I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3169 
To improve the hiring, training, and efficiency of acquisition personnel and 
organizations of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 10, 2017 
Mr. POLIQUIN (for himself, Mr. BERGMAN, and Ms. KUSTER of New Hamp-
shire) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Appropria-
tions, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 
case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To improve the hiring, training, and efficiency of acquisition 
personnel and organizations of the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs, and for other purposes. 
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 Acquisition Work-
force Improvement and Streamlining Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT TO HIRING AND TRAINING OF AC-
QUISITION PERSONNEL OF DEPARTMENT OF 
VETERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS.— 
(1) PROGRAMS.—Not later than September 30 
of the fiscal year following the fiscal year during 
which this Act is enacted, the Secretary shall imple-
ment covered training curricula and covered certifi-
cation programs. 
(2) CONSIDERATION OF RELEVANT PROGRAMS 
OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.—In designing and 
implementing covered training curricula and covered 
certification programs under paragraph (1), the Sec-
retary shall use as models existing training curricula 
and certification programs that have been estab-
lished under chapter 87 of title 10, United States 
Code, as determined relevant by the Secretary. 
(3) METHOD
OF
TRAINING.—The Secretary 
may develop the training curricula under paragraph 
(1) in a manner that provides such training in any 
combination of— 
(A) training provided in person; 
(B) training provided over an internet 
website; or 
(C) training provided by another depart-
ment or agency of the Federal Government. 
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(4) LEVELS
OF
CERTIFICATIONS.—The Sec-
retary may develop the certification programs under 
paragraph (1) in a manner that uses— 
(A) one level of certification; or 
(B) more than one level of certification, as 
determined appropriate by the Secretary with 
respect to the level of certification for different 
grades of the General Schedule. 
(5) INITIAL GOAL.—Not later than September 
30 of the second fiscal year following the fiscal year 
during which this Act is enacted, the Secretary shall 
ensure that the majority of employees subject to the 
covered certification programs achieve the certifi-
cation or the appropriate level of certification pursu-
ant to paragraph (4)(B), as the case may be. 
(6) SUBSEQUENT
GOAL.—After carrying out 
paragraph (5), the Secretary shall ensure that each 
employee subject to the covered certification pro-
grams achieves the certification or the appropriate 
level of certification pursuant to paragraph (4)(B), 
as the case may be, as quickly as practicable. 
(b) IMPROVEMENTS TO HIRING OF ENTRY-LEVEL 
POSITIONS.— 
(1) PRIORITY.—The Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs shall prioritize the use of acquisition internship 
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programs to hire employees to entry-level positions 
relating to acquisition in the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs. 
(2) GOAL.—Not later than September 30 of the 
fiscal year following the fiscal year during which this 
Act is enacted, the Secretary shall ensure that the 
annual number of participants in acquisition intern-
ship programs is— 
(A) not fewer than twice the number of 
participants in such programs during fiscal year 
2017; and 
(B) not more than four times the number 
of participants in such program during such fis-
cal year. 
(3) DURATION.—The Secretary shall carry out 
paragraph (2) until the date on which the Secretary 
certifies to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of 
the House of Representatives and the Senate that 
the projected number of graduates of acquisition in-
ternship programs is sufficient to satisfy the human 
capital needs of the Department with respect to ac-
quisition, taking into account the rate of attrition 
and projected retirements of personnel. 
(c) TRANSFERS.— 
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(1) AUTHORITY.—In addition to any other 
transfer authority of the Secretary, the Secretary 
may transfer or reprogram amounts identified under 
section 3 as cost savings in order to make such 
amounts available for— 
(A) the salaries and travel expenses of par-
ticipants in acquisition internship programs; 
(B) covered training programs; or 
(C) the design and implementation of cov-
ered certification programs. 
(2) AUTHORIZATIONS.—A transfer made from 
one account to another under the authority of para-
graph (1) shall be deemed to increase the amount 
authorized for the account to which the amount is 
transferred by an amount equal to the amount 
transferred. 
SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENT TO EFFICIENCY OF ACQUISITION 
ORGANIZATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 
VETERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) PLAN.—The Secretary shall develop a plan to re-
duce duplication and to increase efficiencies with respect 
to the acquisition functions of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, with an emphasis on procurement and logistics 
functions, in a manner that achieves cost savings in an 
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amount necessary to carry out section 2. The Secretary 
shall ensure that such plan— 
(1) in all respects and to the greatest extent 
practicable, seeks to place procurement employees 
and logistics employees in close geographic proximity 
to the other employees of the Department for whom 
the procurement employees and logistics employees 
procure supplies or services; 
(2) does not place any procurement employee in 
a formal reporting or subordinate-supervisor rela-
tionship with an employee of the Department for 
whom the procurement employee procures supplies 
or services; and 
(3) may not achieve cost savings through demo-
tions, furloughs, or liquidations, as defined in part 
351 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations. 
(b) MATTERS INCLUDED.—In developing the plan 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall determine wheth-
er to carry out the following activities: 
(1) Consolidate or abolish (and transfer func-
tions to the procurement or logistics activities of in-
dividual facilities of the Veterans Health Adminis-
tration, the Network Contracting Offices of the Vet-
erans Health Administration, the Procurement and 
Logistics Office of the Veterans Health Administra-
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tion, or the Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and 
Construction of the Department)— 
(A) the Service Area Office East; 
(B) the Service Area Office Central; 
(C) the Service Area Office West; and 
(D) the Program Contacting Activity Cen-
tral Office. 
(2) With respect to the functions of the Pro-
curement and Logistics Office of the Veterans 
Health Administration and the Office of Acquisition, 
Logistics, and Construction of the Department, con-
solidate one or more of the following functions into 
one of the respective offices: 
(A) Policy making functions. 
(B) Contract quality assurance and review 
functions. 
(C) Real property management functions. 
(D) Business operations functions. 
(E) Health care acquisition. 
(F) Logistics functions. 
(c) SUBMISSION.—Not later than 180 days after the 
fiscal year during which this Act is enacted, the Secretary 
shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of 
the House of Representatives and the Senate the plan de-
veloped under subsection (a). 
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(d) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary shall com-
mence implementation of the plan developed under sub-
section (a) beginning on the date that is 30 days after 
submitting the plan under subsection (c). 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) The term ‘‘acquisition internship programs’’ 
means programs administered by the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs, including the Warriors to Work-
force Program and the Acquisition Intern Program, 
under which the Secretary employs— 
(A) a veteran, while the veteran earns an 
undergraduate degree and completes founda-
tional training courses relating to acquisition; 
or 
(B) an individual who completes progres-
sive training courses relating to acquisition and 
participates in rotational work assignments re-
lating to acquisition. 
(2) The term ‘‘covered certification programs’’ 
means— 
(A) with respect to logistics employees, a 
program to certify knowledge and skills relating 
to logistics; and 
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(B) with respect to employees of the De-
partment who are members of occupational se-
ries relating to construction or facilities man-
agement, or who award or administer contracts 
for major construction, minor construction, or 
non-recurring maintenance, including as con-
tract specialists or contracting officers’ rep-
resentatives, a program to certify knowledge 
and skills relating to construction or facilities 
management. 
(3) The term ‘‘covered training curricula’’ 
means— 
(A) with respect to logistics employees, a 
training curriculum relating to logistics; and 
(B) with respect to employees specified in 
paragraph (2)(B), a training curriculum relat-
ing to construction or facilities management. 
(4) The term ‘‘logistics’’ includes supply chain 
management. 
(5) The term ‘‘logistics employee’’ means an 
employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs who 
is a member of an occupational series relating to lo-
gistics, or who performs logistics functions within 
the Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construc-
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