H.R. 7054: To require the Secretary of State to submit to Congress a notification of certain construction projects using nonstandard designs.

This bill requires the Secretary of State to inform Congress about certain construction projects that use nonstandard designs for U.S. embassies and consulates. Here’s a breakdown of the key provisions:

Notification Requirements

Before funds can be allocated for a project that utilizes a nonstandard design, the Secretary of State must notify specific congressional committees at least 15 days in advance. This notification must include:

• A comparison of the estimated full lifecycle cost of the project with that of a similar project built using a standard design.
• A comparison of the estimated completion date for the nonstandard project with that of a standard design project.
• A comparison of the security features of the nonstandard project and a standard design project.
• A justification for choosing a nonstandard design over a standard design.
• Documentation supporting the above information, or a reason if such documentation cannot be provided.

General Guidance

The bill expresses that it is the sense of Congress that the Department of State should aim to standardize construction designs for new embassies and consulates as much as possible. This means that customization should be minimized to make construction more efficient and predictable.

Definitions

The bill defines:

• **Appropriate congressional committees**: This includes the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
• **Covered project**: This term refers to projects involving the construction of new U.S. embassy or consulate compounds. It also encompasses projects that may be in the design or pre-design phases at the time the bill is enacted.

Purpose

The primary purpose of this bill is to enhance oversight and accountability for construction projects using nonstandard designs, ensuring that Congress is informed of the potential implications in terms of cost, completion times, and security risks.

Relevant Companies

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