FAPIIS data to be publically accessible

Sections of a government database containing five years' worth of federal contractor performance and integrity data will become public following President Obama's July 29 signing of supplemental federal spending bill into law.

The spending legislation contains an amendment offered by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that excludes only past performance reviews contained within Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) from public Internet accessibility.

Access to FAPIIS has so far been restricted to acquisition officials and certain members of Congress. The database was a requirement of the fiscal 2009 Defense authorization act and it came online earlier this year.

Contracting officers in agencies governed by the Federal Acquisition Regulation must consult the database for any procurement worth more than the simplified acquisition threshold--currently $100,000, but likely to be raised to $150,000. The FAR case governing the inflation adjustment of acquisition-related thresholds was sent July 12 to FAR Secretariat to be readied for publication, a final step in a FAR case becoming an active regulation.

FAPIIS includes data already collected in the Excluded Parties List System, a database of disqualified contractors. However, it also centralizes less-onerous contracting officer determinations of vendor non-responsibility, records of contract terminations for default or cause, defective pricing determinations and agreements that resolved a contractor suspension or debarment. Plus, it also lists contractor self reports of criminal convictions, civil liabilities and adverse administrative actions.

For more:
- see the THOMAS page for the supplemental appropriations bill, H.R. 4899
- read the Sanders amendment (number 4280) in the Congressional Record (.pdf)
- go to a reaction to the Sanders amendment by the Project on Government Oversight

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