Pilot program on procurement of utility services for installations of the Department of Defense through areawide contracts

(a) Pilot program required Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of the Act, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a pilot program for the purposes of procuring utility services through an areawide contract with a public utility provider for any services that support energy resilience and mission readiness of an installation of the Department of Defense (in this section referred to as the pilot program). (b) Duration The Secretary of Defense shall carry out the pilot program during the one-year period beginning on the date of the commencement of the pilot program. (c) Deadline for contracts Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of each military department shall enter into at least one areawide contract under the pilot program. (d) Public-private partnerships The Secretary shall carry out the pilot program by entering into one or more public-private partnerships through an areawide contract entered into under the pilot program. (e) Competition The pilot program shall include the development of a justification and approval template and waiver in accordance with part 6.302 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation that is used by all acquisition commands of the military departments in carrying out the pilot program. (f) Reporting requirement Not later than 90 days after the termination of the pilot program, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report that includes— (1) an analysis of the pilot program, including any efficiencies, benefits, and cost-savings associated with utilizing areawide contracts under the pilot program to procure utility services from a public utility provider; and (2) proposed solutions, including recommended legislative text and modifications to the Federal Acquisition Regulation or policy guidance of the Department of Defense, to overcome any remaining legal and policy hurdles that the Department identifies as inhibiting adherence to and implementation of section 2811(b) of the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (division B of Public Law 118–31; 10 U.S.C. 2920 note). (g) Definitions In this section, the terms areawide contract, energy resilience, and utility service have the meanings given those terms in section 2811(b)(3) of the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (division B of Public Law 118–31; 10 U.S.C. 2920 note).