Simplify Procurement Ethics Laws

Strengthen and simplify procurement ethics laws.

Current ethics laws should be amended to:

-- make them consistent governmentwide;

-- increase penalties from 5 to 15 years for the disclosure or receipt
of certain sensitive source selection or proprietary information, thus
placing prohibition of such conduct on a par with the crime of bribery
of public officials, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years;

-- eliminate the procurement integrity certifications that increase
government administrative and contract costs while adding little or no
deterrence value;

-- add a new provision to the governmentwide postemployment (revolving
door) law that would prohibit former government employees from using
certain procurementsensitive information to represent, aid, or advise
others for one year after government service, and eliminate several
overlapping or duplicative statutory provisions; and

-- eliminate the certification requirement for purchases under the
simplified acquisition threshold.

These changes would strengthen and streamline current ethics laws by
more effectively punishing deliberate offenders, providing clearer
guidance on procurement ethics, reducing unnecessary contract and agency
administrative costs, and removing administrative barriers to effective
communication between government and private sector vendors.