Bill > HR1252

This bill, the Improving Embassy Design and Security Act, has several key provisions: 1. It expresses the sense of Congress that the Department of State's Bureau of Overseas Building Operations should prioritize standardization in embassy and consulate construction, with customization kept to a minimum. It requires the Secretary of State to consult with Congress before using a non-standard design, providing justification and comparisons to a standard design. 2. It amends existing law to require the Secretary of State to submit biannual reports to Congress on the status of all ongoing overseas capital construction and major embassy security upgrade projects, including cost estimates, adjustments, and completion timelines. 3. It requires the Secretary of State to complete all outstanding contractor performance evaluations for embassy and consulate construction by April 2022, and to develop a prioritization system for clearing the backlog. 4. It requires the Department of State to project growth in personnel and needs for each new embassy and consulate project, and to base the project's size on these estimates. 5. It mandates the development of comprehensive 6-year plans for the Department's overseas building program and long-term maintenance, and requires the Secretary to submit these plans to Congress. 6. It imposes various other requirements related to value engineering, risk assessment, security briefings, contracting methods, and competition in embassy construction.

Military Affairs and Security

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1252/all-info