Blog · Acquisition Policy

Other Transaction Awards Are Headed to USAspending.gov

Chris A. Grable · July 24, 2026

Update, 31 October 2026: the bill became law. The Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025, H.R. 2069, was enacted as Public Law 119-106 on 11 September 2026. It adds other transaction agreements to the awards reported under the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, gives the Secretary of the Treasury three years to have OT data transmitted automatically to USAspending.gov with a centralized view, and requires an annual report on federal spending not posted to the site, starting within one year. The account below is the July status.

Other transaction agreements have sat outside the USAspending.gov reporting that covers conventional contracts, although some OT data is reported through other systems. The House has now passed a bill to close that gap, and the Senate passed its own version in June.

What the Stop Secret Spending Act would change

The Stop Secret Spending Act would require federal agencies to include other transaction agreements among the awards posted on USAspending.gov. Reps. Barry Moore (R-Ala.) and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) introduced the House version, which passed by voice vote. A Senate companion led by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) cleared that chamber in June and went to the House, according to Nextgov/FCW. Neither version was law at that point.

The OT pathway has grown substantially in dollar volume. Putting those awards on the same public site as conventional contracts would give them the same visibility.

Who reads a public OT record

A searchable award tells competitors who won and from which command, shows companies looking for a prime who already holds work in their area, and lets anyone study whom a command actually buys from. UDC recommends that OT holders and pursuers plan on that visibility now. The record that shows a competitor your win also shows a potential partner that you exist.

The three other bills that moved the same week

All four passed the House under suspension of the rules, per the same report:

• Value over Cost Act (Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla.): lets GSA award on best value rather than lowest cost. Passed 421 to 1.
• Ensuring Federal Purchasing Efficiency Act (Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas): has the FAR Council adjust certain acquisition dollar thresholds for inflation every three years rather than every five. Passed by voice vote.
• Federal Improvement in Technology Procurement Act (Reps. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., and Eric Burlison, R-Mo.): modernizes technology buying rules, lifts small purchase thresholds and overhauls acquisition training. Passed by voice vote.