S. 2778 — Introduced in Senate

II 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 2778 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 13, 2023Mr. Wicker introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs A BILL To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a report on competition among suppliers of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Vetting for Equal Treatment of Small Business Act of 2023 or the VETS Business Act of 2023. 2. Report on competition in Department of Veterans Affairs industrial base (a) Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) The Department of Veterans Affairs offers services to veterans that require the Department to enter into the Federal contracting process. (2) The Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) of the Department works to develop policies and programs that improve market research, increase direct access, and maximize the participation of procurement veteran-owned small businesses and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses in Federal contracting. (3) The Competition in Contracting Act of 1984 (Public Law 98–369; 98 Stat. 1175) was enacted to encourage competition in Government contracts to improve savings for the Government. (4) A lack of competition could artificially raise costs incurred by the Department in future contract decisions. (b) Report required Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on the state of competition among suppliers of the Department of Veterans Affairs. (c) Contents The report submitted pursuant to subsection (b) shall include the following: (1) An examination of the number of contractors in the industrial base that supports the Department. (2) Identification of areas for competition within such industrial base that need improvement. (3) Identification of specific areas within the industrial base where competition has either increased or decreased in sole source contract decisions. (4) Recommendations of legislative or administrative action to improve competition among suppliers of the Department. (d) Consultation In preparing the report required by subsection (b), the Secretary shall consult with the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization of the Department. (e) Model To the degree practicable, the Secretary shall use as a model for the report required by subsection (a) the report of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment entitled State of Competition within the Defense Industrial Base and dated February, 2022. (f) Publication After submitting the report required by subsection (b) in accordance with such subsection, the Secretary shall make the report available to the public.