New Bill Promises Businesses “Freedom” from Competition with Government
A new bill introduced in both chambers of Congress, The Freedom from Government Competition Act, would require federal agencies “to rely on the private sector when providing goods and services that are readily available.” The bill, according to sponsors Sen. John Thune (R-SD) and John J. “Jimmy” Duncan (R-TN), “would ensure private enterprises that provide services that are replicated by the federal government have the ability to compete for the opportunity to deliver those federally provided services.”
Should States Adopt “Buy American” Policies?
Jim McMullen, CEO of Coach & Equipment Manufacturing Corp., and Dan Maloney, president of the Rochester and Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation AFL-CIO, have co-written an essay in support of a movement in New York for the state government to “Buy American.” The two write that a Buy American bill has bipartisan support in the legislature, and is included in the governor’s current budget proposal. The governor’s plan would require all state entities to purchase products made in the USA for all contracts and procurement over $100,000.
Planning Backwards and Thinking Ahead
Richard Pennington, author of Seeing Excellence: Learning from Great Procurement Teams, writes in Government Procurement magazine talks about cooperative purchasing organizations that have helped various governments improve their procurement functions. He discusses the notion of “planning backwards”—starting at an objective and then assembling a plan based on what steps are needed to achieve that objective—and “thinking ahead,” communicating at each step so the next team will know the details of the program’s progress.
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