§2271a Space Contractor Responsibility Watch List

Summary

The Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration must keep a watch list of contractors who have a record of bad performance on space work. A whole company or just one part of it can be put on the list. The official will put a contractor on the list if there is evidence of things like poor contract performance or award fee scores under 50 percent, weak management or finances, weak security including problems from foreign ownership or influence, or any other serious failure that makes the contractor unable to do the job well. Contractors must get notice and a chance to respond. The decision to add someone must be written down. If the problem is fixed and the contractor asks, the official must remove them if the issue is satisfactorily resolved. The Air Force generally cannot hire, award, or approve subcontracts or exercise contract options with someone on the list unless there is a written finding of a compelling reason. The official must tell the congressional defense committees and the Interagency Committee on Debarment and Suspension within 10 days of such a finding. Delegation of these decisions is allowed only to the Air Force suspension and debarment official, on a case-by-case basis, with committee notice within 7 days. Inclusion on the list is not the same as suspension or debarment. Definitions: contract = includes grants, cooperative agreements, and other transactions; contractor = any person or entity that has a contract; watch list = the list described above.