Commercial Work within the Federal Government

Competition for Commercial Activities in the Federal Government

In an effort to keep commercial functions in-house, many Federal agencies ignore OMB’s policy, known as OMB Circular A-76, for identifying and competing non-inherently governmental activities. This hearing focused on why agencies ignore OMB A-76 and how legislation, like the Fair Competition Act (S. 314), could solve this problem. Senator Craig Thomas, original sponsor of S. 314, gave a statement and discussed why the Federal government should use the tools available to bring the benefits of competition to the government. Other witnesses included Mr. Christopher Mihm from the General Accounting Office, Mr. Edward DeSeve from the Office of Management and Budget, Mr. John Berry from the Department of Interior, and Mr. Scott Gould from the Department of Commerce.