[Note: Sec. 340(b), in blue, was appealed by Public Law 108-447. –m]

H.R.2691

Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004 (Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate) – [click here for related conference report language]

 

SEC. 340. (a) JUSTIFICATION OF COMPETITIVE SOURCING ACTIVITIES- (1) In each budget submitted by the President to Congress under section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, for a fiscal year, beginning with fiscal year 2005, amounts requested to perform competitive sourcing studies for programs, projects, and activities listed in paragraph (2) shall be set forth separately from other amounts requested.

(2) Paragraph (1) applies to programs, projects, and activities--

(A) of the Department of the Interior for which funds are appropriated by this Act;

(B) of the Forest Service; and

(C) of the Department of Energy for which funds are appropriated by this Act.

(b) ANNUAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS ON COMPETITIVE SOURCING ACTIVITIES- (1) Not later than December 31 of each year, beginning with December 31, 2003, the Secretary concerned shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report, covering the preceding fiscal year, on the competitive sourcing studies conducted by the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, or the Department of Energy, as appropriate, and the costs and cost savings to the citizens of the United States of such studies.

(2) In this subsection, the term `Secretary concerned' means--

(A) the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to the Department of the Interior programs, projects, and activities for which funds are appropriated by this Act;

(B) the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to the Forest Service; and

(C) the Secretary of Energy, with respect to the Department of Energy programs, projects, and activities for which funds are appropriated by this Act.

(3) The report under this subsection shall include, for the fiscal year covered--

(A) the total number of competitions completed;

(B) the total number of competitions announced, together with a list of the activities covered by such competitions;

(C) the total number of full-time equivalent Federal employees studied under completed competitions;

(D) the total number of full-time equivalent Federal employees being studied under competitions announced, but not completed;

(E) the incremental cost directly attributable to conducting the competitions identified under subparagraphs (A) and (B), including costs attributable to paying outside consultants and contractors;

(F) an estimate of the total anticipated savings, or a quantifiable description of improvements in service or performance, derived from completed competitions;

(G) actual savings, or a quantifiable description of improvements in service or performance, derived from the implementation of competitions;

(H) the total projected number of full-time equivalent Federal employees covered by competitions scheduled to be announced in the fiscal year; and

(I) a description of how the competitive sourcing decision making processes are aligned with strategic workforce plans.

(c) DECLARATION OF COMPETITIVE SOURCING STUDIES- For fiscal year 2004, each of the Secretaries of executive departments referred to in subsection (b)(2) shall submit a detailed competitive sourcing proposal to the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. The proposal shall include, for each competitive sourcing study proposed to be carried out by or for the Secretary concerned, the number of positions to be studied, the amount of funds needed for the study, and the program, project, and activity from which the funds will be expended.

(d) LIMITATION ON COMPETITIVE SOURCING STUDIES- (1) Of the funds made available by this or any other Act to the Department of Energy or the Department of the Interior for fiscal year 2004, not more than the maximum amount specified in paragraph (2)(A) may be used by the Secretary of Energy or the Secretary of the Interior to initiate or continue competitive sourcing studies in fiscal year 2004 for programs, projects, and activities for which funds are appropriated by this Act until such time as the Secretary concerned submits a reprogramming proposal to the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and such proposal has been processed consistent with the fiscal year 2004 reprogramming guidelines.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1)--

(A) the maximum amount--

(i) with respect to the Department of Energy is $500,000; and

(ii) with respect to the Department of the Interior is $2,500,000; and

(B) the fiscal year 2004 reprogramming guidelines referred to in such paragraph are the reprogramming guidelines set forth in the joint explanatory statement accompanying the Act (H.R. 2691, 108th Congress, 1st session), making appropriations for the Department of the Interior and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004, and for other purposes.

 

(3) Of the funds appropriated by this Act, not more than $5,000,000 may be used in fiscal year 2004 for competitive sourcing studies and related activities by the Forest Service.

(e) LIMITATION ON CONVERSION TO CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE- (1) None of the funds made available in this or any other Act may be used to convert to contractor performance an activity or function of the Forest Service, an activity or function of the Department of the Interior performed under programs, projects, and activities for which funds are appropriated by this Act, or an activity or function of the Department of Energy performed under programs, projects, and activities for which funds are appropriated by this Act, if such activity or function is performed on or after the date of the enactment of this Act by more than 10 Federal employees unless--

(A) the conversion is based on the result of a public-private competition that includes a more efficient and cost effective organization plan developed by such activity or function; and

(B) the Competitive Sourcing Official determines that, over all performance periods stated in the solicitation of offers for performance of the activity or function, the cost of performance of the activity or function by a contractor would be less costly to the Federal Government by an amount that equals or exceeds the lesser of--

(i) 10 percent of the more efficient organization's personnel-related costs for performance of that activity or function by Federal employees; or

(ii) $10,000,000.

(2) This subsection shall not apply to a commercial or industrial type function that--

(A) is included on the procurement list established pursuant to section 2 of the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act (41 U.S.C. 47);

(B) is planned to be converted to performance by a qualified nonprofit agency for the blind or by a qualified nonprofit agency for other severely handicapped individuals in accordance with that Act; or

(C) is planned to be converted to performance by a qualified firm under at least 51 percent ownership by an Indian tribe, as defined in section 4(e) of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(e)), or a Native Hawaiian Organization, as defined in section 8(a)(15) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(a)(15)).

(3) The conversion of any activity or function under the authority provided by this subsection shall be credited toward any competitive or outsourcing goal, target, or measurement that may be established by statute, regulation, or policy.

(f) COMPETITIVE SOURCING STUDY DEFINED- In this subsection, the term `competitive sourcing study' means a study on subjecting work performed by Federal Government employees or private contractors to public-private competition or on converting the Federal Government employees or the work performed by such employees to private contractor performance under the Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 or any other administrative regulation, directive, or policy.