§2459g. Requirement for independent cost analysis

(a) Requirement

Before any funds may be obligated for implementation of a project that is projected to cost more than $250,000,000 in total project costs, the Administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall conduct and consider an independent life-cycle cost analysis of such project and shall report the results to Congress. In developing cost accounting and reporting standards for carrying out this section, the Administrator shall, to the extent practicable and consistent with other laws, solicit the advice of expertise outside of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

(b) Implementation defined

In this section, the term "implementation" means all activity in the life cycle of a project after preliminary design, independent assessment of the preliminary design, and approval to proceed into implementation, including critical design, development, certification, launch, operations, disposal of assets, and, for technology programs, development, testing, analysis, and communication of the results.

( Pub. L. 106–391, title III, §301, Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1591 ; Pub. L. 109–155, title VII, §704, Dec. 30, 2005, 119 Stat. 2936 .)

Codification

Section was enacted as part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2000, and not as part of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 which is classified principally to this chapter.

Amendments

2005-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 109–155, §704(1)–(4), substituted "implementation" for "Phase B" and "$250,000,000" for "$150,000,000", substituted "Administrator" for "Chief Financial Officer" in two places, and inserted "and consider" after "shall conduct".

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 109–155, §704(5), added subsec. (b) and struck out heading and text of former subsec. (b). Text read as follows: "For purposes of this section, the term 'Phase B' means the latter stages of project formulation, during which the final definition of a project is carried out and before project implementation (which includes the Design, Development, and Operations Phases) begins."