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Federal Acquisition E-Commerce Fairness and Competition Act
12/30/2022, 11:18 AM
Summary of Bill HR 5217
One key aspect of the bill is the requirement for federal agencies to use commercial e-commerce portals for purchasing commercial products. This is intended to streamline the procurement process and provide federal agencies with access to a wider range of products and suppliers. Additionally, the bill includes provisions to ensure that small businesses have equal opportunities to compete for federal contracts through e-commerce platforms.
The Federal Acquisition E-Commerce Fairness and Competition Act also includes measures to enhance oversight and accountability in the federal procurement process. This includes requirements for federal agencies to report on their use of e-commerce platforms and to ensure compliance with existing procurement regulations. Overall, the bill aims to modernize the federal government's procurement process, promote competition among suppliers, and improve efficiency and transparency in federal acquisitions. It is designed to benefit both federal agencies and taxpayers by ensuring that the government is able to obtain the best value for goods and services.
Congressional Summary of HR 5217
Federal Acquisition E-Commerce Fairness and Competition Act
This bill requires the General Services Administration (GSA) to expand the testing program for e-commerce portal models.
Specifically, the GSA must (1) expand the proof-of-concept testing program by testing at least three commercial e-commerce portal models, including the E-Commerce Model, the E-Procurement Model, and the E-Marketplace Model (as described in a GSA implementation plan published in March 2018), to ensure that such program is representative of available commercial e-commerce portal models that qualify for the program; and (2) report to Congress.
The GSA must ensure that a commercial e-commerce portal provider awarded a contract that is owned or controlled by a person or entity with a market capitalization greater than $600 billion at any time in the two years preceding this bill's enactment (e.g., Amazon) does not sell products through the commercial e-commerce portal that compete with products sold by any third-party supplier through such portal.
