Deconflicting

Defense Department officials today invited government and industry representatives to offer their view on conflicts of interest arising from certain contractor constellations in major defense programs.

The invitation comes as the deadline nears for a Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement revision mandated by the Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009. The legislation, enacted in May, requires DOD to "provide uniform guidance and tighten existing requirements for organizational conflicts of interest by contractors." The DFARS revision is due 270 days after enactment of the WSARA legislation, which puts the deadline sometime in February.

Pentagon officials want feedback on potential conflicts of interest as they relate to the use of lead system integrators and contractors with several business units working on the same project.

The public meeting is scheduled for Dec. 8 at the General Services Administration auditorium in Washington, according to a Federal Register notice posted today.