A bill to increase competition in Defense contracting, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill requires the Secretary of Defense to take two parallel actions to increase competition in defense procurement. First, within one year, the Secretary must issue guidance on accepting a wider range of past performance (including commercial and non-government projects) when evaluating contract proposals, and on using alternative evaluation methods like technology demonstrations for requirements without much precedent. Second, within 90 days, the Secretary must convene the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council to identify and recommend eliminating specific procedural barriers that disproportionately affect small businesses and nontraditional defense contractors, with public input required from APEX Accelerators and other contractor representatives.
Who Benefits and How
Small businesses and nontraditional defense contractors benefit most, as the bill targets the specific barriers that prevent them from competing for DoD contracts, including overly burdensome documentation requirements, restrictive qualification standards, and high bid/proposal costs. Commercial firms with relevant non-government experience gain access to defense contracts by having their commercial track record recognized. The Department of Defense benefits from a broader, more competitive supplier base that can drive down costs and improve quality.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Department of Defense bears the administrative burden of issuing new guidance, convening the Council, soliciting public input, and implementing regulatory changes within a 2-year timeline. Established defense contractors may face increased competition from new market entrants. The Secretary must brief Congress on legislative actions identified and actions implemented.
Key Provisions
- Requires DoD guidance within 1 year on accepting commercial and non-government past performance for contract evaluation
- Convenes Defense Acquisition Regulations Council within 90 days to identify and eliminate barriers for small businesses
- Requires public input from APEX Accelerators and contractor representatives on burdensome procurement policies
- Mandates implementation of non-legislative regulatory changes within 2 years
- Requires Congressional briefing on identified legislative actions within 2 years
- Prioritizes cost efficiency and quality as key determining factors in procurement awards
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Directs the Secretary of Defense to issue guidance and convene the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council to increase competition in Defense contracting by reducing barriers for small businesses and nontraditional defense contractors.
Key Policy Areas
Defense, Small Business, Government Procurement
Primary Purpose
Directs the Secretary of Defense to issue guidance and convene the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council to increase competition in Defense contracting by reducing barriers for small businesses and nontraditional defense contractors.
Policy Domains
Whole Bill
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Small businesses seeking defense contracts
- Nontraditional defense contractors
- Commercial firms with relevant non-government experience
- Department of Defense (broader competition)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Department of Defense (administrative burden)
- Established defense contractors (increased competition)
- Defense Acquisition Regulations Council
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Peters introduced the following bill; which was read twice …
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
Introduced in Senate
Impact analysis is available but no clear stakeholder effects identified. View clause-level analysis →
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_council"
- → Defense Acquisition Regulations Council
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Defense
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
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