Procurement reform effort hurt by Senate earmarks fight
Democrats dropped a package of Defense authorization bill amendments that included provisions to enhance contract competition and oversight.
Industry groups trying to weaken the impact of acquisition-reform provisions Democrats hope to include in the fiscal 2009 defense authorization bill have a stronger hand after a fight over earmarks led Democrats to leave a massive package of amendments out of the Senate version of the policy measure, lobbyists and staffers said.
A move to block an anti-earmark amendment offered by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., caused Senate Democrats to drop a manager's package of amendments, including several aimed at increasing oversight and competition in federal contracting.
One of those amendments, offered by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., and ranking member Susan Collins, R-Maine, includes much of a Senate-passed bill that includes various provisions to boost competition on federal contracts and increase the acquisition workforce.
Senate aides said sponsors hope much of the Collins-Lieberman amendment will still become law because many of the provisions are also included in an amendment attached to the House's defense authorization bill. But lobbyists for contractor groups said elimination of the Senate amendments will help them to pare down in conference negotiations many proposed reforms they believe would be ineffective and costly for industry.
"This makes it much easier," said an official representing a contractor trade group.