Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, introduced two proposals for inclusion in the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act to improve acquisition procedures and promote industry engagement, the House Armed Services Committee said Thursday. Thornberry, a ranking member of the committee, noted that his reform proposals set out to “improve agility, cut bureaucracy, promote justice, provide better benefits, and save the taxpayer billions.â€
The first proposal, called the Continuing Acquisition Reform Act, seeks to implement panel recommendations to procurement reforms that were already enacted by Congress. The second proposal, known as the Accelerating Defense Innovation Act, intends to foster collaborations between the Department of Defense and the tech industry, introduce cybersecurity procedures to small businesses and promote the development of new technologies in DoD laboratories and universities.
The proposal also mandates the creation of a pilot program under the Small Business Innovation Research initiative to improve small businesses’ access to government opportunities. Congress has so far enacted over 60 of Thornberry’s defense reform proposals.
