§1705 Advocates for Competition

Summary

Each executive agency must have an advocate for competition. The agency head must pick one officer or employee for the agency and for each procuring activity from positions authorized on July 18, 1984, but not the senior procurement executive. The agency must not give them duties that conflict with the role. The agency must give them staff help, such as specialists in engineering, contracts, finance, supply, and support for small and disadvantaged businesses. The advocate must work to remove barriers and promote full and open competition when the agency buys goods and services. They must review buying activities and report to the senior procurement executive about chances to increase competition and any actions that unfairly limit it. Each year they must send a report on their work, new steps needed, and remaining problems. They must recommend yearly competition goals and accountability plans (which can include awards) and describe training and research used to support competition. For each buying office they must push for commercial products and services and challenge overly strict needs, detailed specs, and burdensome contract clauses.