1071 
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. 
‘‘(f) IMPROVEMENT
OF
THE
GOVERNMENTWIDE 
SOFTWARE PURCHASING PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Collaboration Center, 
in collaboration with the Office of Federal Procure-
ment Policy, the Department of Defense, and the 
General Services Administration, shall identify and 
develop a strategic sourcing initiative to enhance 
Governmentwide acquisition, shared use, and dis-
semination of software, as well as compliance with 
end user license agreements. 
‘‘(2) EXAMINATION
OF
METHODS.—In devel-
oping the initiative under paragraph (1), the Col-
laboration Center shall examine the use of realistic 
and effective demand aggregation models supported 
by actual agency commitment to use the models, and 
supplier relationship management practices, to more
1072 
effectively govern the Government’s acquisition of in-
formation technology. 
‘‘(3) GOVERNMENTWIDE USER LICENSE AGREE-
MENT.—The Collaboration Center, in developing the 
initiative under paragraph (1), shall allow for the 
purchase of a license agreement that is available for 
use by all executive agencies as one user to the max-
imum extent practicable and as appropriate. 
‘‘(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-
1073 
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 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 pub-
lic, but shall be accessible to executive agencies. 
‘‘(i) FEDERAL IT ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT IM-
PROVEMENT FUND.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT
AND
MANAGEMENT
OF 
FUND.—There is a Federal IT Acquisition Manage-
ment Improvement Fund (in this subsection referred 
to as the ‘Fund’). The Administrator of General 
Services shall manage the Fund through the Col-
laboration Center to support the activities of the 
Collaboration Center carried out pursuant to this 
section. The Administrator of General Services shall 
consult with the Director in managing the Fund.
1074 
‘‘(2) CREDITS TO FUND.—Five percent of the 
fees collected by executive agencies under the fol-
lowing contracts shall be credited to the Fund: 
‘‘(A) Governmentwide task and delivery 
order contracts entered into under sections 
4103 and 4105 of title 41. 
‘‘(B) Governmentwide contracts for the ac-
quisition of information technology and multi-
agency acquisition contracts for that technology 
authorized by section 11314 of this title. 
‘‘(C) Multiple-award schedule contracts en-
tered into by the Administrator of General 
Services. 
‘‘(3) REMITTANCE
BY
HEAD
OF
EXECUTIVE 
AGENCY.—The head of an executive agency that ad-
ministers a contract described in paragraph (2) shall 
remit to the General Services Administration the 
amount required to be credited to the Fund with re-
spect to the contract at the end of each quarter of 
the fiscal year. 
‘‘(4) AMOUNTS NOT TO BE USED FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES.—The Administrator of General Services, 
through the Office of Management and Budget, shall 
ensure that amounts collected under this subsection 
are not used for a purpose other than the activities
1075 
of the Collaboration Center carried out pursuant to 
this section. 
‘‘(5) AVAILABILITY
OF
AMOUNTS.—Amounts 
credited to the Fund remain available to be ex-
pended only in the fiscal year for which they are 
credited and the 4 succeeding fiscal years. 
‘‘(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) GOVERNMENTWIDE CONTRACT VEHICLE.— 
The term ‘Governmentwide contract vehicle’ means 
any contract, blanket purchase agreement, or other 
contractual instrument that allows for an indefinite 
number of orders to be placed within the contract, 
agreement, or instrument, and that is established by 
one executive agency for use by multiple executive 
agencies to obtain supplies and services.
1076 
‘‘(4) 
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. 
‘‘(k) REVISION OF FAR.—The Federal Acquisition 
Regulation shall be amended to implement this section.’’. 
(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) Not later than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Director shall issue 
guidance under section 11501(d) of title 40, United 
States Code, as added by subsection (a). 
(2) Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Director shall establish 
the Federal Infrastructure and Common Application
1077 
Collaboration Center, in accordance with section 
11501(a) of such title, as so added. 
(3) Not later than 2 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Federal Infrastructure 
and Common Application Collaboration Center 
shall— 
(A) identify and develop a strategic 
sourcing initiative in accordance with section 
11501(f) of such title, as so added; and 
(B) 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’’.
1078 
SEC. 5402. DESIGNATION OF ASSISTED ACQUISITION CEN-
TERS OF EXCELLENCE. 
(a) DESIGNATION.—Chapter 115 of title 40, United 
States Code, as amended by section 5401, is further 
amended by adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 11502. Assisted Acquisition Centers of Excellence 
‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to de-
velop specialized assisted acquisition centers of excellence 
within the Federal Government to 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 (c) in an area of specialized acquisition ex-
pertise as determined by the Director. Each such center
1079 
of excellence shall be known as an ‘Assisted Acquisition 
Center of Excellence’ or an ‘AACE’. 
‘‘(c) 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 and low-cost 
acquisition of the information technology goods or 
services covered by such area of specialized acquisi-
tion expertise by engaging in repeated and frequent 
acquisition of similar information technology require-
ments. 
‘‘(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). 
‘‘(d) CRITERIA.—In designating, redesignating, or 
withdrawing the designation of an AACE, the Director 
shall consider, at a minimum, the following matters:
1080 
‘‘(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 established 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-
1081 
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 contract vehicles. 
‘‘(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.
1082 
‘‘(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. 
‘‘(e) 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
1083 
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 paragraph (1) 
becomes unable to fulfill the requirements of the ex-
ecutive 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 remain avail-
able 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. 
‘‘(f) 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
1084 
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). 
‘‘(g) 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
1085 
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. 
‘‘(h) 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 5401, 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. 5411. 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.
1086 
(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
1087 
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.
1088 
‘‘(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.