements for the acquisition 
of IT infrastructure and common applications commonly 
used by various Federal agencies. 
‘‘(c) ORGANIZATION OF CENTER.— 
‘‘(1) MEMBERSHIP.—The Center shall consist 
of the following members: 
‘‘(A) An appropriate number, as deter-
mined by the CIO Council, but not less than 
12, full-time program managers or cost special-
ists, all of whom have appropriate experience in 
the private or Government sector in managing 
or overseeing acquisitions of IT infrastructure 
and common applications. 
‘‘(B) At least 1 full-time detailee from 
each of the Federal agencies listed in section
901(b) of title 31, nominated by the respective 
agency chief information officer for a detail pe-
riod of not less than 1 year. 
‘‘(2) WORKING
GROUPS.—The Collaboration 
Center shall have working groups that specialize in 
IT infrastructure and common applications identi-
fied by the CIO Council. Each working group shall 
be headed by a separate dedicated program manager 
appointed by the Federal Chief Information Officer. 
‘‘(d) CAPABILITIES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE COL-
LABORATION CENTER.—For each of the IT infrastructure 
and common application areas identified by the CIO Coun-
cil, the Collaboration Center shall perform the following 
roles, and any other functions as directed by the Federal 
Chief Information Officer: 
‘‘(1) Develop, maintain, and disseminate re-
quirements suitable to establish contracts that will 
meet the common and general needs of various Fed-
eral agencies as determined by the Center. In doing 
so, the Center shall give maximum consideration to 
the adoption of commercial standards and industry 
acquisition best practices, including opportunities for 
shared services, consideration of total cost of owner-
ship, preference for industry-neutral functional spec-
ifications leveraging open industry standards and
competition, and use of long-term contracts, as ap-
propriate. 
‘‘(2) Develop, maintain, and disseminate reli-
able cost estimates. 
‘‘(3) Lead the review of significant or troubled 
IT investments or acquisitions as identified by the 
CIO Council. 
‘‘(4) Provide expert aid to troubled IT invest-
ments or acquisitions. 
‘‘(e) GUIDANCE.—The Director, in consultation with 
the Chief Information Officers Council, shall issue guid-
ance addressing the scope and operation of the Collabora-
tion Center. The guidance shall require that the collabora-
tion Center report to the Federal Chief Information Offi-
cer. 
‘‘(f) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall annually 
submit to the relevant congressional committees a 
report detailing the organization, staff, and activities 
of the Collaboration Center, including— 
‘‘(A) a list of IT infrastructure and com-
mon applications the Center assisted; 
‘‘(B) an assessment of the Center’s 
achievement in promoting efficiency, shared 
services, and elimination of unnecessary Gov-
ernment requirements that are contrary to com-
mercial best practices; and 
‘‘(C) the use and expenditure of amounts 
in the Fund established under subsection (i). 
‘‘(2) INCLUSION IN OTHER REPORT.—The re-
port may be included as part of the annual E-Gov-
ernment status report required under section 3606 
of title 44. 
‘‘(g) GUIDELINES FOR ACQUISITION OF IT INFRA-
STRUCTURE AND COMMON APPLICATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) GUIDELINES.—The Collaboration Center 
shall establish guidelines that, to the maximum ex-
tent possible, eliminate inconsistent practices among 
executive agencies and ensure uniformity and con-
sistency in acquisition processes for IT infrastruc-
ture and common applications across the Federal 
Government. 
‘‘(2) CENTRAL
WEBSITE.—In preparing the 
guidelines, the Collaboration Center, in consultation 
with the Chief Acquisition Officers Council, shall 
offer executive agencies the option of accessing a 
central website for best practices, templates, and 
other relevant information. 
‘‘(h) PRICING TRANSPARENCY.—The Collaboration 
Center, in collaboration with the Office of Federal Pro-
curement Policy, the Chief Acquisition Officers Council, 
the General Services Administration, and the Assisted Ac-
quisition Centers of Excellence, shall compile a price list 
and catalogue containing current pricing information by 
vendor for each of its IT infrastructure and common appli-
cations categories. The price catalogue shall contain any 
price provided by a vendor in a contract awarded for the 
same or similar good or service to any executive agency. 
The catalogue shall be developed in a fashion ensuring 
that it may be used for pricing comparisons and pricing 
analysis using standard data formats. The price catalogue 
shall not be made public, but shall be accessible to execu-
tive agencies. 
‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION TO USE FUND.—In any fiscal 
year, notwithstanding section 321(c) of title 40, up to five 
percent of the fees collected during the prior fiscal year 
under the multiple award schedule contracts entered into 
by the Administrator of General Services and credited to 
the Acquisition Services Fund under section 321 of title 
40, may be used to fund the activities of the Collaboration 
Center. Each fiscal year, the Director, in consultation with 
the Federal Chief Information Officer, shall determine an 
appropriate amount needed to operate the Collaboration 
Center and the Administrator of General Services shall 
transfer amounts only to the extent and in such amounts
as are provided in advance in appropriation acts from the 
Fund to the Director for the Center. 
‘‘(j) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) EXECUTIVE AGENCY.—The term ‘executive 
agency’ has the meaning provided that term by sec-
tion 105 of title 5. 
‘‘(2) FEDERAL
CHIEF
INFORMATION
OFFI-
CER.—The term ‘Federal Chief Information Officer’ 
means the Administrator of the Office of Electronic 
Government established under section 3602 of title 
44. 
‘‘(3) 
RELEVANT
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘relevant congressional commit-
tees’ means each of the following: 
‘‘(A) The Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform and the Committee on 
Armed Services of the House of Representa-
tives. 
‘‘(B) The Committee on Homeland Secu-
rity and Governmental Affairs and the Com-
mittee on Armed Services of the Senate.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The item relating 
to chapter 115 in the table of chapters at the begin-
ning of subtitle III of title 40, United States Code, 
is amended to read as follows:
‘‘115. Information Technology Acquisition Management 
Practices ...................................................................11501’’. 
(b) DEADLINES.— 
(1) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director 
shall issue guidance under section 11501(e) of title 
40, United States Code, as added by subsection (a). 
(2) CENTER.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Director shall 
establish the Federal Infrastructure and Common 
Application Collaboration Center, in accordance with 
section 11501(b) of such title, as so added. 
(3) GUIDELINES.—Not later than 2 years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Federal 
Infrastructure and Common Application Collabora-
tion Center shall establish guidelines in accordance 
with section 11501(g) of such title, as so added. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 3602(c) of 
title 44, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 
(2); 
(2) by redesignating paragraph (3) as para-
graph (4); and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol-
lowing new paragraph (3):
‘‘(3) all of the functions of the Federal Infra-
structure and Common Application Collaboration 
Center, as required under section 11501 of title 40; 
and’’. 
SEC. 402. DESIGNATION OF ASSISTED ACQUISITION CEN-
TERS OF EXCELLENCE. 
(a) DESIGNATION.—Chapter 115 of title 40, United 
States Code, as amended by section 401, is further amend-
ed by adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 11502. ASSISTED ACQUISITION CENTERS OF EXCEL-
LENCE. 
‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to de-
velop specialized assisted acquisition centers of excellence 
within the Federal Government to serve as a resource for 
Federal agencies, available on an optional-use basis, to as-
sist and promote— 
‘‘(1) the effective use of best acquisition prac-
tices; 
‘‘(2) the development of specialized expertise in 
the acquisition of information technology; and 
‘‘(3) Governmentwide sharing of acquisition ca-
pability to augment any shortage in the information 
technology acquisition workforce. 
‘‘(b) DESIGNATION OF AACES.—Not later than 1 
year after the date of the enactment of this section, and
every 3 years thereafter, the Director of the Office of Man-
agement and Budget, in consultation with the Chief Ac-
quisition Officers Council and the Chief Information Offi-
cers Council, shall designate, redesignate, or withdraw the 
designation of acquisition centers of excellence within var-
ious executive agencies to carry out the functions set forth 
in subsection (d) in an area of specialized acquisition ex-
pertise as determined by the Director. Each such center 
of excellence shall be known as an ‘Assisted Acquisition 
Center of Excellence’ or an ‘AACE’. 
‘‘(c) USE OF EXISTING AUTHORITY.—This section 
provides no new authority to establish a franchise fund 
or revolving fund. 
‘‘(d) FUNCTIONS.—The functions of each AACE are 
as follows: 
‘‘(1) BEST PRACTICES.—To promote, develop, 
and implement the use of best acquisition practices 
in the area of specialized acquisition expertise that 
the AACE is designated to carry out by the Director 
under subsection (b). 
‘‘(2) ASSISTED
ACQUISITIONS.—To assist all 
Government agencies in the expedient, strategic, and 
cost-effective acquisition of the information tech-
nology goods or services covered by such area of spe-
cialized acquisition expertise by engaging in repeated
and frequent acquisition of similar information tech-
nology requirements. 
‘‘(3) DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING OF IT AC-
QUISITION WORKFORCE.—To assist in recruiting and 
training IT acquisition cadres (referred to in section 
1704(j) of title 41). 
‘‘(e) CRITERIA.—In designating, redesignating, or 
withdrawing the designation of an AACE, the Director 
shall consider, at a minimum, the following matters: 
‘‘(1) The subject matter expertise of the host 
agency in a specific area of information technology 
acquisition. 
‘‘(2) For acquisitions of IT infrastructure and 
common applications covered by the Federal Infra-
structure and Common Application Collaboration 
Center authorized under section 11501 of this title, 
the ability and willingness to collaborate with the 
Collaboration Center and adhere to the requirements 
standards established by the Collaboration Center. 
‘‘(3) The ability of an AACE to develop cus-
tomized requirements documents that meet the 
needs of executive agencies as well as the current in-
dustry standards and commercial best practices. 
‘‘(4) The ability of an AACE to consistently 
award and manage various contracts, task or deliv-
ery orders, and other acquisition arrangements in a 
timely, cost-effective, and compliant manner. 
‘‘(5) The ability of an AACE to aggregate de-
mands from multiple executive agencies for similar 
information technology goods or services and fulfill 
those demands in one acquisition. 
‘‘(6) The ability of an AACE to acquire innova-
tive or emerging commercial and noncommercial 
technologies using various contracting methods, in-
cluding ways to lower the entry barriers for small 
businesses with limited Government contracting ex-
periences. 
‘‘(7) The ability of an AACE to maximize com-
mercial item acquisition, effectively manage high-risk 
contract types, increase competition, promote small 
business participation, and maximize use of available 
Governmentwide contracts. 
‘‘(8) The existence of an in-house cost esti-
mating group with expertise to consistently develop 
reliable cost estimates that are accurate, comprehen-
sive, well-documented, and credible. 
‘‘(9) The ability of an AACE to employ best 
practices and educate requesting agencies, to the 
maximum extent practicable, regarding critical fac-
tors underlying successful major IT acquisitions, in-
cluding the following factors: 
‘‘(A) Active engagement by program offi-
cials with stakeholders. 
‘‘(B) Possession by program staff of the 
necessary knowledge and skills. 
‘‘(C) Support of the programs by senior 
department and agency executives. 
‘‘(D) Involvement by end users and stake-
holders in the development of requirements. 
‘‘(E) Participation by end users in testing 
of system functionality prior to formal end user 
acceptance testing. 
‘‘(F) Stability and consistency of Govern-
ment and contractor staff. 
‘‘(G) Prioritization of requirements by pro-
gram staff. 
‘‘(H) Maintenance of regular communica-
tion with the prime contractor by program offi-
cials. 
‘‘(I) Receipt of sufficient funding by pro-
grams. 
‘‘(10) The ability of an AACE to run an effec-
tive acquisition intern program in collaboration with
the Federal Acquisition Institute or the Defense Ac-
quisition University. 
‘‘(11) The ability of an AACE to effectively and 
properly manage fees received for assisted acquisi-
tions pursuant to this section. 
‘‘(f) FUNDS RECEIVED BY AACES.— 
‘‘(1) 
AVAILABILITY.—Notwithstanding 
any 
other provision of law or regulation, funds obligated 
and transferred from an executive agency in a fiscal 
year to an AACE for the acquisition of goods or 
services covered by an area of specialized acquisition 
expertise of an AACE, regardless of whether the re-
quirements are severable or non-severable, shall re-
main available for awards of contracts by the AACE 
for the same general requirements for the next 5 fis-
cal years following the fiscal year in which the funds 
were transferred. 
‘‘(2) TRANSITION
TO
NEW
AACE.—If the 
AACE to which the funds are provided under para-
graph (1) becomes unable to fulfill the requirements 
of the executive agency from which the funds were 
provided, the funds may be provided to a different 
AACE to fulfill such requirements. The funds so 
provided shall be used for the same purpose and re-
main available for the same period of time as applied 
when provided to the original AACE. 
‘‘(3) RELATIONSHIP
TO
EXISTING
AUTHORI-
TIES.—This subsection does not limit any existing 
authorities an AACE may have under its revolving 
or working capital funds authorities. 
‘‘(g) GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE RE-
VIEW OF AACE.— 
‘‘(1) REVIEW.—The Comptroller General of the 
United States shall review and assess— 
‘‘(A) the use and management of fees re-
ceived by the AACEs pursuant to this section 
to ensure that an appropriate fee structure is 
established and enforced to cover activities ad-
dressed in this section and that no excess fees 
are charged or retained; and 
‘‘(B) the effectiveness of the AACEs in 
achieving the purpose described in subsection 
(a), including review of contracts. 
‘‘(2) REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year after the 
designation or redesignation of AACES under sub-
section (b), the Comptroller General shall submit to 
the relevant congressional committees a report con-
taining the findings and assessment under para-
graph (1).
‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) ASSISTED
ACQUISITION.—The term ‘as-
sisted acquisition’ means a type of interagency ac-
quisition in which the parties enter into an inter-
agency agreement pursuant to which— 
‘‘(A) the servicing agency performs acquisi-
tion activities on the requesting agency’s behalf, 
such as awarding, administering, or closing out 
a contract, task order, delivery order, or blanket 
purchase agreement; and 
‘‘(B) funding is provided through a fran-
chise fund, the Acquisition Services Fund in 
section 321 of this title, sections 1535 and 
1536 of title 31, or other available methods. 
‘‘(2) EXECUTIVE AGENCY.—The term ‘executive 
agency’ has the meaning provided that term by sec-
tion 133 of title 41. 
‘‘(3) 
RELEVANT
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘relevant congressional commit-
tees’ has the meaning provided that term by section 
11501 of this title. 
‘‘(i) REVISION OF FAR.—The Federal Acquisition 
Regulation shall be amended to implement this section.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of chapter 115 of title 40, United States
Code, as amended by section 401, is further amended by 
adding at the end the following new item: 
‘‘11502. Assisted Acquisition Centers of Excellence.’’. 
Subtitle B—Strengthening IT 
Acquisition Workforce 
SEC. 411. EXPANSION OF TRAINING AND USE OF INFORMA-
TION TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CADRES. 
(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to en-
sure timely progress by Federal agencies toward devel-
oping, strengthening, and deploying personnel with highly 
specialized skills in information technology acquisition, in-
cluding program and project managers, to be known as 
information technology acquisition cadres. 
(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Section 1704 of title 
41, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection: 
‘‘(j) STRATEGIC PLAN
ON INFORMATION TECH-
NOLOGY ACQUISITION CADRES.— 
‘‘(1) FIVE-YEAR
STRATEGIC
PLAN
TO
CON-
GRESS.—Not later than June 1 following the date of 
the enactment of this subsection, the Director shall 
submit to the relevant congressional committees a 5- 
year strategic plan (to be known as the ‘IT Acquisi-
tion Cadres Strategic Plan’) to develop, strengthen, 
and solidify information technology acquisition cad-
res. The plan shall include a timeline for implemen-
tation of the plan and identification of individuals 
responsible for specific elements of the plan during 
the 5-year period covered by the plan. 
‘‘(2) MATTERS COVERED.—The plan shall ad-
dress, at a minimum, the following matters: 
‘‘(A) Current information technology ac-
quisition staffing challenges in Federal agen-
cies, by previous year’s information technology 
acquisition value, and by the Federal Govern-
ment as a whole. 
‘‘(B) The variety and complexity of infor-
mation technology acquisitions conducted by 
each Federal agency covered by the plan, and 
the specialized information technology acquisi-
tion workforce needed to effectively carry out 
such acquisitions. 
‘‘(C) The development of a sustainable 
funding model to support efforts to hire, retain, 
and train an information technology acquisition 
cadre of appropriate size and skill to effectively 
carry out the acquisition programs of the Fed-
eral agencies covered by the plan, including an 
examination of interagency funding methods 
and a discussion of how the model of the De-
fense Acquisition Workforce Development Fund 
could be applied to civilian agencies. 
‘‘(D) Any strategic human capital planning 
necessary to hire, retain, and train an informa-
tion acquisition cadre of appropriate size and 
skill at each Federal agency covered by the 
plan. 
‘‘(E) Governmentwide training standards 
and certification requirements necessary to en-
hance the mobility and career opportunities of 
the Federal information technology acquisition 
cadre within the Federal agencies covered by 
the plan. 
‘‘(F) New and innovative approaches to 
workforce development and training, including 
cross-functional training, rotational develop-
ment, and assignments both within and outside 
the Government. 
‘‘(G) Appropriate consideration and align-
ment with the needs and priorities of the Infra-
structure and Common Application Collabora-
tion Center, Assisted Acquisition Centers of Ex-
cellence, and acquisition intern programs. 
‘‘(H) Assessment of the current workforce 
competency and usage trends in evaluation
technique to obtain best value, including proper 
handling of tradeoffs between price and 
nonprice factors. 
‘‘(I) Assessment of the current workforce 
competency in designing and aligning perform-
ance goals, life cycle costs, and contract incen-
tives. 
‘‘(J) Assessment of the current workforce 
competency in avoiding brand-name preference 
and using industry-neutral functional specifica-
tions to leverage open industry standards and 
competition. 
‘‘(K) Use of integrated program teams, in-
cluding fully dedicated program managers, for 
each complex information technology invest-
ment. 
‘‘(L) Proper assignment of recognition or 
accountability to the members of an integrated 
program team for both individual functional 
goals and overall program success or failure. 
‘‘(M) The development of a technology fel-
lows program that includes provisions for re-
cruiting, for rotation of assignments, and for 
partnering directly with universities with well- 
recognized information technology programs.
‘‘(N) The capability to properly manage 
other transaction authority (where such author-
ity is granted), including ensuring that the use 
of the authority is warranted due to unique 
technical challenges, rapid adoption of innova-
tive or emerging commercial or noncommercial 
technologies, or other circumstances that can-
not readily be satisfied using a contract, grant, 
or cooperative agreement in accordance with ap-
plicable law and the Federal Acquisition Regu-
lation. 
‘‘(O) The use of student internship and 
scholarship programs as a talent pool for per-
manent hires and the use and impact of special 
hiring authorities and flexibilities to recruit di-
verse candidates. 
‘‘(P) The assessment of hiring manager 
satisfaction with the hiring process and hiring 
outcomes, including satisfaction with the quality 
of applicants interviewed and hires made. 
‘‘(Q) The assessment of applicant satisfac-
tion with the hiring process, including the clar-
ity of the hiring announcement, the user-friend-
liness of the application process, communication 
from the hiring manager or agency regarding
application status, and timeliness of the hiring 
decision. 
‘‘(R) The assessment of new hire satisfac-
tion with the onboarding process, including the 
orientation process, and investment in training 
and development for employees during their 
first year of employment. 
‘‘(S) Any other matters the Director con-
siders appropriate. 
‘‘(3) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than June 1 
in each of the 5 years following the year of submis-
sion of the plan required by paragraph (1), the Di-
rector shall submit to the relevant congressional 
committees an annual report outlining the progress 
made pursuant to the plan. 
‘‘(4) GOVERNMENT
ACCOUNTABILITY
OFFICE 
REVIEW OF THE PLAN AND ANNUAL REPORT.— 
‘‘(A) Not later than 1 year after the sub-
mission of the plan required by paragraph (1), 
the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall review the plan and submit to the relevant 
congressional committees a report on the re-
view. 
‘‘(B) Not later than 6 months after the 
submission of the first, third, and fifth annual
report required under paragraph (3), the Comp-
troller General shall independently assess the 
findings of the annual report and brief the rel-
evant congressional committees on the Comp-
troller General’s findings and recommendations 
to ensure the objectives of the plan are accom-
plished. 
‘‘(5) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) The term ‘Federal agency’ means 
each agency listed in section 901(b) of title 31. 
‘‘(B) The term ‘relevant congressional 
committees’ means each of the following: 
‘‘(i) The Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform and the Committee on 
Armed Services of the House of Represent-
atives. 
‘‘(ii) The Committee on Homeland Se-
curity and Governmental Affairs and the 
Committee on Armed Services of the Sen-
ate.’’. 
SEC. 412. PLAN ON STRENGTHENING PROGRAM AND 
PROJECT MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE. 
(a) PLAN
ON
STRENGTHENING
PROGRAM
AND 
PROJECT MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE.—Not later than 
June 1 following the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Director, in consultation with the Director of the Of-
fice of Personnel Management, shall submit to the relevant 
congressional committees a plan for improving manage-
ment of IT programs and projects. 
(b) MATTERS COVERED.—The plan required by sub-
section (a) shall include, at a minimum, the following: 
(1) Creation of a specialized career path for 
program management. 
(2) The development of a competency model for 
program management consistent with the IT project 
manager model. 
(3) A career advancement model that requires 
appropriate expertise and experience for advance-
ment. 
(4) A career advancement model that is more 
competitive with the private sector and that recog-
nizes both Government and private sector experi-
ence. 
(5) Appropriate consideration and alignment 
with the needs and priorities of the Infrastructure 
and Common Application Collaboration Center, the 
Assisted Acquisition Centers of Excellence, and ac-
quisition intern programs. 
(c) COMBINATION WITH OTHER CADRES PLAN.— 
The Director may combine the plan required by subsection
(a) with the IT Acquisition Cadres Strategic Plan required 
under section 1704(j) of title 41, United States Code, as 
added by section 411. 
SEC. 413. PERSONNEL AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE 
ACQUISITION 
OF 
INFORMATION 
SYSTEMS 
AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Of-
fice of Personnel Management shall develop policy and 
guidance for agencies to develop a program to recognize 
excellent performance by Federal Government employees 
and teams of such employees in the acquisition of informa-
tion systems and information technology for the agency. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The program referred to in sub-
section (a) shall, to the extent practicable— 
(1) obtain objective outcome measures; and 
(2) include procedures for— 
(A) the nomination of Federal Government 
employees and teams of such employees for eli-
gibility for recognition under the program; and 
(B) the evaluation of nominations for rec-
ognition under the program by 1 or more agen-
cy panels of individuals from Government, aca-
demia, and the private sector who have such ex-
pertise, and are appointed in such a manner, as
the Director of the Office of Personal Manage-
ment shall establish for purposes of the pro-
gram. 
(c) AWARD OF CASH BONUSES AND OTHER INCEN-
TIVES.—In carrying out the program referred to in sub-
section (a), the Director of the Office of Personnel Man-
agement, in consultation with the Director of the Office 
of Management and Budget, shall establish policies and 
guidance for agencies to reward any Federal Government 
employee or teams of such employees recognized pursuant 
to the program— 
(1) with a cash bonus, to the extent that the 
performance of such individual or team warrants the 
award of such bonus and is authorized by any provi-
sion of law; 
(2) through promotions and other nonmonetary 
awards; 
(3) by publicizing— 
(A) acquisition accomplishments by indi-
vidual employees; and 
(B) the tangible end benefits that resulted 
from such accomplishments, as appropriate; 
and
(4) through other awards, incentives, or bo-
nuses that the head of the agency considers appro-
priate. 
TITLE V—ADDITIONAL REFORMS 
SEC. 501. MAXIMIZING THE BENEFIT OF THE FEDERAL 
STRATEGIC SOURCING INITIATIVE. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Administrator for Federal Procure-
ment Policy shall prescribe regulations providing that 
when the Federal Government makes a purchase of serv-
ices and supplies offered under the Federal Strategic 
Sourcing Initiative (managed by the Office of Federal Pro-
curement Policy) but such Initiative is not used, the con-
tract file for the purchase shall include a brief analysis 
of the comparative value, including price and nonprice fac-
tors, between the services and supplies offered under such 
Initiative and services and supplies offered under the 
source or sources used for the purchase. 
SEC. 502. GOVERNMENTWIDE SOFTWARE PURCHASING 
PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of General 
Services, in collaboration with the Department of Defense, 
shall identify and develop a strategic sourcing initiative 
to enhance Governmentwide acquisition, shared use, and
dissemination of software, as well as compliance with end 
user license agreements. 
(b) EXAMINATION OF METHODS.—In developing the 
initiative under subsection (a), the Administrator shall ex-
amine the use of realistic and effective demand aggrega-
tion models supported by actual agency commitment to 
use the models, and supplier relationship management 
practices, to more effectively govern the Government’s ac-
quisition of information technology. 
(c) GOVERNMENTWIDE
USER
LICENSE
AGREE-
MENT.—The Administrator, in developing the initiative 
under subsection (a), shall allow for the purchase of a li-
cense agreement that is available for use by all executive 
agencies as one user to the maximum extent practicable 
and as appropriate. 
SEC. 503. PROMOTING TRANSPARENCY OF BLANKET PUR-
CHASE AGREEMENTS. 
(a) PRICE INFORMATION TO BE TREATED AS PUB-
LIC INFORMATION.—The final negotiated price offered by 
an awardee of a blanket purchase agreement shall be 
treated as public information. 
(b) PUBLICATION OF BLANKET PURCHASE AGREE-
MENT INFORMATION.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of 
General Services shall make available to the public a list
of all blanket purchase agreements entered into by Federal 
agencies under its Federal Supply Schedules contracts and 
the prices associated with those blanket purchase agree-
ments. The list and price information shall be updated at 
least once every 6 months. 
SEC. 504. ADDITIONAL SOURCE SELECTION TECHNIQUE IN 
SOLICITATIONS. 
Section 3306(d) of title 41, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of paragraph 
(1); 
(2) by striking the period and inserting ‘‘; or’’ 
at the end of paragraph (2); and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(3) stating in the solicitation that the award 
will be made using a fixed price technical competi-
tion, under which all offerors compete solely on 
nonprice factors and the fixed award price is pre-an-
nounced in the solicitation.’’. 
SEC. 505. ENHANCED TRANSPARENCY IN INFORMATION 
TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS. 
(a) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION ABOUT 
IT INVESTMENTS.—Section 11302(c) of title 40, United 
States Code, is amended—
(1) by redesignating paragraph (2) as para-
graph (3); and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(2) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Director shall 
make available to the public the cost, schedule, 
and performance data for all of the IT invest-
ments listed in subparagraph (B), notwith-
standing whether the investments are for new 
IT acquisitions or for operations and mainte-
nance of existing IT. 
‘‘(B) INVESTMENTS LISTED.—The invest-
ments listed in this subparagraph are the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(i) At least 80 percent (by dollar 
value) of all information technology invest-
ments Governmentwide. 
‘‘(ii) At least 60 percent (by dollar 
value) of all information technology invest-
ments in each Federal agency listed in sec-
tion 901(b) of title 31. 
‘‘(iii) Every major information tech-
nology investment (as defined by the Office 
of Management and Budget) in each Fed-
eral agency listed in section 901(b) of title 
31. 
‘‘(C) QUARTERLY
REVIEW
AND
CERTIFI-
CATION.—For each investment listed in sub-
paragraph (B), the agency Chief Information 
Officer and the program manager of the invest-
ment within the agency shall certify, at least 
once every quarter, that the information is cur-
rent, accurate, and reflects the risks associated 
with each listed investment. The Director shall 
conduct quarterly reviews and publicly identify 
agencies with an incomplete certification or 
with significant data quality issues. 
‘‘(D) CONTINUOUS
AVAILABILITY.—The 
information required under subparagraph (A), 
in its most updated form, shall be publicly 
available at all times. 
‘‘(E) WAIVER
OR
LIMITATION
AUTHOR-
ITY.—The applicability of subparagraph (A) 
may be waived or the extent of the information 
may be limited— 
‘‘(i) by the Director, with respect to 
IT investments Governmentwide; and
‘‘(ii) by the Chief Information Officer 
of a Federal agency, with respect to IT in-
vestments in that agency; 
if the Director or the Chief Information Officer, 
as the case may be, determines that such a 
waiver or limitation is in the national security 
interests of the United States.’’. 
(b) ADDITIONAL REPORT REQUIREMENTS.—Para-
graph (3) of section 11302(c) of such title, as redesignated 
by subsection (a), is amended by adding at the end the 
following: ‘‘The report shall include an analysis of agency 
trends reflected in the performance risk information re-
quired in paragraph (2).’’. 
SEC. 506. ENHANCED COMMUNICATION BETWEEN GOVERN-
MENT AND INDUSTRY. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory 
Council shall prescribe a regulation making clear that 
agency acquisition personnel are permitted and encour-
aged to engage in responsible and constructive exchanges 
with industry, so long as those exchanges are consistent 
with existing law and regulation and do not promote an 
unfair competitive advantage to particular firms.
SEC. 507. CLARIFICATION OF CURRENT LAW WITH RE-
SPECT TO TECHNOLOGY NEUTRALITY IN AC-
QUISITION OF SOFTWARE. 
(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to es-
tablish guidance and processes to clarify that software ac-
quisitions by the Federal Government are to be made 
using merit-based requirements development and evalua-
tion processes that promote procurement choices— 
(1) based on performance and value, including 
the long-term value proposition to the Federal Gov-
ernment; 
(2) free of preconceived preferences based on 
how technology is developed, licensed, or distributed; 
and 
(3) generally including the consideration of pro-
prietary, open source, and mixed source software 
technologies. 
(b) TECHNOLOGY NEUTRALITY.—Nothing in this 
section shall be construed to modify the Federal Govern-
ment’s long-standing policy of following technology-neu-
tral principles and practices when selecting and acquiring 
information technology that best fits the needs of the Fed-
eral Government. 
(c) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Director, in con-
sultation with the Chief Information Officers Council,
shall issue guidance concerning the technology-neutral 
procurement and use of software within the Federal Gov-
ernment. 
(d) MATTERS COVERED.—In issuing guidance under 
subsection (c), the Director shall include, at a minimum, 
the following: 
(1) Guidance to clarify that the preference for 
commercial items in section 3307 of title 41, United 
States Code, includes proprietary, open source, and 
mixed source software that meets the definition of 
the term ‘‘commercial item’’ in section 103 of title 
41, United States Code, including all such software 
that is used for non-Government purposes and is li-
censed to the public. 
(2) Guidance regarding the conduct of market 
research to ensure the inclusion of proprietary, open 
source, and mixed source software options. 
(3) Guidance to define Governmentwide stand-
ards for security, redistribution, indemnity, and 
copyright in the acquisition, use, release, and col-
laborative development of proprietary, open source, 
and mixed source software. 
(4) Guidance for the adoption of available com-
mercial practices to acquire proprietary, open source, 
and mixed source software for widespread Govern-
ment use, including issues such as security and re-
distribution rights. 
(5) Guidance to establish standard service level 
agreements for maintenance and support for propri-
etary, open source, and mixed source software prod-
ucts widely adopted by the Government, as well as 
the development of Governmentwide agreements that 
contain standard and widely applicable contract pro-
visions for ongoing maintenance and development of 
software. 
(6) Guidance on the role and use of the Federal 
Infrastructure and Common Application Collabora-
tion Center, authorized under section 11501 of title 
40, United States Code (as added by section 401), 
for acquisition of proprietary, open source, and 
mixed source software. 
(e) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 years 
after the issuance of the guidance required by subsection 
(b), the Comptroller General of the United States shall 
submit to the relevant congressional committees a report 
containing— 
(1) an assessment of the effectiveness of the 
guidance;
(2) an identification of barriers to widespread 
use by the Federal Government of specific software 
technologies; and 
(3) such legislative recommendations as the 
Comptroller General considers appropriate to further 
the purposes of this section. 
SEC. 508. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED. 
Except as provided in section 11501(i) of title 40, 
United States Code, as added by section 401, no addi-
tional funds are authorized to carry out the requirements 
of this Act and the amendments made by this Act. Such 
requirements shall be carried out using amounts otherwise 
authorized or appropriated. 
Passed the House of Representatives February 25, 
2014. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 1232 
AN ACT 
To amend titles 40, 41, and 44, United States 
Code, to eliminate duplication and waste in infor-
mation technology acquisition and management.