“I think it’s going to be a very bad thing for government contracting and really not a good deal for American taxpayer. [We're] going to be paying more for the same things than they are now,” Allen said.
The administration has declined repeatedly to speak to the details of the proposal, but last week’s report from Vice President Biden’s Middle Class Task Force is perhaps the clearest picture of the White House’s motivations:
The task force recognizes that contracts should not be awarded to irresponsible sources with unsatisfactory records of business ethics, including noncompliance with labor and employment, tax, fraud and consumer protection laws. We also recognize that substandard wages and benefits can have negative impacts on employees’ productivity and stability, which in turn can reduce the quality of performance on federal contracts.
Allen said he doubts the High Road policy can be implemented as an executive order so it will likely be introduced as a proposed rule change to the Federal Acquisition Regulation. That would require a mandatory period for public comment, but Allen is skeptical that the administration will heed the public’s input.
“I think that tells you right there a lot about what you need to know about the whole initiative,” Allen said. “That this is something they’re not going to be looking for a lot of input or comment on really.”
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