Federal employees are urging Congress to block proposals to speed up the DOD acquisition process by cutting red tape.
“[I]f these changes were implemented, they would compound the effects of previous misguided ‘reform’ and result in large unnecessary costs,” American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) National President David Cox wrote in a March 15 letter to Congress. “This would, while increasing contracting profits, predictably decrease funds that otherwise could have been targeted toward compelling needs such as military readiness, support to uniformed volunteers and their families, and the replacement of aging war-fighting equipment.”
AFGE has 700,000 members, including 300,000 DOD employees.
At question are the recommendations from the Section 809 panel tasked by Congress to review the contracting process, which Pentagon leaders say is often too slow.
“[To] obtain and maintain technological dominance over our near-peer competitors … will require DoD to become smarter on private-sector pricing practices, conducting market research, and understanding value rather than focusing on cost,” David Drabkin, the Section 809 panel chair, said in response to the AFGE letter, according to Defense News.
Congress will consider the proposals as part of the upcoming defense authorization bill.
 
Photo by AFGE