OMB Releases New Rule for Contracting Federal Services
OMB officials said the revamped regulation is a key element of President Bush's "competitive sourcing" plan, which could open to competition work done by about 850,000 federal workers, whose tasks are judged to be "commercial," rather than "inherently governmental." The 850,000 positions represent almost half of the total federal work force.
An OMB official notes that A-76 applies to recurring types of work. Engineering and some types of construction services, such as maintenance, landscaping and drywall installation, would be covered by the new rule, officials say. But major federally funded construction projects--nearly all of which have long been contracted to private firms--would continue to be covered by other federal contracting regulations, an official says.