CIDC Report Highlights History of International Development Companies’ Successes

The Professional Services Council (PSC) and its Council of International Development Companies (CIDC) yesterday published a new report chronicling the history and adaptability of international development companies (IDCs).

The report, “50 Years of Development: How Private Companies Adapt and Deliver,” follows USAID’s own report on its 50th anniversary in 2012 and outlines the dramatic changes that have reshaped foreign assistance delivery since the inception of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). 

PSC Urges Congress to Fund Foreign Assistance

Member companies of the Professional Services Council's Council of International Development Companies (CIDC) sent letters to the House and Senate Appropriations and Foreign Affairs Committees, strongly supporting robust funding of U.S. international development. 

In the September 20 letters, 24 members of PSC’s CIDC said they “strongly support robust U.S. international development—funded by the United States and executed by U.S. businesses and other development partners—to continue to serve as a core component of our national, economic and security strategies.”

PSC: Security Clearance Reviews Must Be Balanced, Realistic

In response to the tragic events at the Washington Navy Yard, the Professional Services Council called on Congress to ensure that any reviews of the security clearance process focus on clearances for military and civilian government personnel, as well as contractors, in a September 18 letter sent to leaders of 12 House and Senate committees and subcommittees. 

“In light of the tragic events at the Washington Navy Yard, attention has naturally and appropriately extended to the security and facilities clearance processes and what role, if any, those processes played in this horrific event in which we witnessed the tragic deaths of and injuries to government, contractor, military and law enforcement personnel,” said Stan Soloway, PSC president and CEO. 

“Whatever gaps in the process may exist are equally applicable to all individuals seeking to obtain or retain a clearance,” he said. “To look at the issue only through the narrow lens some have suggested would be counter-productive and shortsighted.” 

PSC Leadership Issues First-Ever Commission Report; Recommends “Fundamental” Changes

The Professional Services Council’s 2013 Leadership Commission today issued a report calling on the government and industry to join forces in pursuing fundamental changes to turn the current fiscal and human capital crises into significant opportunities.

PSC Responds to Rules Expanding Executive Compensation Cap Coverage

PSC, through the Council of Defense and Space Industry Associations (CODSIA), on August 26, responded to interim and proposed FAR rules to implement the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act provision requiring the cap on executive compensation to apply to all employees performing under defense contracts.

The two sets of comments, available here and here raised concerns that the interim and proposed rules improperly applied the expansion to contracts that were forged before the law expanding coverage went into effect on December 31, 2011. Such retroactive applications would cause the government to breach all contracts established before the effective date, CODSIA said. In addition, CODSIA said that, contrary to the rules’ Regulatory Flexibility Act statements, the rules did impose a burden on contractors, particularly small businesses, to maintain more than one billing rate structure for 2012, 2013, and possibly several years into the future. Many systems are not designed or configured to process different rates for the same work, the comments said.

Department of Labor Issues Two Major Final Rules

On August 28, the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued two significant final rules to improve hiring and employment of veterans and of people with disabilities. One rule updates the department’s rules relating to the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (VEVRAA), which protects veterans against employment discrimination. The other updates the department’s rules relating to Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which protects individuals with disabilities against employment discrimination.

While the goals of both rules are laudable, PSC is concerned about the challenges for contractors in implementing these new significant regulatory requirements. In addition, both rules fail to address any of the real barriers contractors face in hiring veterans or individuals with disabilities, such as finding prospective employees with appropriate experience levels that meet contractual skills requirements and addressing their training needs. In addition, the 503 rule applies the disability hiring goal to each job group of the contractor, thus potentially exponentially raising the challenge of compliance. PSC authored a February 2012 letter to Labor, raising significant implementation challenges with the proposed 503 rule. PSC is conducting a detailed review of both final rules to identify any additional concerns. 

Both rules will generally become effective six months after publication in the Federal Register, which is expected soon. Now that Labor has finalized both regulations, we expect the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council to commence its rule-making to implement these OFCCP requirements into the FAR. PSC will engage the FAR Council in the development of the necessary acquisition regulations.