(3) The contractor or subcontractor retains the original records for a minimum of one year after imaging to permit periodic validation of the imaging systems.

(i) RECORDS DEFINED.-In this section, the term "records" includes books, documents, accounting procedures and practices, and other data, regardless of type and regardless of whether such items are in written form, in the form of computer data, or in any other form.

SEC. 305. [41 U.S.C. 255] CONTRACT FINANCING. 12

(a) PAYMENT AUTHORITY.-Any executive agency may

(1) make advance, partial, progress or other payments under contracts of property or services made by the agency; and

(2) insert in solicitations for procurement of property or services a provision limiting to small business concerns advance or progress payments.

(b) PERFORMANCE-BASED PAYMENTS.-Whenever practicable, payments under subsection (a) shall be made on any of the following bases:

(1) Performance measured by objective, quantifiable methods such as delivery of acceptable items, work measurement, or statistical process controls.

(2) Accomplishment of events defined in the program management plan.

(3) Other quantifiable measures of results.

(c) PAYMENT AMOUNT.-Payments made under subsection (a) may not exceed the unpaid contract price.

(d) SECURITY FOR ADVANCE PAYMENTS.-Advance payments under subsection (a) may be made only upon adequate security and a determination by the agency head that to do so would be in the public interest. Such security may be in the form of a lien in favor of the Government on the property contracted for, on the balance in an account in which such payments are deposited, and on such of the property acquired for performance of the contract as the parties may agree. This lien shall be paramount to all other liens and is effective immediately upon the first advancement of funds without filing, notice, or any other action by the United States.

(e) CONDITIONS FOR PROGRESS PAYMENTS.-(1) The executive agency shall ensure that any payment for work in progress (including materials, labor, and other items) under a contract of an executive agency that provides for such payments is commensurate with the work accomplished that meets standards established under the contract. The contractor shall provide such information and evidence as the executive agency determines necessary to permit the executive agency to carry out the preceding sentence.

(2) The executive agency shall ensure that progress payments referred to in paragraph (1) are not made for more than 80 percent

12 Section 2051(f) of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 (P.L. 103–355; 108 Stat. 3306) provides:

(1) RELATIONSHIP TO PROMPT PAYMENT REQUIREMENTS.-The amendments made by this sec tion [section 2051 of P.L. 103-355, amending section 305] are not intended to impair or modify procedures required by the provisions of chapter 39 of title 31, United States Code, and the regulations issued pursuant to such provisions of law (as such procedures are in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 13, 1994]), except that the Government may accept payment terms offered by a contractor offering a commercial item.

of the work accomplished under the contract so long as the executive agency has not made the contractual terms, specifications, and price definite.

(3) This subsection applies to any contract in an amount greater than $25,000.

(f) CONDITIONS FOR PAYMENTS FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS.-(1) Payments under subsection (a) for commercial items may be made under such terms and conditions as the head of the executive agency determines are appropriate or customary in the commercial marketplace and are in the best interests of the United States. The head of the executive agency shall obtain adequate security for such payments. If the security is in the form of a lien in favor of the United States, such lien is paramount to all other liens and is effective immediately upon the first payment, without filing, notice, or other action by the United States.

(2) Advance payments made under subsection (a) for commercial items may include payments, in a total amount of not more than 15 percent of the contract price, in advance of any performance of work under the contract.

(3) The conditions of subsections (d) and (e) need not be applied if they would be inconsistent, as determined by the head of the executive agency, with commercial terms and conditions pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2).

(g) ACTION IN CASE OF FRAUD.-(1) In any case in which the remedy coordination official of an executive agency finds that there is substantial evidence that the request of a contractor for advance, partial, or progress payment under a contract awarded by that executive agency is based on fraud, the remedy coordination official shall recommend that the executive agency reduce or suspend further payments to such contractor.

(2) The head of an executive agency receiving a recommendation under paragraph (1) in the case of a contractor's request for payment under a contract shall determine whether there is substantial evidence that the request is based on fraud. Upon making such a determination, the head of the executive agency may reduce or suspend further payments to the contractor under such contract. (3) The extent of any reduction or suspension of payments by an executive agency under paragraph (2) on the basis of fraud shall be reasonably commensurate with the anticipated loss to the United States resulting from the fraud.

(4) A written justification for each decision of the head of an executive agency whether to reduce or suspend payments under paragraph (2), and for each recommendation received by the executive agency in connection with such decision, shall be prepared and be retained in the files of the executive agency.

(5) The head of each executive agency shall prescribe procedures to ensure that, before the head of the executive agency decides to reduce or suspend payments in the case of a contractor under paragraph (2), the contractor is afforded notice of the proposed reduction or suspension and an opportunity to submit matters to the executive agency in response to such proposed reduction or suspension.

(6) Not later than 180 days after the date on which the head of an executive agency reduces or suspends payments to a contrac

tor under paragraph (2), the remedy coordination official of the executive agency shall

(A) review the determination of fraud on which the reduction or suspension is based; and

(B) transmit a recommendation to the head of such executive agency whether the suspension or reduction should continue.

(7) The head of each executive agency who receives recommendations made by a remedy coordination official of the executive agency to reduce or suspend payments under paragraph (2) during a fiscal year shall prepare for such year a report that contains the recommendations, the actions taken on the recommendations and the reasons for such actions, and an assessment of the effects of such actions on the Federal Government. Any such report shall be available to any Member of Congress upon request.

(8) The head of an executive agency may not delegate responsibilities under this subsection to any person in a position below level IV of the Executive Schedule.

(9) In this subsection, the term "remedy coordination official", with respect to an executive agency, means the person or entity in that executive agency who coordinates within that executive agency the administration of criminal, civil, administrative, and contractual remedies resulting from investigations of fraud or corruption related to procurement activities.

SEC. 306. [41 U.S.C. 256] ALLOWABLE COSTS. 13

(a) INDIRECT COST THAT VIOLATES A FAR COST PRINCIPLE.An executive agency shall require that a covered contract provide that if the contractor submits to the executive agency a proposal for settlement of indirect costs incurred by the contractor for any period after such costs have been accrued and if that proposal includes the submission of a cost which is unallowable because the cost violates a cost principle in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (referred to in section 25(c)(1) of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 421(c)(1)) or an executive agency supplement to the Federal Acquisition Regulation, the cost shall be disallowed. (b) PENALTY FOR VIOLATION OF COST PRINCIPLE.-(1) If the executive agency determines that a cost submitted by a contractor in its proposal for settlement is expressly unallowable under a cost principle referred to in subsection (a) that defines the allowability of specific selected costs, the executive agency shall assess a penalty against the contractor in an amount equal to

(A) the amount of the disallowed cost allocated to covered contracts for which a proposal for settlement of indirect costs has been submitted; plus

(B) interest (to be computed based on provisions in the Federal Acquisition Regulation) to compensate the United States for the use of any funds which a contractor has been paid in excess of the amount to which the contractor was entitled.

13 For a provision on the revision of the cost principle relating to entertainment, gift, and recreation costs for contractor employees, see section 2192 of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 (P.L. 103–355; 108 Stat. 3315), set forth beginning on page 450.

(2) If the executive agency determines that a proposal for settlement of indirect costs submitted by a contractor includes a cost determined to be unallowable in the case of such contractor before the submission of such proposal, the executive agency shall assess a penalty against the contractor in an amount equal to two times the amount of the disallowed cost allocated to covered contracts for which a proposal for settlement of indirect costs has been submitted.

(c) WAIVER OF PENALTY.-The Federal Acquisition Regulation shall provide for a penalty under subsection (b) to be waived in the case of a contractor's proposal for settlement of indirect costs when

(1) the contractor withdraws the proposal before the formal initiation of an audit of the proposal by the Federal Government and resubmits a revised proposal;

(2) the amount of unallowable costs subject to the penalty is insignificant; or

(3) the contractor demonstrates, to the contracting officer's satisfaction, that—

(A) it has established appropriate policies and personnel training and an internal control and review system that provide assurances that unallowable costs subject to penalties are precluded from being included in the contractor's proposal for settlement of indirect costs; and

(B) the unallowable costs subject to the penalty were inadvertently incorporated into the proposal.

(d) APPLICABILITY OF CONTRACT DISPUTES PROCEDURE TO DISALLOWANCE OF COST AND ASSESSMENT OF PENALTY.-An action of an executive agency under subsection (a) or (b)—

(1) shall be considered a final decision for the purposes of section 6 of the Contract Disputes Act of 1978 (41 U.S.C. 605); and

(2) is appealable in the manner provided in section 7 of such Act (41 U.S.C. 606).

(e) SPECIFIC COSTS NOT ALLOWABLE. (1) The following costs are not allowable under a covered contract:

(A) Costs of entertainment, including amusement, diversion, and social activities, and any costs directly associated with such costs (such as tickets to shows or sports events, meals, lodging, rentals, transportation, and gratuities).

(B) Costs incurred to influence (directly or indirectly) legislative action on any matter pending before Congress, a State legislature, or a legislative body of a political subdivision of a State.

(C) Costs incurred in defense of any civil or criminal fraud proceeding or similar proceeding (including filing of any false certification) brought by the United States where the contractor is found liable or had pleaded nolo contendere to a charge of fraud or similar proceeding (including filing of a false certification).

(D) Payments of fines and penalties resulting from violations of, or failure to comply with, Federal, State, local, or foreign laws and regulations, except when incurred as a result of compliance with specific terms and conditions of the contract

or specific written instructions from the contracting officer authorizing in advance such payments in accordance with applicable provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

(E) Costs of membership in any social, dining, or country club or organization.

(F) Costs of alcoholic beverages.

(G) Contributions or donations, regardless of the recipient. (H) Costs of advertising designed to promote the contractor or its products.

(I) Costs of promotional items and memorabilia, including models, gifts, and souvenirs.

(J) Costs for travel by commercial aircraft which exceed the amount of the standard commercial fare.

(K) Costs incurred in making any payment (commonly known as a "golden parachute payment") which is

(i) in an amount in excess of the normal severance pay paid by the contractor to an employee upon termination of employment; and

(ii) is paid to the employee contingent upon, and following, a change in management control over, or ownership of, the contractor or a substantial portion of the contractor's assets.

(L) Costs of commercial insurance that protects against the costs of the contractor for correction of the contractor's own defects in materials or workmanship.

(M) Costs of severance pay paid by the contractor to foreign nationals employed by the contractor under a service contract performed outside the United States, to the extent that the amount of severance pay paid in any case exceeds the amount paid in the industry involved under the customary or prevailing practice for firms in that industry providing similar services in the United States, as determined under the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

(N) Costs of severance pay paid by the contractor to a foreign national employed by the contractor under a service contract performed in a foreign country if the termination of the employment of the foreign national is the result of the closing of, or the curtailment of activities at, a United States facility in that country at the request of the government of that country.

(0) Costs incurred by a contractor in connection with any criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding commenced by the United States or a State, to the extent provided in subsection (k).

(2)(A) Pursuant to the Federal Acquisition Regulation and subject to the availability of appropriations, an executive agency, in awarding a covered contract, may waive the application of the provisions of paragraphs (1)(M) and (1)(N) to that contract if the executive agency determines that

(i) the application of such provisions to the contract would adversely affect the continuation of a program, project, or activity that provides significant support services for employees of the executive agency posted outside the United States;

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