Group says FAR Council rule is unfair to contracting community
WASHINGTON — Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) recently issued a statement regarding the “Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces” rule proposed by the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council. The proposed rule, commonly referred to as the ‘blacklisting executive order’ and a guidance memo issued by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) implementing President Barack Obama’s Executive Order 13673 targeting the federal contracting community were released May 27.
“This rule creates a murky federal acquisition system that is absurdly cumbersome and allows contracts to be awarded in a subjective nature by unelected bureaucrats,” said Geoff Burr, vice president of government affairs, ABC. “The ‘blacklisting’ proposal will unnecessarily complicate the federal acquisition process by adding undue subjectivity and may result in some of the best federal contractors being blacklisted from winning future contracts. Additionally, the administration’s latest assault on federal contractors will result in more bid protests and more frequent and costly labor and employment disputes.