Pilot Program for Acquisition of Military-Purpose Nondevelopmental Items (DFARS Case 2011-D034)

Summary:

DCN 20110629 includes an interim rule to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition >Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to implement section 866 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011. Section 866 authorized the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of acquiring military-purpose nondevelopmental items in accordance with the streamlined procedures of the pilot program.

Supplementary Information:

Background

Section 866 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 (Pub. L. 111-383), enacted on January 7, 2011, authorized the Secretary of Defense to carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of acquiring military-purpose nondevelopmental items in accordance with the streamlined procedures of the pilot program. The authority for this pilot program expires on January 6, 2016. Under this pilot program, DoD may enter into contracts with nontraditional defense contractors for the purpose of:

•  Enabling DoD to acquire items that otherwise might not have been available to DoD;

•  Assisting DoD in the rapid acquisition and fielding of capabilities needed to meet urgent operational needs; and

•  Protecting the interests of the United States in paying fair and reasonable prices for the item or items acquired.

This pilot program is designed to test whether the streamlined procedures, similar to those available for commercial items, can serve as an effective incentive for nontraditional defense contractors to (1) channel investment and innovation into areas that are useful to DoD and (2) provide items developed exclusively at private expense to meet validated military requirements.

Dates:

Effective Date:        

The Effective Date for this interim rule is 29 June 2011.

Comment Date:        

Comments on the interim rule should be submitted in writing on or before 29 August 2011 to be considered in the formation of a final rule.

Click here to read the entire Federal Register notice for this rule.