Contracting and Procurement Reform Amendment Act of 2026

Statement of Introduction
Contracting and Procurement Reform Amendment Act of 2026
February 6, 2026

Today, along with Councilmember Janeese Lewis George, I am introducing
the “Contracting and Procurement Reform Amendment Act of 2026”. This bill
expands upon and updates the Procurement Practices Reform Act of 2010 to
increase public transparency, to improve communication between the Office of
Contracting and Procurement and District agencies and organizations contracting
with the District, and to streamline the contracting and procurement process.

Contracting and procurement is the backbone of nearly every service
provided to D.C. residents. An effective procurement system is what allows the city
to quickly and efficiently secure essential goods and services, from medical supplies
and healthcare services to food programs and cybersecurity services. It is what
ensures that service providers are meeting clear performance metrics in addressing
homelessness and speeds the District's transition to green and sustainable
purchasing.

Navigating the District’s contracting and procurement process can be
inefficient and frustrating not just for organizations and vendors, but also District
agencies and the Council. The process requires navigating multiple outdated
portals, unclear and confusing requirements, and complex contracting language.
Vendors and agencies alike often face unanswered questions about contract status
and are provided limited or nonexistent communication channels to report and
resolve issues. Agencies are required to comply with unnecessarily burdensome
requirements for small purchases. The Office of Contracting and Procurement is
often unable to address underperforming contractors that fail to deliver city services
in a timely manner or do not meet quality standards.

The result is a process frequently marred by errors; reduced participation by
certified business enterprises and small business enterprises; drawn-out timelines;
late payments; inaccurate and missing information required by law; and inadequate
tools for effective Council and public oversight.

With this legislation, OCP would create a consolidated procurement portal
that combines the District’s multiple existing portals into a unified system. The
portal would provide real-time status tracking for solicitations and awards, along
with checklists to ensure all legally required documents are submitted, improving
communication and coordination among OCP, District agencies, and vendors
through a transparent and streamlined experience.

The bill requires OCP to develop plain-language guidance and templates
establishing standardized solicitations and provide early notice of anticipated
solicitations. This would address accessibility challenges for businesses, increase
CBE participation, and promote greater competition.

The bill transfers the Office of the Ombudsman of Contracting and
Procurement to the Office of the City Administrator and expands the scope of its
responsibilities, giving the ombudsman greater enforcement authority, free from the
inherent conflict of interest when operating within the same agency. It also requires
that the Ombudsman identify systemic issues and recommend policy changes and
strategies to the Mayor and the Council to improve the contracting and
procurement process.

The DC Supply Schedule is the pre-approved list of vendors that District
agencies use to buy services and goods. The legislation reforms the Supply Schedule
to ensure that it is consistently updated, and to allow District agencies to make
direct purchases from approved vendors without unnecessary delays or additional
approvals.

Technical evaluation panels are composed of program personnel and experts
who assist in reviewing the qualifications of a prospective contractor. The bill
requires that these panels have access to all information provided to OCP related to
the procurement. It also requires that OCP provide written justification for any
decision to reject the panel’s recommendation. These updated requirements ensure
operational alignment between OCP, agencies, and contractors.

The bill establishes a permanent pay-for-performance program. Under this
well-tested approach, compensation for select contracts will be tied to the
achievement of measurable outcomes and benchmarks. Implementing this
requirement will increase contractor accountability and drive better outcomes for
District communities.

The legislation also updates Council review procedures related to
modifications and option years to accelerate procurement timelines and deliver
goods and services to agencies requiring them while still safeguarding public funds.

Finally, the bill enhances Council oversight by requiring the Chief
Procurement Officer to enter into a data-sharing agreement with the Council and by
applying full Council review procedures to contract modifications that increase a
contract’s total value above $1 million. These measures will ensure that Council has
the access to information necessary to identify and resolve issues as they arise.

When contracting and procurement systems function inefficiently, the rest of
the government does as well. A transparent, efficient, and well-managed
contracting and procurement process reduces delays, fraud, and abuse, while
serving as a powerful tool to support small and local businesses. Fixing this system
is essential to improving government performance and ensuring the District can
meet the needs of its residents. The reforms proposed in this legislation streamline
our system to make sure that District government can deliver quality city services
to residents.

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A BILL
__________

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
________________

To amend the Procurement Practices Reform Act of 2010 to modify procedures for Council 1
review of contract modifications and contract option years, to transfer the Office of the 2
Ombudsman of Contracting and Procurement to the Office of the City Administrator, to 3
establish pay-for-performance contracting standards, to update requirements for technical 4
evaluation panels, to reform the District supply schedule for direct purchases, to require 5
the CPO to enter into a data sharing agreement with Council, to establish a consolidated 6
procurement portal, to provide a forecasting module for public notice of anticipated 7
solicitations, and to require clarity and comparability in solicitations. 8
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 11
act may be cited as the "Contracting and Procurement Reform Amendment Act of 2026”. 12
Sec 2. The Procurement Practices Reform Act of 2010, effective April 8, 2011 (D.C. Law 13
18-371; D.C. Official Code § 2-351.01 et seq.) is amended as follows: 14
(a) Section 104 (D.C. Official Code § 2-351.04) is amended as follows: 15
(1) A new paragraph (66A) is added to read as follows: 16
"(66A) "Technical evaluation panel" means a panel composed of program 17
personnel or individuals who possess considerable knowledge of the services requested in the 18
RFQ to assist in reviewing and considering the qualifications of a prospective contractor.". 19
(2) A new paragraph (48A) is added to read as follows: 20
_____________________________
Councilmember Janeese Lewis George
_____________________________
Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau

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"(48A) Procurement procedures manual" means the official guidebook for Office 21
of Contracting and Procurement employees which contains the information and tools necessary 22
for procurement personnel to navigate the District’s procurement process.". 23
(3) A new paragraph (63A) is added to read as follows: 24
"(63A) "Subject matter expert" means an individual from the procuring agency 25
who possesses technical expertise relevant to the solicitation.". 26
(b) Section 202 (D.C. Official Code § 2-352.02) is amended as follows: 27
(1) Subsection (b) is amended by adding paragraphs (4) and (5), to read as 28
follows: 29
“(4)(A) Paragraph (2) of this subsection, and other procedures of this section 30
applicable to proposed contracts in excess of $1 million during a 12-month period, shall apply to 31
a proposed contract modification that increases the dollar value of the underlying contract from 32
an amount less than or equal to $1 million to an amount in excess of $1 million during a 12-33
month period. 34
“(B) Council approval of a contract described in subparagraph (A) of this 35
paragraph shall not be considered retroactive for the purposes of this act or any other act. 36
"(5) Council approval of a contract that contains one or more option periods each 37
of a duration of 12 months or less shall constitute the Council review and approval required by 38
section 451(b) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 39
Stat. 803; D.C. Official Code § 1-204.51(b)) of each option period of the contract if the option 40
period is exercised pursuant to the terms of the contract approved by the Council and there has 41
been no material change to the terms of the contract subsequent to the Council’s approval of the 42
contract.". 43
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(2) A new subsection (i) is added to read as follows: 44
“(i) Review and approval by the Council of an annual program of District of Columbia 45
Supply Schedule contracts under section 412 shall constitute Council review and approval 46
required by section 451 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 47
1973 (87 Stat. 803; D.C. Official Code § 1-204.51), of the individual contracts that make up the 48
annual program.”. 49
(c) Section 207 (D.C. Official Code 2-352.07) is amended to read as follows: 50
"Sec. 207. Ombudsman for contracting and procurement. 51
"(a) There is established within the Office of the City Administrator (“OCA”) an Office 52
of the Ombudsman for Contracting and Procurement, which shall be headed by an ombudsman 53
designated by the City Administrator. 54
(b) The ombudsman designated pursuant to this section shall, for all agencies which are 55
subordinate to the Mayor, independent agencies, boards, and commissions, but excluding the 56
Council of the District of Columbia, and the District of Columbia Courts: 57
(1) Serve as a vehicle for both contractors and District agencies to communicate 58
their complaints and concerns regarding contracting, procurement, or specific contracts; 59
(2) Respond to complaints in a timely manner, determine the validity of 60
complaints, and attempt to facilitate informal dispute resolution when appropriate; 61
(3) Generate options for a response by the agency or instrumentality and offer a 62
recommendation from among the options; 63
(4) Except when the parties are involved in legal or administrative proceedings, 64
attempt informally to facilitate a resolution of a dispute between the contracting officer, the 65
prime contractor, and the subcontractor, as appropriate; and 66
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(5) Identify systemic concerns and recommend to the Mayor and the Council, 67
policy changes and strategies to improve the contracting and procurement process. 68
(c) As of one year of the effective date of this section, all personnel, records, property, 69
and funds related to the Office shall be transferred to OCA. OCA shall have authority over the 70
budget and administration of the Office but shall not interfere in its substantive determinations.". 71
(d) A new section 303 (D.C. Official Code § 2–353.01) is added to read as follows: 72
"Sec. 303. Pay-for-performance. 73
"(a) The Office of Contracting and Procurement shall establish pay-for-performance 74
standards for applicable contracts to ensure that compensation is tied to the delivery of 75
measurable outcomes and benchmarks. 76
"(b) Pay-for-performance provisions shall include: 77
"(1) A requirement that payment from the District be conditioned on the 78
achievement of specific outcomes based on defined performance targets; 79
"(2) Payment schedules that correspond to the achievement of those milestones or 80
deliverables; 81
"(3) The ability for the District to withhold or reduce payments if performance 82
benchmarks are not met, unless excused due to unforeseen and documented circumstances; and 83
"(4) The potential for performance-based incentives or bonuses. 84
"(c) A sole-source or multi-year contract shall include pay-for-performance provisions 85
unless the CPO determines such provisions to be infeasible or inappropriate. 86
"(d) The CPO shall issue guidance identifying other contracts for which pay-for-87
performance models are appropriate and shall develop model contract terms for use by agencies. 88
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"(e) Agencies shall consult with OCP in the development of solicitations to determine 89
whether and how pay-for-performance standards should be applied.". 90
(d) Section 401a (D.C. Official Code § 2-354.01a) is amended by adding new subsections 91
(h) and (i) to read as follows: 92
"(h) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prevent the withholding of information or 93
records from the Council, pursuant to section 417a, for the purposes of oversight or 94
investigations. 95
"(i) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a contracting officer or 96
contracting staff from providing information to a client agency on the status of a procurement.". 97
(e) A new section 401b (D.C. Official Code § 2–354.01) is added to read as follows: 98
"Sec. 401b. Technical evaluation panels. 99
"(a) Each technical evaluation panel shall have access to all information provided to 100
OCP, including bid pricing. The procuring agency shall receive the full bid or proposal package 101
and copies of any communication between OCP and the contractor related to the procurement. 102
"(b) OCP shall provide a contract review panel with written justification for any decision 103
to reject the panel’s recommendation. The justification shall be submitted no later than 14 days 104
before the awarding of the contract. 105
"(c) Each contract review panel shall include at least one subject matter expert ("SME") 106
from the procuring agency who possesses technical expertise relevant to the solicitation. 107
"(d) The SME shall participate in the evaluation of bids and proposals, ensuring technical 108
feasibility and adherence to agency goals and requirements. 109
"(e) The SME shall be named by the Director of the procuring agency.". 110
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(f) Section 412 (D.C. Official Code § 2–354.12) is amended by adding subsections (d), 111
(e), and (f) to read as follows: 112
"(d) Agencies shall be permitted to make direct purchases from the supply schedule 113
without unnecessary delays or additional procurement approvals, subject to thresholds 114
established by OCP." 115
"(e) OCP shall process supply schedule orders no later than 10 business days after receipt 116
from an agency. 117
"(f) OCP shall review and update the District’s supply schedule no less than once every 118
two fiscal years to ensure pricing competitiveness and vendor diversity.”. 119
(g) Section 417 (D.C. Official Code § 2-354.17) is amended by striking the phrase 120
"except as provided by the Freedom of Information Act of 1976, effective March 25, 1977 (D.C. 121
Law 1-96; D.C. Official Code § 2-531 et seq.)" and inserting the phrase "except as provided by 122
section 417a and by the Freedom of Information Act of 1976, effective March 25, 1977 (D.C. 123
Law 1-96; D.C. Official Code § 2-531 et seq.)" in its place. 124
(h) A new section 417a is added to read as follows: 125
"Sec. 417a. Data sharing agreement. 126
"(a) Within 180 days of the effective date of this section, the CPO shall enter into a data 127
sharing agreement ("agreement") with Council to facilitate the transfer of information necessary 128
for Council oversight of procurement practices. The agreement shall include: 129
"(1) A description of information required to be disclosed to Council pursuant to 130
this act and other relevant procurement law that shall be subject to the agreement; 131
"(2) Timelines for the production of such information requested by Council; 132
"(3) Protocol on the transfer, storage, and retention of data; 133
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"(4) Any restrictions on use or disclosure necessary to maintain confidentiality 134
and the integrity of procurement practices. 135
"(b) Any information not included in the agreement pursuant to subsection (a)(1) that is 136
required by law to be provided to Council, or not otherwise exempt from disclosure, shall be 137
provided upon request without being subject to the agreement.". 138
(i) Section 418(b) (D.C. Official Code § 2-354.18(b)) is amended by striking the phrase 139
"The Inspector General, District of Columbia Auditor, or District" and inserting the phrase" The 140
Inspector General, the District of Columbia Auditor, the Council, or District" in its place. 141
(j) A new section 1104b (D.C. Official Code § 2–361.04) is added to read as follows: 142
"Sec. 1104b. Consolidated procurement portal. 143
"(a) OCP shall develop and maintain a consolidated contracting and procurement portal 144
("portal") to: 145
"(1) Facilitate communication between OCP and client agencies; 146
"(2) Increase public transparency in the contracting and procurement process; and 147
"(3) Streamline the contracting and procurement process. 148
"(b) The CPO shall issue implementing guidance and develop standard templates for 149
agency submissions and shall coordinate with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer to 150
ensure integration with existing procurement and vendor payment systems. 151
"(c) The portal shall include functionality to establish access licenses for the following 152
entities, with each license having access to all information appropriate to disclose that entity: 153
"(1) Contract officer or staff license; 154
"(2) Client agency staff license; 155
"(3) Oversight license; 156
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"(4) Bidder license; and 157
"(5) Vendor and contractor license. 158
"(d) Any information that is not required by law to be restricted to one of the entities in 159
subsection (c) shall be made viewable to the public on the portal without requiring registration. 160
"(e) An oversight license shall allow the license-holder read-only access to all 161
information available to a contract officer, subject to section 417a. A unique oversight license 162
shall be provided to: 163
"(1) The Inspector General; 164
"(2) The District of Columbia Auditor; and 165
"(3) Each committee of the Council, subject to 417a. 166
"(f) The portal shall allow for electronic submission of invoices to the District by a 167
contractor. 168
"(1) This subsection shall apply to payments made by, and invoices submitted to, 169
any agency that manages financial transactions through systems maintained by the Chief 170
Financial Officer. 171
"(g) The portal shall include: 172
"(1) A procurement tracking system accessible to all District agencies under the 173
contracting authority of the CPO and the Council committee of jurisdiction to monitor the status 174
of solicitations, contract awards, and procurement activities, including: 175
"(A) The status and a copy of each procurement action and real-time 176
updates including key milestones such as release of solicitation, amendments, evaluation, award 177
determination, and contract execution; 178
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"(B) Identification of the OCP official or agency representative 179
responsible for each stage of the process; 180
"(C) Estimated timelines for each stage, including expected dates for 181
reviews, approvals, and contract execution, and indication of any timeline delays; and 182
"(D) A communications feature for agencies to submit and track inquiries 183
regarding their procurement requests. 184
"(2) A public transparency portal that shall contain, at a minimum, the following: 185
"(A) Information regarding the statutes and rules that govern procurement 186
for all District agencies, including those exempt from the authority of the CPO. 187
"(B) Links to each District government website containing active 188
solicitations for goods or services in an amount in excess of $100,000, including websites 189
maintained by District agencies exempt from the authority of the CPO. 190
"(C)(i) Each website linked to by the webpage provided for in 191
subparagraph (B) of this paragraph shall: 192
"(ii) Provide clear instructions on how to respond electronically to 193
each solicitation; 194
"(iii) Include information in the solicitation regarding the 195
prohibited recipients or, if the value of the contract is estimated, the likely prohibited recipients, 196
as that term is defined in Section 101(45D) of the Board of Ethics and Government 197
Accountability Establishment and Comprehensive Ethics Reform Amendment Act of 2011, 198
effective April 27, 2012 (D.C. Law 19-124; D.C. Official Code § 1-1161.01(45D)), for the 199
contract based on its estimated value and any other relevant provisions of Chapter 11A of Title 1. 200
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"(D) A database containing information regarding each contract executed 201
by the District for an amount equal to or greater than $100,000, including each such contract 202
made by a District agency exempt from the authority of the CPO pursuant to section 105. For 203
each contract contained in the database, the database shall include a unique identifier and, at a 204
minimum, the following: 205
"(i) A copy of the executed contract; 206
"(ii) All determinations and findings related to the contract; 207
"(iii) All contract modifications, change orders, or amendments 208
associated with the contract; 209
"(iv) All solicitation documents for the contract, including all 210
requests for proposals and invitations for bids; 211
"(v) The contract summary documents for the contract that are 212
submitted to the Council for its review; and 213
"(vi) Any amendments to such documents; and 214
"(vii) A notation identifying: 215
"(I) Whether the vendor is a covered contractor, as that 216
term is defined in Section 101 of the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability 217
Establishment and Comprehensive Ethics Reform Amendment Act of 2011, effective April 27, 218
2012 (D.C. Law 19-124; D.C. Official Code § 1-1161.01; and 219
"(II) To which prohibited recipients, as that term is defined 220
in Section 101(45D) of the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability Establishment and 221
Comprehensive Ethics Reform Amendment Act of 2011, effective April 27, 2012 (D.C. Law 19-222
124; D.C. Official Code § 1-1161.01(45D)), the vendor is prohibited from making campaign 223
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contributions and during what prohibited period, as that term is defined in Section 101(45C) of 224
the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability Establishment and Comprehensive Ethics 225
Reform Amendment Act of 2011, effective April 27, 2012 (D.C. Law 19-124; D.C. Official 226
Code § 1-1161.01(45C)). 227
"(E) Placeholders identifying any portions of the items set forth in 228
subparagraph (D) of this subsection withheld as confidential by the CPO pursuant to section 229
417”. 230
"(F) A list of each contract executed by the District for an amount less 231
than $100,000, which shall include, for each contract, the vendor name, a description of the 232
goods or services purchased, and the dollar amount of the contract; and 233
"(G) Payments made by the District of Columbia government to 234
contractors, searchable by purchase order number, invoice number, check number, voucher 235
number, or any combination of the aforementioned necessary to identify a particular payment. 236
"(3) Agencies not subject to the authority of the CPO shall transmit the 237
information required by this section to the CPO for posting on their websites.”. 238
(k) A new section 1104c (D.C. Official Code § 2–361.04) is added to read as follows: 239
"Sec. 1104c. Forecasting module. 240
"(a) OCP shall develop and maintain a forecasting module that provides a schedule of 241
anticipated solicitations and contract renewals, including: 242
"(1) A description of the anticipated procurement; 243
"(2) The estimated value of the procurement; 244
"(3) The anticipated solicitation release date and contract award date; 245
"(4) The name of the client agency and point of contact; 246
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"(5) Subcontracting and CBE requirements; and, 247
"(6) Whether the procurement is for a new contract or an existing contract. 248
"(b) District agencies shall be required to submit forecasting data to OCP on a quarterly 249
basis and shall designate a forecasting coordinator to ensure timely and accurate submissions. 250
"(c) The forecasting module shall be made publicly available online and updated 251
quarterly. 252
"(d) No later than 120 business days after the effective date of this section, OCP shall 253
make available on their website an updated procurement procedures manual.”. 254
(l) A new section 1104d (D.C. Official Code § 2–361.04) is added to read as follows: 255
"Sec. 1104d. Clarity and comparability in solicitations. 256
"(a) The CPO shall develop templates and guidance establishing a standardized 257
solicitation structure for clarity and comparability. 258
"(b) Each solicitation shall: 259
"(1) State in plain language: 260
"(A) The solicitation purpose and objectives; 261
"(B) All deliverables, evaluation factors, and performance measures for 262
the solicitation; 263
"(2) Provide a template or standardized format for key sections to enable 264
comparison between submissions; 265
"(3) Avoid open-ended or duplicative questions that hinder side-by-side 266
comparison; and 267
"(4) Include a clear rubric for scoring each criterion.". 268
Sec. 3. Conforming amendments. 269
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(m) Subtitle N of Title I of the Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Support Act of 2014, effective 270
February 26, 2015 (D.C. Law 20-155; D.C. Official Code § 2-211.01 et seq.) is repealed. 271
(n) The Procurement Practices Reform Act of 2010, effective April 8, 2011 (D.C. Law 272
18-371; D.C. Official Code § 2-351.01 et seq.), is amended as follows: 273
(1) Section 1104 (D.C. Official Code § 2-361.04) is repealed. 274
(2) Section 1104a (D.C. Official Code § 2-351.04a) is repealed. 275
(o) Section 208(a)(3)(E) of the District of Columbia Procurement Practices Act of 1985, 276
effective February 21, 1986, (D.C. Law 6-85; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.115a(a)(3)(E)) is 277
amended by striking the phrase "in accordance with section 205" and inserting the phrase " in 278
accordance with the Procurement Practices Reform Act of 2010, effective April 8, 2011 (D.C. 279
Law 18-371; D.C. Official Code § 2-351.01 et seq.) in its place. 280
Sec. 4. Fiscal impact statement. 281
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement of the Budget Director as the fiscal impact 282
statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, approved 283
October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 284
Sec. 5. Effective date. 285
This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 286
Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as 287
provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 288
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of 289
Columbia Register. 290