§ 2885 — Oversight And Accountability For Privatization Projects

(a) Each Secretary concerned shall prescribe regulations to effectively oversee and manage military housing privatization projects carried out under this subchapter during the course of the construction or renovation of the housing units. The regulations shall include the following requirements for each privatization project: (1) The installation asset manager shall conduct monthly site visits and provide quarterly reports on the progress of the construction or renovation of the housing units. The reports shall be submitted quarterly to the assistant secretary for installations and environment of the respective military department. (2) The installation asset manager, and, as applicable, the resident construction manager, privatization asset manager, bondholder representative, project owner, developer, general contractor, and construction consultant for the project shall conduct meetings to ensure that the construction or renovation of the units meets performance and schedule requirements and that appropriate operating and ground lease agreements are in place and adhered to. (3) In the case of a project for new construction, if the project is 90 days or more behind schedule or otherwise appears to be substantially failing to adhere to the obligations or milestones under the contract, the assistant secretary for installations and environment of the respective military department shall submit a notice of deficiency to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment, the Secretary concerned, the managing member, and the trustee for the project. (A) Not later than 15 days after the submittal of a notice of deficiency under paragraph (3), the Secretary concerned or designated representative shall submit to the project owner, developer, or general contractor responsible for the project a summary of deficiencies related to the project. (B) If the project owner, developer, or general contractor responsible for the privatization project is unable, within 60 days after receiving a notice of deficiency under subparagraph (A), to make progress on the issues outlined in such notice, the Secretary concerned shall notify, in an electronic medium pursuant to section 480 of this title, the congressional defense committees of the status of the project and include a recommended course of action to correct the problems. (b) The Secretary concerned or designated representative shall ensure that the project owner, developer, or general contractor that is selected for each military housing privatization initiative project has construction experience commensurate with that required to complete the project. (c) The Secretary concerned shall ensure that the project owner, developer, or general contractor responsible for a military housing privatization initiative project has sufficient payment and performance bonds or suitable instruments in place for each phase of a construction or renovation portion of the project to ensure successful completion of the work in amounts as agreed to in the project’s legal documents, but in no case less than 50 percent of the total value of the active phases of the project, prior to the commencement of work for that phase. (d) In the event a military housing privatization initiative project enters into default, the assistant secretary for installations and environment of the respective military department shall submit, in an electronic medium pursuant to section 480 of this title, a report to the congressional defense committees every 90 days detailing the status of negotiations to award the project to a new project owner, developer, or general contractor. (1) The Secretary concerned shall keep a record of all plans of action or notices of deficiency issued to a project owner, developer, or general contractor under subsection (a)(4), including the identity of each parent, subsidiary, affiliate, or other controlling entity of such owner, developer, or contractor. (2) Each military department shall consult all records maintained under paragraph (1) when reviewing the past performance of owners, developers, and contractors in the bidding process for a contract or other agreement for a military housing privatization initiative project. (1) The regulations required by subsection (a) shall address the following requirements for each military housing privatization project upon the completion of the construction or renovation of the housing units: (A) The financial health and performance of the privatization project, including the debt-coverage ratio of the project and occupancy rates for the housing units. (B) An assessment of the backlog of maintenance and repair of the housing units. (2) If the debt service coverage for a military housing privatization project falls below 1.0 or the occupancy rates for the housing units of the project are below 75 percent for more than one year, the Secretary concerned shall require the development of a plan to address the financial risk of the project.