; and provision of feasible technical alternatives, including innovative commercially available alternatives, to meet capability needs. (b) Mechanisms To carry out requirement The Under Secretary for Management shall coordinate the actions necessary to carry out subsection (a), using such mechanisms as considered necessary by the Secretary to help the Department reduce unnecessary duplication and inefficiency for all Department investments, including major acquisition programs. (c) Coordination In coordinating the actions necessary to carry out subsection (a), the Deputy Secretary shall consult with the Under Secretary for Management, Component Acquisition Executives, and any other Department officials, including the Under Secretary for Science and Technology or his designee, with specific knowledge of Department or component acquisition capabilities to prevent unnecessary duplication of requirements. (d) Advisors The Deputy Secretary, in consultation with the Under Secretary for Management, shall seek and consider input within legal and ethical boundaries from members of Federal, State, local, and tribal governments, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector, as appropriate, on matters within their authority and expertise in carrying out the Department’s mission. (e) Meetings The Deputy Secretary, in consultation with the Under Secretary for Management, shall meet at least quarterly and communicate with components often to ensure that components do not overlap or duplicate spending or activities on major investments and acquisition programs within their areas of responsibility. (f) Responsibilities In carrying out this section, the responsibilities of the Deputy Secretary, in consultation with the Under Secretary for Management, are as follows: (1) To review and validate the requirements documents of major investments and acquisition programs prior to acquisition decision events of the investments or programs. (2) To ensure the requirements and scope of a major investment or acquisition program are stable,