Contractors call for less partisan rhetoric, more substance

Organizations representing federal contractors say they are eagerly watching the presidential and congressional transitions in hopes that new leaders will appoint experienced and competent procurement professionals and create a more collaborative environment.

While President-elect Barack Obama laid out a number of acquisition-related positions on the campaign trail, contracting leaders say his choice of an acquisition team will be the first real indication of his dedication to contracting management.

Larry Allen, president of the Coalition for Government Procurement, noted that there are a number of procurement specialists with Democratic bona fides, extensive experience and common sense.

"It would be good to see those people put forth for key positions, because that would be an indication that the new administration understands the need to manage effectively," Allen said. "On the other hand, if the names that are picked are not broadly known and not from in the community that would be a concern, potentially."

Stan Soloway, president of the Professional Services Counsel, said an effective relationship with talented acquisition leaders would help make the government a smarter customer.

"People complain about the kind of 'gotcha' environment on the Hill, but with some exceptions there has not been the strongest acquisition leadership across government," Soloway said. "The signal is sent from [appointees] and how they approach both their workforce and the challenges they face."

Obama's campaign discussion of transparency and ethics has led contractors to expect a greater focus on doing business with firms that are good corporate citizens. This might mean that in some cases, the administration will look at behavior peripheral to the project at hand, such as compliance with federal tax and environmental law and equal employment opportunity regulations, Allen said.

"I think our members would prefer to have their performance graded on the actual performance of their contracts, rather than things they themselves have absolutely no control over when the larger company may be having issues," Allen said.

Allen and Soloway expect to see mixed results from the new Democratic Congress. Contractor oversight has been extensive during the past two years, with both Senate and House committees holding numerous hearings to grill administration officials and private sector executives on high-profile instances of procurement waste, fraud and abuse. Lawmakers passed sweeping contracting reforms, independently and as part of authorization bills, despite concerns voiced by industry.

"Congress was not inhibited this year much in terms of what it wanted to do legislatively in the realm of government contracting," Allen said. "I think one of the things we'd be looking to talk to the Hill about is giving that stuff an opportunity to be digested and implemented before you heap significant new initiatives on us."

Soloway said one of his greatest aspirations for the new congressional environment is doing away with partisan rhetoric and paying more attention to substantive solutions.

"Hopefully you won't have a Congress that's challenging an administration so there's some hope we'll see a different nature of conversation on the Hill, but I wouldn't expect less conversation," he said.

The industry representatives said perhaps most of all, they would like the Obama administration and the 111th Congress to listen to them and let them in on the decision-making process.

"Contractors are stakeholders in the successful execution of government acquisition … and as such you would hope they would be able to have a voice and a seat at any discussion that will impact the government acquisition structure," Allen said.