Competitiveness in Contracting Act

Competitiveness in Contracting Act - Permits, in awarding a contract to procure property or services in connection with a major disaster or emergency, if an executive agency awards the contract using procedures other than competitive procedures pursuant to the exception provided under the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 for when the agency's need for the property or services is of such an unusual and compelling urgency that the government would be seriously injured unless the agency is permitted to limit the number of sources from which it solicits bids or proposals, such contract to be for a period of not greater than 90 days, with an option to extend that contract for one additional 90-day period.

[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5981 Introduced in House (IH)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5981

 To limit the noncompetitive award of Federal contracts in response to 
        major disasters and emergencies, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2006

 Mr. Boswell introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To limit the noncompetitive award of Federal contracts in response to 
        major disasters and emergencies, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Competitiveness in Contracting 
Act''.

SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON NONCOMPETITIVE AWARD OF CONTRACTS DURING MAJOR 
              DISASTERS AND EMERGENCIES.

    (a) Limitation.--In awarding a contract to procure property or 
services in connection with a major disaster or emergency, if the head 
of an executive agency awards the contract using procedures other than 
competitive procedures pursuant to the exception provided in section 
303(c)(2) of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 
1949 (41 U.S.C. 253(c)(2)), the contract may be for a period of not 
greater than 90 days, with an option to extend the contract for 1 
additional 90-day period.
    (b) Justification for Additional Extensions.--A contract described 
in subsection (a) may be extended beyond the periods allowed under that 
subsection if the head of the executive agency concerned submits to 
Congress in writing a justification explaining the rationale for the 
extension of the contract.
    (c) Encouragement of Competition.--The head of each executive 
agency should encourage the use of competitive procedures in the award 
of contracts in connection with a major disaster or emergency.
    (d) Major Disaster and Emergency.--In this section, the terms 
``major disaster'' and ``emergency'' have the meanings provided in 
section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster and Emergency Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5122).
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