Russell Vought, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), is directing agencies to implement various acquisition and contracting strategies as the federal government approaches the busiest quarter of the fiscal year.
Vought said in a memo dated July 20th that agencies must “take full advantage of acquisition flexibilities and innovative tools” such as the Cross-Agency Priority (CAP) Goal management platform and other category management resources to support procurement activities.
Agencies must also drive support for small businesses, historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) and the AbilityOne employment program for persons with disabilities as part of OMB’s recommended strategy, the memo states.
In addition, Vought is urging agencies to accelerate payments to contractors and comply with the “Buy American” initiative to boost domestic production of resources like steel.
“Through smart buying for America, we will deliver the services our citizens need more rapidly while strengthening our nation's economic recovery from the effects of the pandemic,” he said.
"As the country reopens and recovers from the coronavirus (COVID) pandemic and our public servants work to meet mission needs – both nonCOVID and COVID related – agencies are encouraged to keep the following considerations in mind to support timely awards and maximize return on investment from each taxpayer dollar."
The Senate confirmed Vought as permanent OMB director shortly after the memo's publication.
