The conference on the bill will have to address substantial differences affecting contracting out and base closings. The House’s version would require DoD to perform formal cost studies before contracting-out on new functions and on functions employing 10 or more workers and would require studies of whether certain work already out on contract should be brought back in-house. The House version also imposes a series of reporting requirements on base closings that in sum would delay by two years the process that currently is on track to produce a recommended set of closings next year. The White House has threatened to veto the measure if the final version adopts the House provisions on those two issues.