Washington, D.C.—The House Armed Services Committee today marked up H.R. 5013, the IMPROVE Acquisition Act. The legislation, which was generated from a year-long study by the committee’s Defense Acquisition Reform Panel, builds upon the reforms enacted last year to the Department of Defense’s weapons systems procurement process. Ranking Member Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.) released the following prepared statement for the markup:
“Thank you, Chairman Skelton. You have shown considerable leadership on this front and I want to commend you and your staff for working so closely with us on this bill.
“Congressman Rob Andrews and Congressman Mike Conaway deserve special recognition, as well. I salute the HASC Defense Acquisition Reform Panel for all of their hard work. Under the leadership of Rob and Mike, this Panel and its 7 members delved into the complex world of defense acquisition. Over the last year, the Panel has held more than 20 events and supported the drafting and passage of the Weapon System Acquisition Reform Act of 2009. Late last month, based on their detailed study, the Panel released its final report containing recommendations for improvements to defense acquisition. I am proud to honor their efforts by co-sponsoring the legislation we introduced last week that implements the Panel’s recommendations and by lending my support to today’s mark-up of that legislation.
“Last year’s Weapon System Acquisition Reform Act reformed the organization and processes used by the Department of Defense to manage major weapons programs, which account for approximately 20 percent of the Pentagon’s spending. This year, Rob and Mike tackled the other 80 percent. When you consider that over 50 percent of the Pentagon’s procurement dollars are for services contracts alone, the legislation we intend to introduce today has the potential to affect major changes at the Department of Defense and save taxpayer dollars.
“I believe these reforms are just as important as those implemented by last year’s acquisition reform legislation. First, because they address the remaining 80 percent of defense acquisition. But more notably, this bill is important because true reform cannot come from this institution or through legislation alone. True reform can only be accomplished by the men and women of the acquisition workforce. The bill provides tools to enhance the experience and structure of this workforce.
“Our legislation will help the Department of Defense: design better ways to measure value within the defense acquisition system; develop and train the defense acquisition workforce; create a link between financial management and acquisition; address the acquisition of services, information technology, commodities, and commercial parts; and foster a robust domestic industrial base.
“In closing, I want to give special acknowledgement to the dedicated men and women of the defense acquisition workforce. This workforce does not often receive the credit it deserves, for the spectacular range of capabilities it delivers to our warfighters. There are certainly problems and shortcomings that should be fixed – and those issues command much of our attention. But I know that the acquisition workforce can deliver and does so without a great deal of fanfare. Therefore, I challenge those same men and women to fully implement these reforms, as well as others of their own initiative, to make the defense acquisition workforce the model for the rest of the Department and Federal Government. Reform will not be possible without them – and they also hold the key to improving acquisition outcomes without falling victim to bureaucracy. A significant challenge, but one that for which the Department has our full support.
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you again Rob and Mike.”
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