Norton Introduces Bill to Tighten Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Contracting Process

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a bill to require the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) to comply with the Federal Acquisition Regulations, the set of rules that governs every aspect of the acquisition process for virtually every federal executive branch agency. Norton's bill was motivated by a recent report from the Department of Transportation (DOT) Inspector General that found significant problems with MWAA's contracting policies and procedures, pointing to the need for substantial reform in MWAA's acquisition process.

"MWAA's lack of transparency and competition on contracts is troubling," Norton said. "The airports authority is responsible for a significant amount of taxpayer money, and their current procurement procedures are inadequate. Instead of reinventing the wheel, my bill requires MWAA to use the very thorough and time-tested Federal Acquisition Regulations, which provides legal guidelines for every aspect of procurement and maximizes fairness and transparency."

MWAA was created by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Act of 1986 and a compact between the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Virginia. It manages Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport under a lease with the DOT and employs more than 1,400 people. MWAA is also responsible for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail project, which will cost an estimated $5.8 billion, $977 million of which is federal money.

Published: November 15, 2012