# 119-s-3541: A bill to increase competition in Defense contracting, and for other purposes.

119-s-3541, A bill to increase competition in Defense contracting, and for other purposes., is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] (D-MI); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-04).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3541
- As of: 2026-09-04
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3541
- Congress: 119
- Title: A bill to increase competition in Defense contracting, and for other purposes.
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-12-17
- Sponsor: Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] (D-MI)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-04

## Summary

**Expand competition in Department of Defense contracting.** This bill would let DoD treat a wider range of past performance as relevant, cut procedural barriers that block small and nontraditional firms, and push award decisions to favor cost efficiency and quality. - Small businesses and nontraditional defense contractors: Would lower entry hurdles by directing the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council to identify and remove obsolete or burdensome rules and streamline documentation. The council must start work within 90 days and the Secretary would implement non-legislative fixes within 2 years. - Contract evaluation and vendors: Would require DoD guidance within 1 year to allow past performance to include commercial and non-government work, require ways to validate non-government references, and authorize alternatives like demonstrations or testing when appropriate. - Procurement priorities and oversight: Would direct the Secretary to prioritize cost efficiency and quality in award decisions and to brief the congressional Armed Services Committees on recommended legislative actions.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Make Defense contracting easier for small firms: benefit, medium. This bill would require the Secretary of Defense to review and remove procedural barriers that make it costly for small and nontraditional firms to bid. Not later than 90 days after enactment, the bill would start a public review (including input from APEX Accelerators) to find paperwork and rules…
- Cost and quality emphasized for contractors: mixed, low. This bill would direct the Secretary of Defense to push contracting policies that make cost efficiency and quality key factors in award decisions. The change would be an advocacy and priority instruction, not a new payment formula or funding change. If enacted, this could lower prices for taxpayers…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act
- 119-s-2975: PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act

## Sources
- [119-s-3541 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3541)

## Related
- [119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5022)
- [119-s-2975: PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2975)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3541 (as of 2026-09-04).