Management Programs Also at Issue

The White House further said that the contracting-out restriction would “require all but the smallest public-private competitions to be decided on the basis of lowest cost alone. By marginalizing the consideration of quality, this provision would weaken competitive sourcing as a management tool to encourage cost-effective, innovative thinking that will achieve the best overall value for the taxpayer.” It also objected to provisions that would: bar the IRS from hiring private collection agencies to collect tax debt; restrict the amount of money spent on various e-government management initiatives; and restrict funding for OPM’s retirement systems modernization project. The administration has raised similar objections in the past to comparable bills but each time ultimately accepted the congressional language.