One Night Only: The PSC Market & Policy Briefing- A Key Benefit for PSC Members

In a first for PSC, President & CEO David Berteau and Executive Vice President & Counsel Alan Chvotkin joined forces for a special presentation of PSC’s Market & Policy Briefing during a breakout session at the 2018 PSC Annual Conference. The Market Briefing is an exclusive, valuable benefit of PSC membership that helps companies better recognize and respond to the external forces acting on their business, and enables PSC to better understand and address the specific circumstances of members.  

David Berteau told a packed house about the unique fiscal environment and contracting market in which PSC members currently find themselves, and some of the key questions that will shape their path forward. The Consolidated Appropriations Act enacted in March greatly increased funding available to federal agencies and created a rush to spend it all before the end of Fiscal Year 2018. Whether or not they are able to do so—or OMB allows them to—contractors would be well served to seek new work within scope on their existing vehicles. Irrespective of this sizable budget increase, without intervening action by Congress, the Budget Control Act caps will be back in force for FY2020, raising the possibility of significant downward pressure on budgets and contracts. Averting this possibility is a key priority for PSC. 

Alan Chvotkin outlined spending trends and policy and compliance issues across federal agencies. Services continues to account for about 60 percent of federal purchases, and have increased over the past two years. Within the Department of Defense, services account for just over half of spending, representing a significant dollar value. Services spending trends even higher within civilian agencies, and has grown over the past four years. Within both the defense and non-defense segments, growth has been strongest in certain key categories of work, such as cybersecurity, IT modernization, and knowledge-based services. On the policy and compliance front, several issues are driving behavior and influencing contractors’ ability to execute, including security clearances, cybersecurity, small business policy, innovation, and shifting standards of contractor responsibility and liability. 

After fielding questions, David and Alan urged the audience to schedule a tailored market briefing for their company today to ensure that they are getting the most from their PSC membership and bringing their priority issues to PSC’s attention.


Tuesday, April 24, 2018, 9:50-10:30 a.m. – Closing Keynote Address: Emily Murphy, Administrator, GSA