Sec. 2845. Review of roles and responsibilities for construction projects of Department of Defense
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Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall seek to enter into a contract with a federally funded research and development center not sponsored by the Department of the Army or the Department of the Navy (in this section referred to as the Center ) to review the roles and responsibilities for executing construction projects for the Department of Defense, including military construction projects and facilities sustainment, restoration, and modernization projects.
Not later than February 1, 2026, the Center shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the review conducted under subsection (a). At a minimum, the report required under subsection
(b)shall include the following: An identification of the cost of having two construction agents for the Department of Defense, including any redundant costs, and the potential efficiencies of consolidation into a single construction agent. An assessment of the design and construction delivery processes of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, including the composition of the design delivery and construction delivery team for each entity. An identification of the total number of members of the Armed Forces, civilian employees of the Federal Government, and contractors by specialty (such as job series or military occupation code) involved in executing construction projects for the Army Corps of Engineers and the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, which shall— exclude all individuals serving in civil works positions unless those individuals support programs of the Department of Defense; and include a recommendation of the number of personnel and their specialties that would be appropriate under a single entity for all military departments. An assessment of the costs of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command carrying out the functions specified in each of paragraphs
(2)and (3). An assessment of the internal controls of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command to determine if costs associated with military construction projects and facilities sustainment, restoration, and modernization projects, including overhead, supervision, and administration, are properly charged to the correct appropriation account (whether for military construction or defense) at all levels of each entity, which shall include an assessment of— the similarities and differences with respect to the financial processes of such entities; and the benefits of consolidating under a single construction agent. A study and report on the real estate functions performed by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, which shall include— an assessment of the similarities and differences between delivery methodologies; an assessment of the costs of providing real estate services; and a recommendation regarding whether consolidating construction agent real estate services is cost-effective and appropriate. A study and report on the global geographic regions that the Army Corps of Engineers, the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, and any other construction agent of the Department of Defense cover, including— the geographic roles those entities support with respect to host-nation funded construction, non-military construction, and infrastructure support in connection with foreign military sales; and a recommendation for an optimal geographic regional layout assuming a single construction agent is in place. A study and report on the practice by the Army Corps of Engineers of using resources (such as funding, people, and technical capability) associated with civil works and non-defense programs to support military construction or facilities sustainment, restoration, and modernization projects, which shall— identify the extent that the Army Corps of Engineers uses suborganizations that primarily support civil works programs to execute or support military construction or facilities sustainment, restoration, and modernization projects; assess the frequency organizations with minimal experience with Department of Defense construction execute such projects and the effectiveness of those organizations (measured in cost, quality, and schedule metrics) in project delivery; and recommend whether such practice should be continued or discontinued. A study and report on the use by the Department of the Navy of the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command to provide public works functions and services to installations of the Navy, including an assessment of the benefits of that approach and the impact of a potential consolidation of construction agents. A study and report on the policy, procedures, organizations, and systems used by the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force for the design and construction of facilities sustainment, restoration, and modernization projects, including an assessment of any modifications required if a single construction agent for military construction were to be created. A study and report on the data and software systems used by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, and any other entity of the Department of Defense for tracking the execution of planning, design, and construction of military construction projects, including— an assessment of the differences, weaknesses, currency, and transparency of data provided to the sponsors of such projects within the Department of Defense; and a recommendation of whether data and software systems can or should be standardized or consolidated into fewer or one system. Documentation of the current organizational alignment of authorities from title 10, United States Code, with the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the military departments and the alignment of those authorities with the construction authorities within the Army Corps of Engineers and the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, including authorities relating to acquisition, finances, and real estate. An identification of not less than two alternatives for how the authorities and organizations relating to construction for the Department of Defense could align if a single construction agent were to align under one principal staff assistant to the Secretary of Defense as a defense agency or field activity of the Department of Defense or under one military department. Not less frequently than quarterly following the submittal of the report required under subsection (b), the Center shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives an update on such report.