In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Fiscal Accountability and
Transparency in Infrastructure Spending Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) Agency.--The term ''agency'' has the meaning given the
term ''Executive agency'' in section 105 of title 5, United
States Code.
(2) Alternate infrastructure type bidding.--The term
''alternate infrastructure type bidding'' means a process under
which a Federal, State or local agency determines, from
engineering and economic analysis, that 2 or more initial
project designs utilizing different construction materials and
methods and their forecasted performance and life-cycle costs
are comparable or similar enough to warrant solicitation of
bids on more than 1 design for a project.
(3) Life-cycle cost analysis.--The term ''life-cycle cost
analysis'' means a process for evaluating the total economic
worth of an infrastructure project by analyzing initial costs
and discounted future costs, such as structural maintenance,
user costs, reconstruction, rehabilitation, restoring, and
resurfacing costs, over at least a 50-year period.
(4) Major infrastructure projects.--The term ''major
infrastructure projects'' means highway, transit, rail
(including high-speed passenger rail), airport, seaport, public
housing, energy, water, bridge, and military construction
projects, including those authorized under titles 23, 40, and
49, United States Code, for which the total Federal cost
estimated by the Federal or State government, including the
cost of materials, is not less than $5,000,000.
(5) Mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide.--The term
''Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide'' means the
pavement design guide and software, developed under National
Cooperative Highway Research Program Project 1-37A, providing a
uniform basis for the design of flexible, rigid, and composite
pavements, using mechanistic-empirical approaches.

SEC. 3. LIFE-CYCLE COST ANALYSIS.

(a) Requirement To Obtain Life-Cycle Cost Analysis.--Not later than
1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, each agency shall
obtain a life-cycle cost analysis based on the standards developed by
the Office of Management and Budget pursuant to subsection (c) for each
major infrastructure project prior to obligating funds.
(b) Sources of Life-Cycle Cost Analysis.--The life-cycle cost
analysis required under subsection (a) may be obtained from State or
local governments, or private sector entities.
(c) Guidance.--
(1) Development.--Not later than 6 months after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget, in consultation with the American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials,
shall issue a circular that provides guidance to agencies on
implementing the requirements under subsection (a).
(2) Requirements.--In developing the circular required
under paragraph (1), the Director shall--
(A) provide the public with notice and opportunity
to comment before issuing the circular;
(B) consider the principles contained in section 2
of Executive Order 12893, ''Principles for Federal
Infrastructure Investments'' (January 31, 1994; 59 Fed.
Reg. 4233); and
(C) require that any analysis obtained pursuant to
subsection (a)--
(i) be conducted over at least a 50-year
valuation period; and
(ii) use actual material life and
maintenance cost data.
(d) Transparency.--Any life-cycle analysis obtained by an agency
pursuant to subsection (a) shall be posted on the agency's Web site not
later than 72 hours after it is received.

SEC. 4. FLEXIBILITY TO USE ALTERNATE INFRASTRUCTURE TYPE BIDDING
PROCEDURES.

(a) Application to National Highway System.--A State transportation
department or local transportation agency may, in its sole discretion,
award contracts for projects on the National Highway System pursuant to
alternate infrastructure type bidding procedures.
(b) Application to Other Major Infrastructure Programs.--
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, Federal, State and local
governments may award contracts for major infrastructure projects
pursuant to alternate infrastructure type bidding procedures.

SEC. 5. MECHANISTIC-EMPIRICAL PAVEMENT DESIGN GUIDE.

Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretary of Transportation shall require States to utilize the
Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide for the initial design
phase of all projects authorized under title 23, United States Code.
Fiscal Accountability and Transparency in Infrastructure Spending Act of 2011 - Requires each executive agency to obtain a life-cycle cost analysis for each major infrastructure project prior to obligating funds. Defines "life-cycle cost analysis" as a process for evaluating the total economic worth of an infrastructure project by analyzing specified costs over a minimum 50-year period.

Authorizes the use of alternate infrastructure type bidding procedures for awarding contracts for projects on the National Highway System and for major infrastructure projects.

Requires the Secretary of Transportation to require states to utilize the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (developed under the National Cooperative Highway Research Program Project I-37A)for the initial design phase of all authorized highway projects.