Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

Billions of dollars in construction funding in FY 2019 funding bills

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On Sept. 13, Congress passed a Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 appropriations bill — which the president is expected to sign into law —t hat will provide significant amounts of funding for military construction projects through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC); hospital, medical clinic and cemetery projects through the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA); and harbor maintenance, lock, dam, levee and environmental restoration projects through the USACE Civil Works Program.

The bill provides a total of $10.3 billion for military construction projects. This is an increase of $241 million, or 2.4 percent, above the enacted FY 2018 level. The bill appropriates $1.6 billion to fund construction, operation, and maintenance of military family housing for fiscal year 2019. This is $173 million above the fiscal year 2018 level and the same as the president’s FY 2019 budget request.

Major and minor construction within the VA is funded at $1.8 billion. In addition, $2 billion is provided for infrastructure repair, with the funding allocated to major and minor construction and non-recurring maintenance. Within the infrastructure total funding, $750 million is targeted to seismic corrections at VA facilities nationwide.

Keep reading this article at: http://advocacy.agc.org/billions-of-dollars-in-construction-funding-in-fy-2019-funding-bills/

Shutdown advice for contractors: If a stop-work order comes, stop work

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Congress’s progress on its 12 annual spending bills for fiscal 2019 means “we’re in pretty good shape ” for funding federal agencies, David Berteau, president and CEO of the 400-member Professional Services Council, told his contractor members in a webinar last Wednesday.

Congressional appropriators have reported all spending bills from committee, with a half-dozen approved by full chambers, Berteau noted, lawmakers’ most productive pace in 12 or 13 years. But with only 11 legislative days left before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30, there is a “slim chance” of all 12 getting through conference or a major negotiated omnibus deal, which is why it is “prudent” for agencies and contractors to prepare for the possibility of a lapse in appropriations. Getting all the bills signed by Oct. 1 “is subject to a lot of decisions affected by both votes and politics,” Berteau said.

“The reason we [present preparation guidance for our members] is not to predict a [shutdown]–we hope there is no government shutdown,” added Alan Chvotkin, PSC’s executive vice president and counsel, but because reacting to agency closures “is an arcane area.”

Keep reading this article at: https://www.govexec.com/contracting/2018/08/shutdown-advice-contractors-if-stop-work-order-comes-stop-work/150578/

With 2018 budget, Christmas comes early for federal contractors

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The federal government is flush with money, thanks to a $1.3 trillion fiscal 2018 funding package. Contractors that take proactive steps now can benefit from this bonanza.

After five continuous resolutions and a government shutdown, it’s Christmas in April and the gifts are flowing. The biggest winners in the omnibus spending bill include the departments of Commerce, Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security and Transportation, all of which saw increases of more than 10 percent over last year.

Even the EPA, the beleaguered agency that the White House wants to slash – remained flat. The State Department was the only major agency that had a cut, only 5.9 percent, less than the 8 percent requested in the President’s budget.

With a total increase in the fiscal 2018 budget of $143 Billion, $80 billion for defense and $63 billion for civilian, the challenge now for most agencies will be spending the massive influx of funds by the end of the current fiscal year, Sept. 30.

Keep reading this article at: https://washingtontechnology.com/articles/2018/04/18/insights-abel-fiscal-2018-buying.aspx

An infrastructure deal should be easy, but isn’t

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The stars should be aligned for a big infrastructure deal.

The lingering devastation from the hurricanes that crippled Houston and Florida underscored the national problems of crumbling roads and bridges, inadequate transportation systems and aging electrical grids. President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats both want Washington to spend billions on repairs and construction.

The need is critical. The American Society of Civil Engineers recently gave the country’s infrastructure a D-plus grade and estimated that its deficiencies will cost the economy $4 trillion over the next decade. As Floridians go days, stretching into weeks, without power, and with old people dying in nursing homes, the urgency is clear.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-09-17/an-infrastructure-deal-should-be-easy-but-isn-t

4 things for contractors to remember in planning for a possible government shutdown

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With six weeks left in fiscal 2017, budget experts are warning federal contractors that it’s only prudent to begin preparations for the possibility of a government shutdown on Oct. 1.

Lawmakers will have just a few weeks left to develop a budget compromise when they return from August recess before the current spending resolution expires Sept. 30.

House lawmakers passed the Make America Secure Appropriations Act, a “minibus” of spending bills that sets appropriations for the departments of Defense, Energy, Interior, Veterans Affairs and other agencies, as well as the legislative branch. The Senate has passed no appropriations bills yet.

But as budget experts encourage federal contractors to begin preparing for the worst, there is some good news.

Agency contracting officers and senior leadership are more practiced in handling these situations now than they did at the start of the last shutdown in October 2013.

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsradio.com/government-shutdown/2017/08/4-things-for-contractors-to-remember-in-planning-for-a-possible-government-shutdown/

Congress tries to avoid a government shutdown as Oct. 1 nears

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US CongressLawmakers are working behind the scenes to cobble together a continuing resolution in the next two weeks to keep the government open past Oct. 1.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has scheduled for Monday evening (Sept. 19, 2016) a vote to proceed on a short-term continuing resolution that funds the government through Dec. 9, according to a tweet from CQ Roll reporter Jennifer Shutt. The hope is that the Senate will finish up work on the stopgap spending measure by the middle of next week, and send it over to the House for a vote later next week. H.R. 5325, the legislative branch spending bill, is serving as the legislative vehicle for the short-term CR.

Senators tried to get the measure squared away this week, but partisan battles over various issues cropped up. Earlier this week, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada told reporters that “lots of problems” remained with a Republican stopgap spending proposal, according to The Hill.  Republicans do not want any of the money allotted to fight the Zika virus in Puerto Rico to go toward Planned Parenthood clinics, and there are other fights over disaster aid to Louisiana and Internet oversight. It’s also possible that the House will move forward on its own next week without waiting for the Senate to send something over.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.govexec.com/management/2016/09/congress-tries-avoid-government-shutdown-oct-1-nears/131577

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