# Defense Industry Pricing Transparency Act

This bill requires defense contractors to report when they're charging the military significantly more for products or services than what was originally agreed to in their contract. Essentially, it's designed to catch and flag price gouging in military procurement before taxpayer money gets wasted.

Here's how it works: If a contractor realizes their costs are going to push the final price up by 25 percent or more compared to what they bid, they have to tell the government within 30 days. The threshold also applies if the price exceeds what the military paid for the same item in the previous year, or if it jumps 50 percent above what was paid anytime in the five years before the contract started. Think of it like this—if a contractor bid $100 for a part but now realizes they need to charge $125 or more, they have to report it.

The bill creates consequences for contractors who don't report these price increases. If a company fails to submit the required report, that information gets added to a federal database that tracks contractor performance and integrity. This public record would include details about the company, the product, the cost, and when the order was placed. Future government agencies would see this mark against the contractor when deciding whether to do business with them again.

This applies specifically to non-competitive contracts—situations where the government awards work to a single contractor without opening it up to bidding. These are the contracts most vulnerable to price increases since there's no competition to keep prices in check. By requiring transparency and creating a record of non-compliance, the bill aims to discourage contractors from quietly inflating prices and encourage them to be upfront about cost problems early on.