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House Passes Smith Bill that will
Improve Security at Military Bases |
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The trio of “In doing our due diligence to investigate these problems, it became clear that the Department of Defense was not doing its part to adequately screen contractors, subcontractors, and employees who are working on critically important projects in secure locations,” said Smith, the prime sponsor of H.R. 3695: the Military Base Security Act.
“Our response calls for a thorough review and subsequent strengthening of screening provisions for all contract employees, as well as a demonstration project that will require more detailed information from contractors bidding for these projects.”
Last summer, the lawmakers summoned top contracting officials from the Army, Air Force, and Navy to answer questions about the security lapses. They then worked with a coalition that included several representatives from the building trades to draft Smith’s bill, part of which was incorporated into the larger DoD Authorization bill, HR 4200, as Section 822. In addition to ordering a DoD review of security guidelines, the language also authorizes a pilot program that would require contractors to submit information about the qualifications and competence of each employees, as well as a detailed staffing plan for each job. This provision would help reward contractors who hire qualified, well-trained labor to do these often-complex projects, and also prevent shoddy contractors who cut corners from landing contracts by submitting unrealistically low bids. “For many years, my colleagues and I have advocated that the military use a best-value contracting (BVC) system that awards contracts based on a bidder’s overall competence rather than simply the lowest bid. I am confident this pilot program, which we will work to ensure operates in our state, will help broaden the use of best-value contracting,” Smith said.
“The three of us have key military facilities in our districts, but this bill would also improve security at the hundreds of installations across the country,” Saxton said. “This is step in the right direction,” LoBiondo said. “I am pleased we were able to enact a workable solution to this very important issue. When it comes to our national security, we must work to address every problem as quickly as possible.” The lawmakers will now work to ensure similar language is included in the final version of the DoD bill, and will meet with Defense Department representatives to ensure the pilot program is carried out as they intended. | ||
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For Immediate Release: May 20, 2004 Contact: Nick Manetto (202) 225-3765 |
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