§1433 Public Record; Examination of Records by Comptroller General; Exemptions: Exceptional Conditions; Reports to Congress

Summary

Make actions under this chapter public under rules the President sets, unless sharing them would harm national security. All contracts made, changed, or updated under this chapter must include a clause letting the Comptroller General or an authorized representative inspect any books, papers, and records of the contractor or its subcontractors that directly relate to the contract. That access lasts until three years after final payment. The President may allow rules that let agencies leave out this clause for foreign contractors if the agency head and the Comptroller General agree it’s in the United States’ best interest. The Comptroller General’s approval is not needed if the contractor is a foreign government or if foreign law bars access, or if the agency head decides, after weighing price and U.S. availability, that leaving out the clause best serves the public. If the clause is left out for that last reason, the agency must send a written report to Congress.