A bill to amend section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, to clarify the authority for appointment and compensation of experts and consultants, to provide statutory guidelines concerning the award of contracts for the procurement of consulting services, management and professional services, and for other purposes.
Consultant Reform and Disclosure Act of 1981 - Title I: Appointments - Permits the head of a Federal agency, when authorized by Federal law, to appoint and fix the compensation of experts or consultants for temporary or intermittent services, rather than to procure such services by contract.
Establishes the pay rate for GS-18 as the maximum pay rate for experts and consultants for all agencies.
Directs the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to prescribe regulations governing the employment of experts and consultants by Federal agencies. Requires each agency: (1) to report periodically to OPM the number of days each consultant or expert is employed and the amount each individual is paid.
Title II: Contracts - Requires each Federal agency to transmit: (1) to the Secretary of Commerce for publication in the "Commerce Business Daily" a notice describing (a) any proposed contract for consulting services, management, and professional services or (b) any special study or analysis (service contract) expected to result in an award exceeding $10,000; and (2) to the agency Inspector General a notice describing and justifying any contract modification which increases the cost by $25,000 or more.
Requires that any report prepared pursuant to a service contract and any agency report derived from such report disclose specified information concerning the contract and contractor.
Directs each agency to prepare and maintain in its files an evaluation of the performance of the contractor for each service contract exceeding $50,000.
Requires any contractor and any consultant or subcontractor thereof to include with any service contract proposal or modification submitted to the Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation, or the Environmental Protection Agency a statement disclosing any past, present, or future work-related interest of the contractor which may bias the contractor's judgment or provide the contractor an unfair competitive advantage. Directs the head of each such agency to designate an office to evaluate such statements.
Declares that if such office determines that a conflict of interest exists, the agency head shall: (1) disqualify the contractor of the consultant or subcontractor from eligibility for award of the proposed contract; (2) modify the proposed contract to eliminate such conflict; (3) include in the agency records and transmit to Congress a statement concerning such conflict if the contract services can be obtained from no other person; (4) terminate the existing contract; or (5) modify the existing contract to mitigate the conflict and report to Congress if termination is not in the best interest of the Government.
Requires the identification of amounts requested for: (1) the procurement of consulting and professional services and special studies; (2) and all other procurement activities by each agency in the annual Budget transmitted by the President to Congress. Directs each agency head to submit to Congress a statement justifying the agency's need for such funds.
Directs the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy to establish a data system for the collection of information regarding all contracts of each agency. Requires the Administrator to make quarterly and annual reports to Congress on the information in the system on each agency.
Requires each agency to: (1) compile quarterly a list of all contracts entered into by the agency in the last year and a list of all uncompleted contracts; (2) maintain a written justification of the need of each service contract; and (3) make such lists and statements available to the public.
Declares that all contracts, excluding classified contracts, shall be considered public information.
Committee on Governmental Affairs requested executive comment from Health and Human Services Department; Housing and Urban Development Department; Interior Department; Justice Department.
Committee on Governmental Affairs requested executive comment from Labor Department; State Department; Transportation Department; Treasury Department; Office of Personnel Management.
Referred to Subcommittee on Federal Expenditures.
Committee on Governmental Affairs requested executive comment from CBO; Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; Environmental Protection Agency; Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Committee on Governmental Affairs requested executive comment from Federal Communications Commission; GSA; Interstate Commerce Commission; NASA; National Labor Relations Board.
Committee on Governmental Affairs requested executive comment from Securities and Exchange Commission; Small Business Administration; Tennessee Valley Authority; VA.
Committee on Governmental Affairs received executive comment from OMB.
Committee on Governmental Affairs received executive comment from Interstate Commerce Commission.
Committee on Governmental Affairs received executive comment from Office of Personnel Management.
Committee on Governmental Affairs received executive comment from NASA; State Department.
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Committee on Governmental Affairs received executive comment from Securities and Exchange Commission.
Committee on Governmental Affairs received executive comment from Federal Communications Commission.
Committee on Governmental Affairs received executive comment from Justice Department.
Committee on Governmental Affairs received executive comment from International Communication Agency.
Committee on Governmental Affairs received executive comment from Small Business Administration.
Committee on Governmental Affairs received executive comment from International Trade Commission.
Subcommittee on Federal Expenditures. Hearings held.
Committee on Governmental Affairs received executive comment from Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Committee on Governmental Affairs received executive comment from Commerce Department.
Committee on Governmental Affairs received executive comment from National Science Foundation.