[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 52 (Tuesday, April 1, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN HONOR OF THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION

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                          HON. DARRELL E. ISSA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 1, 2014

  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, today, April 1st, marks the 30th anniversary 
of the effective date of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). The 
FAR replaced the Armed Services Procurement Regulation and the Federal 
Procurement Regulations. The principles of the FAR system have remained 
constant, providing a consistent government-wide approach to the rules 
and processes of contracting with the U.S. Government. The FAR has 
helped facilitate our ability to tap into the vast resources of the 
private sector in those instances when the work of the government can 
best be performed by outside entities.
  The United States Federal government is one of the world's largest 
consumers of goods and services, with total procurement spending of 
approximately a half trillion dollars each year. We need to ensure that 
the government acquires goods and services in an efficient and 
streamlined fashion, while getting the best value for the American 
taxpayer.
  Many have criticized the fashion in which the government acquires 
goods and services, particularly information technology, as cumbersome 
and inefficient. The FAR has evolved to provide broad flexibility to 
the government, while balancing the need to conduct business with 
integrity, fairness, and openness. Under the FAR, small businesses have 
grown into a critical business partner for the Federal government.
  The FAR is the Federal regulation that most reflects a collaborative 
process. Unlike other Federal regulations, the FAR is not signed by one 
agency, but by three agencies--the General Services Administration, the 
Department of Defense, and the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration--under the overall direction of the Office of Federal 
Procurement Policy (in the Office of Management and Budget). They are 
supported by seventeen other civilian agencies and the small agency 
council. Together they continuously improve Federal acquisition, 
incorporating best practices from private industry while protecting 
taxpayer dollars from waste and abuse.
  The FAR has its own authority for rulemaking which streamlines the 
process but provides the opportunity for participation in the 
rulemaking process by both government users and the public. There have 
been notable collaborative rulemakings in the past, such as the 
implementation of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994, and 
I support the continued use of the FAR rulemaking process to provide 
robust exchanges between government and the public.
  From the shortest FAR clause which reads ``United States law will 
apply to resolve any claim of breach of this contract'' to the longest 
one, the Government Property clause, which is over 5000 words long, the 
FAR is a flexible instrument designed to do the job.
  More than 30 percent of the government's discretionary budget is 
dedicated to procurement--the grunt work of the government. It may not 
be glamorous, but it is what makes the government work. We acknowledge 
and support the FAR on its anniversary, but remain committed to 
streamlining and improving its operation and ensuring that acquisition 
professionals across the government have the tools, training, and 
support they need to properly use this critical tool.
  While the FAR is by no means a perfect document, most countries in 
the world, whether developed or developing, study the FAR and borrow 
from it for their procurement system. More importantly, the hard 
working men and women of the acquisition workforce play a vital role in 
the policy that is developed for the FAR, and in making that policy 
work on a daily basis they strive to ensure that the taxpayers, in the 
end, get best value.
  On behalf of those taxpayers, I direct my thanks to the acquisition 
workforce community for all you do to make our federal acquisition 
system work. Our system, while not perfect, is better than any 
alternative out there and something for you to be proud of--you make it 
work.

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