On Tuesday, December 12, 2017, President Trump signed the fiscal
year 2018 (FY18) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law
(Pub. L. 115-91). An annual defense policy bill, the NDAA is a
critical piece of legislation for the contracting community because
it provides the funding authority for programs and activities of
the Department of Defense (DoD), the largest procurer of goods and
services within the US government. In addition, the NDAA is a
vehicle for encouraging in some cases, and requiring in others,
changes to both DoD and government-wide procurement practices. As
the NDAA moved through the legislative process, Dentons and other
commentators analyzed proposed provisions, some of which were
adopted as written or in a revised form, and many of which were not
included in the final bill. It is critical for the contracting
community to understand the provisions of the NDAA, as enacted.
