The Department of Defense has proposed a rule to amend its regulations on other transaction agreements, or OTAs, for prototype projects as part of efforts to implement changes in statutory authority that Congress enacted since the most recent update in 2004.
According to a Federal Register notice published Wednesday, the proposed DOD rule provides authority for follow-on production OTAs and contracts and addresses special circumstances for awarding OTAs to nontraditional defense contractors, small businesses, consortia and nonprofit research institutions.
According to the document, the proposed rule will promote the growth of small entities by reducing the paperwork burden on small businesses and encouraging competition and awards of OTs for prototype agreements to small enterprises.
The proposed rule also includes changes to approval requirements for large dollar OTAs, application of procurement ethics requirements to covered agreements and the authority to supply prototypes and production items as government-furnished items to another contractor.
Comments on the proposed rule are due Nov. 4.