PSC Welcomes Senate Bill to Provide Prompt Payments for Small Businesses

May 24, 2018

Arlington, Va. (May 24, 2018)— The Professional Services Council (PSC) welcomed Senate introduction of bipartisan legislation that would permanently restore prompt payments to small business primes and small business subcontractors at the Department of Defense. 

The bill (S. 2893), introduced by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, and Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, directs the Department of Defense to pay small business prime contractors and large prime contractors with small business subcontractors within 15 days of receiving an invoice. 

PSC, the voice of the government technology and professional services industry, sent a letter on May 21  to Sens. Cardin and Enzi expressing support for the bill.

“Codifying this policy on a permanent basis in law will provide payment predictability and help companies of all sizes assist government agencies in meeting their needs,” said David J. Berteau, PSC president and CEO.  

“The services that small businesses provide to the Defense Department are vital for supporting its missions,” Berteau continued. “Restoring accelerated payments to these companies is critical to their business survival and is greatly appreciated. PSC thanks Senators Cardin and Enzi for providing this support for the valuable role that small business contractors play in the federal marketplace.”

Rep. Steve Knight (R-CA) included similar language in the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act and introduced the “Accelerated Payments for Small Businesses Act of 2018” (H.R. 5337). PSC supported this amendment and his standalone bill.

Both the Senate and House actions respond to the Office of Management and Budget’s decision not to renew a key policy directive that helped ensure that small businesses who work as subcontractors with the federal government are paid in a timely manner for the goods and services they provide. PSC applauds congressional action that aims to reverse this decision.

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Click here to view the PDF version of this release.

Media Contact: 
Ashlei Stevens
Director, Media Relations
703.875.8974
stevens@pscouncil.org 

 

About PSC: PSC is the voice of the government technology and professional services industry. PSC’s nearly 400-member companies represent small, medium and large businesses that provide federal agencies with services of all kinds, including information technology, engineering, logistics, facilities management, operations and maintenance, consulting, international development, scientific, social, environmental services, and more. Together, the trade association’s members employ hundreds of thousands of Americans in all 50 states. Follow PSC on Twitter @PSCSpeaks. To learn more, visit www.pscouncil.org.