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THE VOICE OF THE MERIT SHOP

ABC is the voice of the merit shop on Capitol Hill! Sending letters to Congress allows ABC to publicly advocate for the views and interests of our more than 23,000 members. By corresponding with U.S. House of Representatives and Senate members, ABC promotes fair and open competition in the construction industry and fights to protect merit shop contractors around the country.

House Oversight Committee Reviews Defense Procurement

On June 11, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform's Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs held the hearing: Clearing the Path: Reforming Procurement to Accelerate Defense Innovation. Ahead of the hearing, ABC sent a letter to the committee, noting projects where PLAs had limited innovation at the U.S. Department of Defense. During the hearing, Representative Andy Biggs, R-Az., expressed concern that the Biden administration's PLA mandate kills competition, inflates prices and blocks nonunion companies from fair opportunities. He said the mandate is sidelining the best contractors and rigging the system. On the other side of the aisle, Representative Stephen Lynch, D-Ma., stated that very few projects at DOD that require a PLA. He said a PLA may exist to build a warehouse. He stated that he does not know of any DOD PLA requirement in place in the entire United States. In addition, Lynch said PLAs ensure workers are highly skilled and able to perform work at levels that meet DOD standards.