FLASH Act of 2025

This bill significantly expands the procurement authorities of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) under the Public Health Service Act. It permits BARDA to award follow-on production contracts or transactions to participants who successfully developed prototypes, bypassing new competitive procedures if the initial selection was competitive. Furthermore, the bill authorizes the Secretary to procure medical countermeasures and other supplies for experimental or test purposes using noncompetitive procedures, streamlining the development process for national public health and security needs. The legislation also introduces a new mechanism for acquiring innovative commercial products and services through a competitive selection process involving general solicitations and peer review. This method is considered competitive, but contracts exceeding $100,000,000 require a written determination of efficacy and must be fixed-price. For such high-value contracts, congressional committees must be notified within 45 days, detailing the product, need, amount, and contractor, ensuring transparency and oversight in these expedited acquisitions.