PSC Applauds Final Rule on Accelerated Payments to Small Business Contractors 

PSC welcomed FAR Council action to finalize a rule that provides accelerated payments to small business government contractors. The final rule, published in the Federal Register, requires agencies to establish an accelerated payment date for small business prime and subcontractors with a goal of 15 days after receipt of a proper invoice, when certain conditions are met. Read the press release here. 

PSC and CODSIA Comments on Climate-Related Proposed Rule 

On February 13, 2023, both PSC and the Council of Defense and Space Industry Associations (CODSIA) submitted separate comments on a U.S. Government proposed rule on "Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate-Related Financial Risk." Both sets of comments reflected broad support for the Government's stated goal of reducing climate impacts. They also focused on practical elements of implementing such a rule, including needed clarifications, harmonization with other rulemaking actions, and other interests of PSC member companies. Click here to access PSC's comments. Click here to access CODSIA's. For additional information, please contact Sebastian Herrick, Sr. Assoc. for Public Policy, at herrick@pscouncil.org. 

Department of Defense Releases Small Business Strategy 

On January 26, 2023, the Department of Defense (DoD) published its highly anticipated DoD Small Business Strategy. This strategy seeks to promote “a strong, dynamic, and robust small business industrial base by reducing barriers to entry, increasing small business set-aside competitions, and leveraging small business programs to grow the small business industrial base.” Click here to access DoD’s Small Business Strategy. If you have any questions or input, please direct those to Lauren C. Ayers, Vice President, Defense and Intelligence (ayers@pscouncil.org.) 

PSC FY23 Intelligence Authorization Act Summary Released 

On December 23, 2022, the President signed the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This bill included the text of the House and Senate agreed to Intelligence Authorization Act (now Division F of P.L. 117-263), which provides policy direction and funding for the Intelligence Community. PSC compiled a summary of some of the provisions in this year’s final conference agreement that could impact technology and professional services firms that do business with the federal government. Read it here and attend next week’s Government Affairs Committee meeting to discuss further. 

PSC Comments on Veterans Affairs T4NG2 Draft RFP 

On January 20, 2023, PSC submitted comments on the Department of Veterans Affairs T4NG2 draft RFP. In these comments, we noted the difficulties associated with responding on a 7-day deadline, the need for greater industry engagement on a vehicle of this size and scope, and recommended both an extension of the period for comments and a re-examination of the proposed timeline for release of the final T4NG2 RFP. Please contact Krista Sweet at ksweet@pscouncil.org if you have any questions or comments. 

PSC Urges More Time and Communication on the VA’s T4NG2 Contract 

On January 20, 2023, PSC raised several serious concerns with the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA’s) approach to its $60+ billion Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology Next Generation 2 (T4NG2) contract. Noting that the VA allowed only four business days for industry to submit comments on this contract’s draft request for proposals (RFP) and indicated a February 2023 release for the final RFP, PSC’s comments specifically highlighted the adverse impacts—to fair and open competition within the U.S. industrial base and to the VA’s access to innovative solutions that support timely, high-quality healthcare for our nation’s veterans—that could result from this aggressive timeline. Read more here. 

Vision Federal Market Forecast Study Teams Now Forming! 20+ Civilian, Defense, and Government-Wide Teams to Choose From 

Learn more about the federal forecast process and formally sign up to participate in one or more study teams at this 2023 Vision Kickoff meeting. This virtual meeting is designed specifically for new study team participants and is your chance to learn about what to expect, time commitment, ROI of participating, and more! Past participants will discuss the value of the program including opportunities to network with industry peers while meeting with government executives. Leadership positions are still available. For questions, please contact Michelle Jobse, PSC Director or Donald Baumgart, PSC Manager. 

February 28, 2023 | 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET | Virtual | Register 

Your Quarterly PSC Membership Engagement Report is Ready!

Member engagement is critical to the overall success and return on your investment. To help improve your visibility, PSC has begun sending out quarterly engagement summaries to Principal, Primary, and Key Points of Contact, along with a link to an editable Member Engagement Map. The Member Map features additional details including sponsorships, council and committee participation, the corporate profile, and meeting participation. Though the report will go to PSC contacts regularly, feel free to explore your Member Engagement Map anytime.

Help Us Build the PSC Member Community

We organize a recruitment webinar quarterly to introduce and inform prospective companies about the value of PSC. As word of mouth and member-to-member recruitment are important aspects of member expansion, your support is critical to our success. We encourage you to recommend members to the association, so we can invite engage and invite them to join PSC. If you know of any companies, that may be interested in joining PSC, please contact membership@pscouncil.org.