To amend title 41, United States Code, and title 10, United States Code, to provide best value through the multiple award schedule program, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Scott of South Carolina introduced the following bill; which …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Value Over Cost Act of 2025 changes federal procurement rules to allow the General Services Administration (GSA) to award contracts based on "best value" instead of always choosing the lowest-cost bidder. This applies to the Multiple Award Schedule program, which federal agencies use to buy goods and services ranging from office supplies to IT systems. The bill makes this change for both civilian agencies and Department of Defense procurement.
Who Benefits and How
High-quality contractors and service providers benefit significantly. Professional services firms, IT and cybersecurity companies, management consultants, defense contractors, and engineering firms can now compete for federal contracts based on their expertise, track record, and quality of work - not just their price. This creates new revenue opportunities for contractors who offer superior services but may not be the cheapest option. Federal agencies and contracting officers also benefit by gaining flexibility to choose contractors who better meet their needs, particularly for complex or security-critical work.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Low-cost suppliers and commodity providers face increased competition and reduced revenue opportunities. Companies that compete primarily on price rather than quality may lose contracts to higher-quality competitors when GSA decides that best value procurement serves the government's interests. These businesses will need to either improve their service quality or accept a smaller share of federal contracts under the new rules.
Key Provisions
- Amends Title 41 USC Section 152(3)(B) to allow civilian agency procurement through GSA schedules to prioritize best value over lowest cost when the GSA Administrator determines it's in the government's best interests
- Amends Title 10 USC Section 3012(3)(B) to extend the same best value authority to Department of Defense procurement through GSA schedules
- References the Federal Acquisition Regulation section 15.101 as the definition of "best value," which considers factors like quality, past performance, technical capability, and management approach alongside price
- Gives the GSA Administrator discretion to determine when best value procurement is necessary, rather than mandating lowest-cost awards in all cases
- Applies to orders and contracts under the Multiple Award Schedule procedures, affecting billions of dollars in annual federal contracting
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Allows GSA to use 'best value' criteria instead of only 'lowest cost' when awarding contracts through the Multiple Award Schedule program
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Modernize federal procurement to allow quality-based contracting, not just price-based"
Likely Beneficiaries
- High-quality service providers and contractors who may not be lowest bidder
- GSA contracting officers (more flexibility)
- Federal agencies needing specialized services
Likely Burden Bearers
- Low-cost contractors who compete primarily on price
- Discount suppliers who may lose contracts to higher-quality competitors
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of General Services (GSA)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
As described under section 15.101 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation - procurement method that considers factors beyond price, including quality, performance, and other non-cost factors
GSA's contracting vehicle that provides federal agencies access to pre-negotiated contracts with commercial suppliers
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology