Text of Senate Amendment 6516

On 2026-06-24, Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA) delivered a floor speech titled "Text Of Senate Amendment 6516" in the Senate.

Text of Senate Amendment 6516

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S3628] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6516. Mr. WARNER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the end of subtitle B of title VIII, add the following: SEC. 823. PILOT PROGRAM TO IMPROVE EVALUATION AND TRANSITION OF UNSOLICITED DEFENSE CAPABILITY PROPOSALS. (a) Establishment of Pilot Program.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a pilot program to improve the intake, evaluation, and disposition of unsolicited proposals submitted to the Department of Defense. (b) Elements.--The pilot program required under subsection (a) shall include, at a minimum, the following: (1) A common electronic means for submission of unsolicited proposals to the Department of Defense. (2) Standardized guidance regarding the information required for review of such proposals. (3) A requirement that the Department provide to an offeror-- (A) notice of whether the proposal is complete not later than 30 days after receipt; and (B) a written disposition of the proposal, including a brief explanation of the basis for rejection, referral, or further consideration, not later than 90 days after the proposal is determined to be complete. (4) Procedures to ensure that, when an unsolicited proposal is not appropriate for award or negotiation under subpart 15.6 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, the proposal is considered for referral, as appropriate, to another acquisition pathway, including-- (A) a broad agency announcement; (B) a commercial solutions opening or similar competitive solicitation; (C) a prize or challenge competition; (D) a Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer topic, where appropriate; or (E) market research or other consideration by a relevant program office. (5) Procedures to protect proprietary data and restrict disclosure consistent with applicable law and regulation. (c) Priority Consideration.--In carrying out the pilot program, the Secretary shall provide priority consideration to unsolicited proposals that the Secretary determines may materially improve-- (1) production capacity; (2) supply chain resilience; (3) repair, maintenance, or sustainment capability; (4) domestic manufacturing capability; (5) cyber resilience; or (6) cost or schedule performance for an existing or anticipated defense requirement. (d) Briefing and Report.-- (1) Not later than 180 days after the establishment of the pilot program, the Secretary shall brief the congressional defense committees on the implementation of the pilot program. (2) Not later than 1 year after the date on which the pilot program is established, and annually thereafter for three years, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the pilot program, including-- (A) the number of unsolicited proposals received; (B) the average time required for disposition; (C) the number of proposals rejected, referred, or advanced for negotiation or award; (D) the number of proposals transitioned to another acquisition pathway; and (E) participation data, to the extent practicable, regarding small business concerns, nontraditional defense contractors, and mid-tier contractors. (e) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be construed to alter the requirements of subpart 15.6 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation regarding the award of a contract based on an unsolicited proposal or to authorize the award of a sole-source contract in violation of otherwise applicable law. ______