Budget Signals Continued Fights on Contracting

The White House budget proposal reopens last year’s battle over the administration’s “competitive sourcing”-or contracting out-initiative. At one point last year opponents were on the verge of having Congress totally reject the revisions that the White House announced last year to contracting policy. After lengthy disputes, milder restrictions ultimately were enacted-for example, certain agencies will have to allow employees of functions with 10 or more jobs to reorganize into the “most efficient organization” before being put up for bid, a requirement not in the revised White House policy. While the administration proposes to abolish even those limits, employee organizations hope to build on those successes in this year’s budget process and get tougher controls enacted. One issue of particular interest to them is giving employees the right to challenge decisions at various stages of the review process by appealing to the General Accounting Office.