Procurement Reform: H.R. 1670, Federal Acquisition Reform Act of 1995

GAO discussed H.R. 1670, the proposed Federal Acquisition Reform Act of 1995, focusing on its plans to improve the government's acquisition system. GAO noted that H.R. 1670 would: (1) replace the existing requirement that procuring agencies obtain full and open competition with a requirement for maximum practicable competition; (2) exempt all commercial items as defined by the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 from the certified data and audit requirements and corresponding cost accounting standards of the Truth in Negotiations Act; (3) ensure the early implementation of the Federal Acquisition Computer Network before the testing of separate innovations has been completed; and (4) streamline the bid protest process by consolidating the two administrative forums, along with the other 10 boards of contract appeals, in a single, all-inclusive board, but this action is likely to be more costly than potential alternatives.