Not sure how many of you are reading The Watcher, our bi-monthly newsletter that has interesting commentary, analysis, and insights into key government accountability issues of the day, but you should sign up for it if you don't currently get it (sign up here). Anyway, earlier this week we ran an article in the most recent issue on the Senate's passage of the FY 2009 Defense Authorization bill, which included a number of long overdue contracting reforms.

While our coverage was not incorrect, we certainly omitted some details on many of these reforms that we probably should have included (not a strike out per se, just a swing and a miss). So, to help us out, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), the original sponsor of many of these reforms, has posted a helpful summary of the Clean Contracting Act. This legislation, which was originally introduced in 2006, would:

[E]nhance competition in contracting, limit the use of abuse-prone contracts, start the effort to rebuild the federal acquisition workforce, strengthen important anti-fraud measures, and increase transparency in federal contracting.

These are solid reforms that should have been in place a long time ago, and Waxman and other congressional champions of a more responsible and efficient procurement system should be commended. But the work isn't finished yet. Waxman laments in his statement:

My only regret is that some of the other key reforms passed by the House were not included in the final version of the legislation. I am disappointed that the House and Senate compromise does not include a ban on private interrogators in U.S. military detention facilities or mandate congressional approval for any security pact with Iraq that is negotiated by the President.

Summary of Clean Contracting Act
Waxman's Statement on the Act