PROGRAM TO INCREASE BUSINESS INNOVATION IN DEFENSE ACQUISITION PROGRAMS.

SEC. 812. PROGRAM TO INCREASE BUSINESS INNOVATION IN DEFENSE ACQUISITION PROGRAMS. (a) Requirement to Develop Plan.—Not later than March 1, 2000, the Secretary of Defense shall publish in the Federal Register for public comment a plan to provide for increased innovative technology for acquisition programs of the Department of Defense from commercial private sector entities, including small-business concerns.113 STAT. 710 (b) Implementation of Plan.—Not later than March 1, 2001, the Secretary of Defense shall implement the plan required by subsection (a), subject to any modifications the Secretary may choose to make in response to comments received. (c) Elements of Plan.—The plan required by subsection (a) shall include, at a minimum, the following elements: (1) Procedures through which commercial private sector entities, including small-business concerns, may submit proposals recommending cost-saving and innovative ideas to acquisition program managers. (2) A review process designed to make recommendations on the merit and viability of the proposals submitted under paragraph (1) at appropriate times during the acquisition cycle. (3) Measures to limit potential disruptions to existing contracts and programs from proposals accepted and incorporated into acquisition programs of the Department of Defense. (4) Measures to ensure that research and development efforts of small-business concerns are considered as early as possible in a program’s acquisition planning process to accommodate potential technology insertion without disruption to existing contracts and programs. (d) Requirement for Report.—Not later than March 1, 2000, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the status of the Small Business Innovation Research program rapid transition plan required by section 818 of the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 (Public Law 105–261; 112 Stat. 2089). The report shall include the following: (1) The status of the implementation of each of the provisions of the plan. (2) For any provision of the plan that has not been fully implemented as of the date of the report— (A) the reasons that the provision has not been fully implemented; and (B) a schedule, including specific milestones, for the implementation of the provision. (e) Small-Business Concern Defined.—In this section, the term “small-business concern” has the same meaning as the meaning of such term as used in the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.).