Title: Expand and Strengthen Defense Network of Partners Act of 2017
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Expand and Strengthen Defense Network of Partners Act of 2017
This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to establish one or more multi-institution task order arrangements to facilitate expedited access to university technical expertise in support of DOD missions in specified areas, including cybersecurity, shipbuilding, undersea warfare, drones, and energy. Such arrangements may not be used to fund research programs that can be executed through other DOD basic research activities.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1515 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1515

 To facilitate access to university technical expertise in support of 
                    Department of Defense missions.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 29, 2017

 Mr. Moran (for himself and Mr. Tester) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To facilitate access to university technical expertise in support of 
                    Department of Defense missions.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Expand and Strengthen Defense 
Network of Partners Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. MECHANISMS FOR EXPEDITED ACCESS TO TECHNICAL TALENT AND 
              EXPERTISE AT ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS TO SUPPORT DEPARTMENT 
              OF DEFENSE MISSIONS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall establish one or 
more multi-institution task order contracts, consortia, cooperative 
agreements, or other arrangements to facilitate expedited access to 
university technical expertise in support of Department of Defense 
missions in the areas specified in subsection (e). The Secretary may 
use this arrangement to fund technical analyses and other engineering 
support as required to address acquisition and operational challenges, 
including support for classified programs and activities. The Secretary 
shall ensure that work under task orders awarded through the 
arrangement is performed primarily by the designated university 
performer.
    (b) Limitation.--The arrangement established under subsection (a) 
may not be used to fund research programs that can be executed through 
other Department of Defense basic research activities.
    (c) Coordination With Other Department of Defense Activities.--The 
arrangement may be made in coordination with other Department of 
Defense activities, including federally funded research and development 
centers (FFRDCs), university affiliated research centers (UARCs), and 
Defense laboratories and test centers, for purposes of providing 
technical expertise and reducing costs and duplicative efforts.
    (d) Policies and Procedures.--The Secretary shall establish and 
implement policies and procedures to govern--
            (1) selection of participants in the arrangement;
            (2) the awarding of task orders under the arrangement;
            (3) maximum award size for tasks under the arrangement;
            (4) the appropriate use of competitive awards and sole 
        source awards under the arrangement; and
            (5) technical areas under the arrangement.
    (e) Mission Areas.--The Secretary may establish the arrangement in 
any of the following technical areas:
            (1) Cybersecurity.
            (2) Air and ground vehicles.
            (3) Shipbuilding.
            (4) Explosives detection.
            (5) Modeling and simulation.
            (6) Undersea warfare.
            (7) Trusted microelectronics.
            (8) Unmanned systems.
            (9) Intelligence/Surveillance/Reconnaissance (ISR) 
        photonics and sensors.
            (10) Directed energy.
            (11) Energy, power, and propulsion.
            (12) Advanced materials.
            (13) Other areas as designated by the Secretary.
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