{
  "id": "ACQ-23",
  "category": "Research workforce",
  "capability": "Contract directly for university students’ temporary technical services",
  "summary": "Obtain temporary/intermittent student technical support for defense R&D laboratories, directly or through nonprofit employers.",
  "legal_basis": [
    {
      "citation": "10 U.S.C. §4143",
      "url": "https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title10-section4143&num=0&edition=prelim",
      "kind": "statute",
      "note": "Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative."
    }
  ],
  "authority_holder": "Secretary of Defense",
  "actor_chain": {
    "planner": [
      "Laboratory technical manager"
    ],
    "resource_owner": [
      "Laboratory research budget owner"
    ],
    "approver": [
      "Authorized agency contracting official under Secretary of Defense regulations/delegation"
    ],
    "executor": [
      "Laboratory and student or nonprofit employing students"
    ],
    "partners": [
      "University; laboratory HR/counsel"
    ]
  },
  "actor_sources": [
    {
      "title": "10 U.S.C. §4143 — statutory actor assignment",
      "url": "https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title10-section4143&num=0&edition=prelim"
    }
  ],
  "requirements": [
    "Student and institution meet implementing definitions; services are technical support at defense R&D laboratory."
  ],
  "limits": [
    "Specified workers-compensation and tort-claims employee status only; not general federal employee status.",
    "Not an unrestricted personal-services contract exception for all professionals."
  ],
  "funding": [
    "Expressly subject to appropriations for this purpose."
  ],
  "coordination_path": "Lab identifies time-limited support → student/nonprofit eligibility → contracting office → lab supervision and liability review.",
  "availability": "Express statutory pathway; award-specific appropriations, available balances, delegations, implementation and approvals not independently verified.",
  "confidence": "High on express authority and cited conditions; execution assignment is illustrative unless statute expressly names it.",
  "currentness": "GovInfo 2024 Code (includes FY2025 NDAA, P.L. 118-159) read in full for cited provision; targeted FY2026 NDAA P.L. 119-60 amendment/repeal sweep. No claim of complete legislative currency through 2026-10-02; remaining 2026 delta needs counsel validation.",
  "family": "Workforce and expertise",
  "mechanisms": [
    "Contracts & purchases"
  ],
  "goal_ids": [
    "develop-technology"
  ],
  "office_links": [
    {
      "office_id": "secretary-deputy-secretary",
      "role": "approver",
      "label": "Authorized agency contracting official under Secretary of Defense regulations/delegation"
    }
  ]
}