§ 247d-6b. Strategic National Stockpile and security countermeasure procurements

(a) Strategic National Stockpile

(1) In general

The Secretary, in collaboration with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security (referred to in this section as the “Homeland Security Secretary”), shall maintain a stockpile or stockpiles of drugs, vaccines and other biological products, medical devices, and other supplies in such numbers, types, and amounts as are determined by the Secretary to be appropriate and practicable, taking into account other available sources, to provide for the emergency health security of the United States, including the emergency health security of children and other vulnerable populations, in the event of a bioterrorist attack or other public health emergency. The Secretary shall conduct an annual review (taking into account at-risk individuals) of the contents of the stockpile, including non-pharmaceutical supplies, and make necessary additions or modifications to the contents based on such review.

(2) Procedures

The Secretary, in managing the stockpile under paragraph (1), shall—

(A) consult with the working group under section 247d–6 (a) of this title;

(B) ensure that adequate procedures are followed with respect to such stockpile for inventory management and accounting, and for the physical security of the stockpile;

(C) in consultation with Federal, State, and local officials, take into consideration the timing and location of special events;

(D) review and revise, as appropriate, the contents of the stockpile on a regular basis to ensure that emerging threats, advanced technologies, and new countermeasures are adequately considered;

(E) devise plans for the effective and timely supply-chain management of the stockpile, in consultation with appropriate Federal, State and local agencies, and the public and private health care infrastructure;

(F) deploy the stockpile as required by the Secretary of Homeland Security to respond to an actual or potential emergency;

(G) deploy the stockpile at the discretion of the Secretary to respond to an actual or potential public health emergency or other situation in which deployment is necessary to protect the public health or safety; and

(H) ensure the adequate physical security of the stockpile.

(b) Smallpox vaccine development

(1) In general

The Secretary shall award contracts, enter into cooperative agreements, or carry out such other activities as may reasonably be required in order to ensure that the stockpile under subsection (a) of this section includes an amount of vaccine against smallpox as determined by such Secretary to be sufficient to meet the health security needs of the United States.

(2) Rule of construction

Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the private distribution, purchase, or sale of vaccines from sources other than the stockpile described in subsection (a) of this section.

(1) In general

(A) Use of fund

A security countermeasure may, in accordance with this subsection, be procured with amounts in the special reserve fund under paragraph (10).

(B) Security countermeasure

For purposes of this subsection, the term “security countermeasure” means a drug (as that term is defined by section 201(g)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321 (g)(1))), biological product (as that term is defined by section 262 (i) of this title), or device (as that term is defined by section 201(h) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321 (h))) that—

(i)

(I) the Secretary determines to be a priority (consistent with sections 182 (2) and 184 (a) of title 6) to diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or treat harm from any biological, chemical, radiological, or nuclear agent identified as a material threat under paragraph (2)(A)(ii), or to diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or treat harm from a condition that may result in adverse health consequences or death and may be caused by administering a drug, biological product, or device against such an agent;

(II) the Secretary determines under paragraph (2)(B)(ii) to be a necessary countermeasure; and

(III)

(aa) is approved or cleared under chapter V of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act [21 U.S.C. 351 et seq.] or licensed under section 262 of this title; or

(bb) is a countermeasure for which the Secretary determines that sufficient and satisfactory clinical experience or research data (including data, if available, from pre-clinical and clinical trials) support a reasonable conclusion that the countermeasure will qualify for approval or licensing within eight years after the date of a determination under paragraph (5); or

(ii) is authorized for emergency use under section 564 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act [21 U.S.C. 360bbb–3].

(2) Determination of material threats

(A) Material threat

The Homeland Security Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary and the heads of other agencies as appropriate, shall on an ongoing basis—

(i) assess current and emerging threats of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear agents; and

(ii) determine which of such agents present a material threat against the United States population sufficient to affect national security.

(B) Public health impact; necessary countermeasures

The Secretary shall on an ongoing basis—

(i) assess the potential public health consequences for the United States population of exposure to agents identified under subparagraph (A)(ii); and

(ii) determine, on the basis of such assessment, the agents identified under subparagraph (A)(ii) for which countermeasures are necessary to protect the public health.

The Secretary and the Homeland Security Secretary shall promptly notify the designated congressional committees (as defined in paragraph (10)) that a determination has been made pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B).

(D) Assuring access to threat information

In making the assessment and determination required under subparagraph (A), the Homeland Security Secretary shall use all relevant information to which such Secretary is entitled under section 122 of title 6, including but not limited to information, regardless of its level of classification, relating to current and emerging threats of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear agents.

(3) Assessment of availability and appropriateness of countermeasures

(A) In general

The Secretary, in consultation with the Homeland Security Secretary, shall assess on an ongoing basis the availability and appropriateness of specific countermeasures to address specific threats identified under paragraph (2).

(B) Information

The Secretary shall institute a process for making publicly available the results of assessments under subparagraph (A) while withholding such information as—

(i) would, in the judgment of the Secretary, tend to reveal public health vulnerabilities; or

(ii) would otherwise be exempt from disclosure under section 552 of title 5.

(4) Call for development of countermeasures; commitment for recommendation for procurement

(A) Proposal to the President

If, pursuant to an assessment under paragraph (3), the Homeland Security Secretary and the Secretary make a determination that a countermeasure would be appropriate but is either currently not developed or unavailable for procurement as a security countermeasure or is approved, licensed, or cleared only for alternative uses, such Secretaries may jointly submit to the President a proposal to—

(i) issue a call for the development of such countermeasure; and

(ii) make a commitment that, upon the first development of such countermeasure that meets the conditions for procurement under paragraph (5), the Secretaries will, based in part on information obtained pursuant to such call, make a recommendation under paragraph (6) that the special reserve fund under paragraph (10) be made available for the procurement of such countermeasure.

(B) Countermeasure specifications

The Homeland Security Secretary and the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, include in the proposal under subparagraph (A)—

(i) estimated quantity of purchase (in the form of number of doses or number of effective courses of treatments regardless of dosage form);

(ii) necessary measures of minimum safety and effectiveness;

(iii) estimated price for each dose or effective course of treatment regardless of dosage form; and

(iv) other information that may be necessary to encourage and facilitate research, development, and manufacture of the countermeasure or to provide specifications for the countermeasure.

If the President approves a proposal under subparagraph (A), the Homeland Security Secretary and the Secretary shall make known to persons who may respond to a call for the countermeasure involved—

(i) the call for the countermeasure;

(ii) specifications for the countermeasure under subparagraph (B); and

(iii) the commitment described in subparagraph (A)(ii).

(5) Secretary’s determination of countermeasures appropriate for funding from special reserve fund

(A) In general

The Secretary, in accordance with the provisions of this paragraph, shall identify specific security countermeasures that the Secretary determines, in consultation with the Homeland Security Secretary, to be appropriate for inclusion in the stockpile under subsection (a) of this section pursuant to procurements made with amounts in the special reserve fund under paragraph (10) (referred to in this subsection individually as a “procurement under this subsection”).

(B) Requirements

In making a determination under subparagraph (A) with respect to a security countermeasure, the Secretary shall determine and consider the following:

(i) The quantities of the product that will be needed to meet the stockpile needs.

(ii) The feasibility of production and delivery within eight years of sufficient quantities of the product.

(iii) Whether there is a lack of a significant commercial market for the product at the time of procurement, other than as a security countermeasure.

(6) Recommendation for President’s approval

(A) Recommendation for procurement

In the case of a security countermeasure that the Secretary has, in accordance with paragraphs (3) and (5), determined to be appropriate for procurement under this subsection, the Homeland Security Secretary and the Secretary shall jointly submit to the President, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, a recommendation that the special reserve fund under paragraph (10) be made available for the procurement of such countermeasure.

(B) Presidential approval

The special reserve fund under paragraph (10) is available for a procurement of a security countermeasure only if the President has approved a recommendation under subparagraph (A) regarding the countermeasure.

The Secretary and the Homeland Security Secretary shall notify the designated congressional committees of each decision of the President to approve a recommendation under subparagraph (A). Such notice shall include an explanation of the decision to make available the special reserve fund under paragraph (10) for procurement of such a countermeasure, including, where available, the number of, nature of, and other information concerning potential suppliers of such countermeasure, and whether other potential suppliers of the same or similar countermeasures were considered and rejected for procurement under this section and the reasons therefor.

(D) Subsequent specific countermeasures

Procurement under this subsection of a security countermeasure for a particular purpose does not preclude the subsequent procurement under this subsection of any other security countermeasure for such purpose if the Secretary has determined under paragraph (5)(A) that such countermeasure is appropriate for inclusion in the stockpile and if, as determined by the Secretary, such countermeasure provides improved safety or effectiveness, or for other reasons enhances preparedness to respond to threats of use of a biological, chemical, radiological, or nuclear agent. Such a determination by the Secretary is committed to agency discretion.

(E) Rule of construction

Recommendations and approvals under this paragraph apply solely to determinations that the special reserve fund under paragraph (10) will be made available for a procurement of a security countermeasure, and not to the substance of contracts for such procurement or other matters relating to awards of such contracts.

(7) Procurement

(A) In general

For purposes of a procurement under this subsection that is approved by the President under paragraph (6), the Homeland Security Secretary and the Secretary shall have responsibilities in accordance with subparagraphs (B) and (C).

(B) Interagency agreement; cost

The Homeland Security Secretary shall enter into an agreement with the Secretary for procurement of a security countermeasure in accordance with the provisions of this paragraph. The special reserve fund under paragraph (10) shall be available for payments made by the Secretary to a vendor for such procurement.

(i) In general The Secretary shall be responsible for—

(I) arranging for procurement of a security countermeasure, including negotiating terms (including quantity, production schedule, and price) of, and entering into, contracts and cooperative agreements, and for carrying out such other activities as may reasonably be required, in accordance with the provisions of this subparagraph; and

(II) promulgating such regulations as the Secretary determines necessary to implement the provisions of this subsection.

(ii) Contract terms A contract for procurements under this subsection shall (or, as specified below, may) include the following terms:

(I) Payment conditioned on delivery The contract shall provide that no payment may be made until delivery of a portion, acceptable to the Secretary, of the total number of units contracted for, except that, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the contract may provide that, if the Secretary determines (in the Secretary’s discretion) that an advance payment, partial payment for significant milestones, or payment to increase manufacturing capacity is necessary to ensure success of a project, the Secretary shall pay an amount, not to exceed 10 percent of the contract amount, in advance of delivery. The Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, make the determination of advance payment at the same time as the issuance of a solicitation. The contract shall provide that such advance payment is required to be repaid if there is a failure to perform by the vendor under the contract. The contract may also provide for additional advance payments of 5 percent each for meeting the milestones specified in such contract, except that such payments shall not exceed 50 percent of the total contract amount. If the specified milestones are reached, the advanced payments of 5 percent shall not be required to be repaid. Nothing in this subclause shall be construed as affecting the rights of vendors under provisions of law or regulation (including the Federal Acquisition Regulation) relating to the termination of contracts for the convenience of the Government.

(II) Discounted payment The contract may provide for a discounted price per unit of a product that is not licensed, cleared, or approved as described in paragraph (1)(B)(i)(III)(aa) at the time of delivery, and may provide for payment of an additional amount per unit if the product becomes so licensed, cleared, or approved before the expiration date of the contract (including an additional amount per unit of product delivered before the effective date of such licensing, clearance, or approval).

(III) Contract duration The contract shall be for a period not to exceed five years, except that, in first awarding the contract, the Secretary may provide for a longer duration, not exceeding eight years, if the Secretary determines that complexities or other difficulties in performance under the contract justify such a period. The contract shall be renewable for additional periods, none of which shall exceed five years.

(IV) Storage by vendor The contract may provide that the vendor will provide storage for stocks of a product delivered to the ownership of the Federal Government under the contract, for such period and under such terms and conditions as the Secretary may specify, and in such case amounts from the special reserve fund under paragraph (10) shall be available for costs of shipping, handling, storage, and related costs for such product.

(V) Product approval The contract shall provide that the vendor seek approval, clearance, or licensing of the product from the Secretary; for a timetable for the development of data and other information to support such approval, clearance, or licensing; and that the Secretary may waive part or all of this contract term on request of the vendor or on the initiative of the Secretary.

(VI) Non-stockpile transfers of security countermeasures The contract shall provide that the vendor will comply with all applicable export-related controls with respect to such countermeasure.

(VII) Sales exclusivity The contract may provide that the vendor is the exclusive supplier of the product to the Federal Government for a specified period of time, not to exceed the term of the contract, on the condition that the vendor is able to satisfy the needs of the Government. During the agreed period of sales exclusivity, the vendor shall not assign its rights of sales exclusivity to another entity or entities without approval by the Secretary. Such a sales exclusivity provision in such a contract shall constitute a valid basis for a sole source procurement under section 253 (c)(1) of title 41.

(VIII) Warm based surge capacity The contract may provide that the vendor establish domestic manufacturing capacity of the product to ensure that additional production of the product is available in the event that the Secretary determines that there is a need to quickly purchase additional quantities of the product. Such contract may provide a fee to the vendor for establishing and maintaining such capacity in excess of the initial requirement for the purchase of the product. Additionally, the cost of maintaining the domestic manufacturing capacity shall be an allowable and allocable direct cost of the contract.

(IX) Contract terms The Secretary, in any contract for procurement under this section, may specify—

(aa) the dosing and administration requirements for countermeasures to be developed and procured;

(bb) the amount of funding that will be dedicated by the Secretary for development and acquisition of the countermeasure; and

(cc) the specifications the countermeasure must meet to qualify for procurement under a contract under this section.

(iii) Availability of simplified acquisition procedures

(I) In general If the Secretary determines that there is a pressing need for a procurement of a specific countermeasure, the amount of the procurement under this subsection shall be deemed to be below the threshold amount specified in section 403 (11) of title 41, for purposes of application to such procurement, pursuant to section 252a (a) of title 41, of—

(aa) section 253 (g)(1)(A) of title 41 and its implementing regulations; and

(bb) section 252a (b) of title 41 and its implementing regulations.

(II) Application of certain provisions Notwithstanding subclause (I) and the provision of law and regulations referred to in such clause, each of the following provisions shall apply to procurements described in this clause to the same extent that such provisions would apply to such procurements in the absence of subclause (I):

(aa) Chapter 37 of title 40 (relating to contract work hours and safety standards).

(bb) Subsections (a) and (b) of section 57 of title 41.

(cc) Section 254d of title 41 (relating to the examination of contractor records).

(dd) Section 3131 of title 40 (relating to bonds of contractors of public buildings or works).

(ee) Subsection (a) of section 254 of title 41 (relating to contingent fees to middlemen).

(ff) Section 6962 of this title.

(gg) Section 1354 of title 31 (relating to the limitation on the use of appropriated funds for contracts with entities not meeting veterans employment reporting requirements).

(III) Internal controls to be established The Secretary shall establish appropriate internal controls for procurements made under this clause, including requirements with respect to documentation of the justification for the use of the authority provided under this paragraph with respect to the procurement involved.

(IV) Authority to limit competition In conducting a procurement under this subparagraph, the Secretary may not use the authority provided for under subclause (I) to conduct a procurement on a basis other than full and open competition unless the Secretary determines that the mission of the BioShield Program under the Project BioShield Act of 2004 would be seriously impaired without such a limitation.

(iv) Procedures other than full and open competition

(I) In general In using the authority provided in section 253 (c)(1) of title 41 to use procedures other than competitive procedures in the case of a procurement under this subsection, the phrase “available from only one responsible source” in such section 253 (c)(1) shall be deemed to mean “available from only one responsible source or only from a limited number of responsible sources”.

(II) Relation to other authorities The authority under subclause (I) is in addition to any other authority to use procedures other than competitive procedures.

(III) Applicable government-wide regulations The Secretary shall implement this clause in accordance with government-wide regulations implementing such section 253 (c)(1) (including requirements that offers be solicited from as many potential sources as is practicable under the circumstances, that required notices be published, and that submitted offers be considered), as such regulations apply to procurements for which an agency has authority to use procedures other than competitive procedures when the property or services needed by the agency are available from only one responsible source or only from a limited number of responsible sources and no other type of property or services will satisfy the needs of the agency.

(v) Premium provision in multiple award contracts

(I) In general If, under this subsection, the Secretary enters into contracts with more than one vendor to procure a security countermeasure, such Secretary may, notwithstanding any other provision of law, include in each of such contracts a provision that—

(aa) identifies an increment of the total quantity of security countermeasure required, whether by percentage or by numbers of units; and

(bb) promises to pay one or more specified premiums based on the priority of such vendors’ production and delivery of the increment identified under item (aa), in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract.

(II) Determination of Government’s requirement not reviewable If the Secretary includes in each of a set of contracts a provision as described in subclause (I), such Secretary’s determination of the total quantity of security countermeasure required, and any amendment of such determination, is committed to agency discretion.

(vi) Extension of closing date for receipt of proposals not reviewable A decision by the Secretary to extend the closing date for receipt of proposals for a procurement under this subsection is committed to agency discretion.

(vii) Limiting competition to sources responding to request for information In conducting a procurement under this subsection, the Secretary may exclude a source that has not responded to a request for information under section 253a (a)(1)(B) of title 41 if such request has given notice that the Secretary may so exclude such a source.

(8) Interagency cooperation

(A) In general

In carrying out activities under this section, the Homeland Security Secretary and the Secretary are authorized, subject to subparagraph (B), to enter into interagency agreements and other collaborative undertakings with other agencies of the United States Government. Such agreements may allow other executive agencies to order qualified and security countermeasures under procurement contracts or other agreements established by the Secretary. Such ordering process (including transfers of appropriated funds between an agency and the Department of Health and Human Services as reimbursements for such orders for countermeasures) may be conducted under the authority of section 1535 of title 31, except that all such orders shall be processed under the terms established under this subsection for the procurement of countermeasures.

(B) Limitation

An agreement or undertaking under this paragraph shall not authorize another agency to exercise the authorities provided by this section to the Homeland Security Secretary or to the Secretary.

(9) Restrictions on use of funds

Amounts in the special reserve fund under paragraph (10) shall not be used to pay—

(A) costs for the purchase of vaccines under procurement contracts entered into before July 21, 2004; or

(B) costs other than payments made by the Secretary to a vendor for a procurement of a security countermeasure under paragraph (7).

(10) Definitions

(A) Special reserve fund

For purposes of this subsection, the term “special reserve fund” has the meaning given such term in section 510 ^[1] of the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

(B) Designated congressional committees

For purposes of this section, the term “designated congressional committees” means the following committees of the Congress:

(i) In the House of Representatives: the Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Government Reform, and the Select Committee on Homeland Security (or any successor to the Select Committee).

(ii) In the Senate: the appropriate committees.

(d) Disclosures

No Federal agency shall disclose under section 552 of title 5 any information identifying the location at which materials in the stockpile under subsection (a) of this section are stored.

(e) Definition

For purposes of subsection (a) of this section, the term “stockpile” includes—

(1) a physical accumulation (at one or more locations) of the supplies described in subsection (a) of this section; or

(2) a contractual agreement between the Secretary and a vendor or vendors under which such vendor or vendors agree to provide to such Secretary supplies described in subsection (a) of this section.

(f) Authorization of appropriations

(1) Strategic National Stockpile

For the purpose of carrying out subsection (a) of this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $640,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2003 through 2006. Such authorization is in addition to amounts in the special reserve fund referred to in subsection (c)(10)(A) of this section.

(2) Smallpox vaccine development

For the purpose of carrying out subsection (b) of this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $509,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2003 through 2006.

[1] See References in Text note below.

U.S. Code

§ 247d-6b. Strategic National Stockpile and security countermeasure procurements