Mary-Louise Hoffman
A report by George Mason University’s Center for Government Contracting says the federal government continues to engage with industry in the fight against COVID-19, provides guidance to ensure continuity of operations while protecting the overall workforce health and opens more doors for organizations that want to play a vital role in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“There have been some significant developments in terms of the [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act], trends in federal obligations and in opportunities for companies, not-for-profits and universities to help,” Jerry McGinn, executive director of the GMU Center for Government Contracting, told ExecutiveBiz.
McGinn said the CARES Act injects $1B into the Defense Production Act fund and raises the cap for projects aimed at increasing the production capacity for personal protective equipment and pharmaceutical products.
He added that the coronavirus relief package allows the departments of Defense and Health and Human Services to use other transaction authority to strengthen capabilities for ongoing response efforts and improve preparedness.
The center’s analysis of data from the Federal Procurement Data System and USASpending.gov showed that non-defense obligations on contract awards responding to the coronavirus pandemic hit nearly $1.97B by April 5.
DoD, HHS, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Veterans Affairs put out request notices on the SAM website, opening business opportunities for the private sector to help the government address COVID-19.
Click here to read the “COVID-19 Response — Executive Update” prepared by McGinn and Eric Lofgren, a research fellow at the Center for Government Contracting.
