The Professional Services Council has requested that the Office of Management and Budget issues some clarifications to the June 15 memorandum "Reducing Burden for Federal Agencies by Rescinding and Modifying OMB Memoranda."
While in support of the Trump administration's civil servant-informed discontinuation of 59 no longer relevant or redundant reporting requirements for agencies, the 400-member trade association notes three points where revisions could be beneficial.
A January 11, 2017, direction to accelerate legitimate payments to small business contractors is clouded by language in the June memo that eliminates a related report but merely "encourages" payment action. PSC feels a new memo with explicit policy direction would assure compliance.
The June memo pauses an entity-level internal control reviews of the acquisition function in accordance with OMB Circular A-123 to allow agencies to focus on reorganization planning. PSC feels these assessments provide invaluable insight ensuring agency efficiency, effectiveness and accountability and should remain essential.
Finally, PSC notes that the suspension of quarterly progress reports via performance.govincludes reporting on priority goals aligning with current administration priorities, and should be maintained as sources of critical information on addressing administration, congressional and industry interests.
Complete text of the Professional Services Council’s letter to OMB Director Mick Mulvaney can be read on the group's website.
