Return to Article: Industry group urges flexibility in emergency contracting
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I have worked in Acquisition Contracting for 30 years and there is no reason that small business and social economic business can not participate in the contracting effort during disasters. The U.S. government uses a system already for a time of war to gear up manufacturers to supply supplies to the military. The U.S. government also has an Industrial base group that oversees and assures that certain companies maintain their capability, that these companies are still viable year to year, and that needed supplies are fast tracked along with payment and financial help if these companies need it.
This system can be used as well for maintaining assurances that business small or large, social economic, etc. continuously maintain their capabilities for emergency. The system can be adapted for emergency relief within the U.S. The same group or another can identify, establish capability, and assure financial competency and fast track need assistance to these companies during emergencies with the borders of the U.S. There is a need to combine disasters within the borders of the U.S. with war efforts outside of the U.S. borders.
Combining emergencies within the U.S. with wartime procurement is like demonstrating that chemical weapons existed in Iraq. It helps to give weight to the argument but a distinction should be made between the two. Acquisition during wartime has a fast track and without the checks more taxpayer dollars can be distributed to contractors without oversight. It is being discovered just now that the lack of surveillance in acquisition contracting has helped to lead to abuse of billions of tax payer dollars in Iraq.
The acquisition system is always improving that is why the agencies and offices subscribe to meeting the Malcolm Baldridge criteria. The improvements will help to increase payments as well as increase oversight but the changes that are being discussed presently will provide a massive funnel of dollars to corporations without proper oversight protection for the public.
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