‘‘(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 
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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 
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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-
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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-
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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 
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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: 
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‘‘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): 
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‘‘(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 
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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 
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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-
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