Federal Contracting Associations Ask White House to Halt Contractor Executive Actions

Washington, D.C., August 11, 2015—Four federal contracting trade associations asked senior White House advisors for relief from the flow of federal contractor-focused executive actions, in a letter released today.

Citing unsustainable compliance costs and continuing federal budget uncertainty, the presidents of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), the Professional Services Council (PSC), and the IT Alliance for Public Sector (ITAPS), wrote to White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett requesting that “no further presidential directives primarily focused on government contractors be issued for the foreseeable future.”

Since 2009, the White House has issued 12 contractor-focused executive orders that have led to 16 new regulations, adding thousands of pages of new requirements to an already complex federal acquisition system, which contractors must navigate. The associations are anticipating one or more executive orders this year, with possibly more to follow before the end of the administration. While the associations have supported some of the orders, and suggested changes to make others more workable, in the joint letter they write, “the net effect has been to significantly increase the costs of doing business with the government.”

Continue reading at http://www.pscouncil.org/News2/NewsReleases/2015/Federal_Contracting_Associations_Ask_White_House_to_Halt_Contractor_Executive_Actions.aspx.