Last week, U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., the top Democrat on the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, highlighted her support of a bill to “create a formal structure for the review and approval of major acquisition programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that will aim to improve transparency, accountability, and efficacy of critical VA programs, such as Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM), Financial Management and Business Transformation (FMBT), and Supply Chain Modernization.”
Two weeks ago, U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Ind., who leads Democrats on the U.S. House
Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, introduce the “Acquisition Review Board Act” with Cherfilus-McCormick co-sponsoring the bill
“The Acquisition Review Board Act would require the review board to conduct meetings at relevant phases in the acquisition process to ensure that all requirements are being met, and would specify that meetings will be required when an acquisition is not in compliance with its baseline cost, schedule, or performance to ensure that problems can be addressed and resolved,” Cherfilus-McCormick’s office noted.
“Greater transparency of VA acquisition programs is long overdue,” said Cherfilus-McCormick. “The Acquisition Review Board Act would deliver a much-needed boost of oversight to VA and ensure that the Department is able to offer the quality care and benefits that veterans gallantly earned.”
“I am proud to introduce the Acquisition Review Board Act to improve the efficient use of taxpayer dollars and the ability of the VA to provide our veterans with the benefits they have earned. More must be done to ensure that the VA is taking appropriate and adequate steps to develop proper requirements for acquisition programs, as well as coordinate across the VA and incorporate estimates of life cycle costs. I look forward to continuing to work with all of my colleagues to support veterans and advance these common-sense accountability reforms,” said Mrvan.
The bill was sent to the House Veterans Affairs Committee. So far, there is no companion bill over in the U.S. Senate.
