John Rice Carter: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 3071, the Federal…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 3071, the Federal Acquisition Savings Act of 2017. This legislation seeks to modernize our government's outdated acquisition strategies, while simultaneously acting as good stewards of valuable taxpayer dollars. My bill would simply require Federal agencies to consider renting as a cost-effective alternative in equipment acquisition, giving the government options that the private sector has undertaken and has seen success and cost savings with. As previously reported by the Government Accountability Office, the GAO, the Federal Government spends more than $200 billion, on average, either purchasing or leasing equipment. Of those acquisition decisions, purchasing of equipment accounts for more than 99 percent of that share. Federal agencies are instructed to consider the cost-effectiveness of these strategies as they move through the process, but even that has been found to be lacking. The GAO has found that, in many instances, Federal agencies don't even bother to undertake these analyses. That means that the taxpayers are the ones who lose out as Federal agencies sidestep these responsibilities and undertake what is, many times, the easiest but most expensive route--purchasing. This is an issue the committee and this body have been looking at for years.…”