Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Safe and Smart Federal Purchasing Act of which I am a proud cosponsor. The bill would require the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to review the procurement management practices of Federal agencies to determine whether the use of acquisition procedures focused exclusively on cost, known as the lowest price technically acceptable, poses any national security risk. Since our committee reported this bill last Congress, I appreciate that the majority sought and incorporated feedback from the administration. When Federal agencies purchase goods and services, they aim to achieve the best value for the American people. In the words of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, ``best value'' means that the acquisition should provide ``the greatest overall benefit in response to the requirement.'' Under the LPTA procedures, price is the determining factor in awarding a contract with no consideration given to other factors. This contrasts with the more frequently used tradeoff approach, which looks at the bigger picture and considers additional factors beyond just cost, perhaps assessing elements like quality and performance or a bidder's technical or managerial expertise. This bill, and the tradeoff approach to Federal contracting, understands that focusing on contract price alone can actually increase the overall cost to the Federal Government and the American people.…”