SUBCHAPTER II-OTHER ALLOWABLE COST PROVISIONS

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021- Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(f)(5), (h)(2), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2139 , 2140, amended subchapter heading generally and struck out items 3764 "Excessive pass-through charges" and 3765 "Institutions of higher education: reimbursement of indirect costs under Department of Defense contracts". Prior to amendment, subchapter heading read as follows: "SUBCHAPTER II-OTHER ALLOWABLE COST PROVISIONS".

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Report and Regulations on Excessive Pass-Through Charges

Pub. L. 109–364, div. A, title VIII, §852, Oct. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 2340 , as amended by Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title X, §1071(b)(3)(B), Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3506 ; Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, §836(f)(5), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1871 , provided that:

"(a) Comptroller General Report on Excessive Pass-Through Charges.-

"(1) In general.-Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 17, 2006], the Comptroller General shall issue a report on pass-through charges on contracts or subcontracts (or task or delivery orders) that are entered into for or on behalf of the Department of Defense.

"(2) Matters covered.-The report issued under this subsection-

"(A) shall assess the extent to which the Department of Defense has paid excessive pass-through charges to contractors who provided little or no value to the performance of the contract;

"(B) shall assess the extent to which the Department has been particularly vulnerable to excessive pass-through charges on any specific category of contracts or by any specific category of contractors (including any category of small business); and

"(C) shall determine the extent to which any prohibition on excessive pass-through charges would be inconsistent with existing commercial practices for any specific category of contracts or have an unjustified adverse effect on any specific category of contractors (including any category of small business).

"(b) Regulations Required.-

"(1) In general.-Not later than May 1, 2007, the Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations to ensure that pass-through charges on contracts or subcontracts (or task or delivery orders) that are entered into for or on behalf of the Department of Defense are not excessive in relation to the cost of work performed by the relevant contractor or subcontractor.

"(2) Scope of regulations.-The regulations prescribed under this subsection-

"(A) shall not apply to any firm, fixed-price contract or subcontract (or task or delivery order) that is-

"(i) awarded on the basis of adequate price competition; or

"(ii) for the acquisition of a commercial product or a commercial service, as defined in sections 103 and 103a, respectively, of title 41, United States Code; and

"(B) may include such additional exceptions as the Secretary determines to be necessary in the interest of the national defense.

"(3) Definition.-In this section, the term 'excessive pass-through charge', with respect to a contractor or subcontractor that adds no, or negligible, value to a contract or subcontract, means a charge to the Government by the contractor or subcontractor that is for overhead or profit on work performed by a lower-tier contractor or subcontractor (other than charges for the direct costs of managing lower-tier contracts and subcontracts and overhead and profit based on such direct costs).

"(4) Report.-Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 17, 2006], the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report on the steps taken to implement the requirements of this subsection, including-

"(A) any standards for determining when no, or negligible, value has been added to a contract by a contractor or subcontractor;

"(B) any procedures established for preventing excessive pass-through charges; and

"(C) any exceptions determined by the Secretary to be necessary in the interest of the national defense.

"(5) Effective date.-The regulations prescribed under this subsection shall apply to contracts awarded for or on behalf of the Department of Defense on or after May 1, 2007."

Reimbursement of Indirect Costs of Institutions of Higher Education Under Department of Defense Contracts

Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title VIII, §841, Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1719 , as amended by Pub. L. 105–244, title I, §102(a)(2)(C), Oct. 7, 1998, 112 Stat. 1617 , provided that:

"(a) Prohibition.-The Secretary of Defense may not by regulation place a limitation on the amount that the Department of Defense may reimburse an institution of higher education for allowable indirect costs incurred by the institution for work performed for the Department of Defense under a Department of Defense contract unless that same limitation is applied uniformly to all other organizations performing similar work for the Department of Defense under Department of Defense contracts.

"(b) Waiver.-The Secretary of Defense may waive the application of the prohibition in subsection (a) in the case of a particular institution of higher education if the governing body of the institution requests the waiver in order to simplify the overall management by that institution of cost reimbursements by the Department of Defense for contracts awarded by the Department to the institution.

"(c) Definitions.-In this section:

"(1) The term 'allowable indirect costs' means costs that are generally considered allowable as indirect costs under regulations that establish the cost reimbursement principles applicable to an institution of higher education for purposes of Department of Defense contracts.

"(2) The term 'institution of higher education' has the meaning given such term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 [20 U.S.C. 1001]."