“From contract meetings to personnel needs, federal and commercial contracting officials are exploring ways to work around the limitations imposed by the spreading COVID-19 outbreak.”
“In a March 5 letter to agency contractors, Soraya Correa, the Department of Homeland Security’s chief procurement officer told her contracting staff to keep advised of the outbreak using the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines. She also advised tapping CDC’s information on travel before embarking on a trip.”
“‘If your employees must travel to affected areas, please have them contact you prior to their return to discuss possible telework or leave options,’ she said in the letter, advising managers to have their employees contact them if they’ve been in close contact with a person ‘known to have COVID-19’ or if airport screeners told them to self-quarantine after returning from travel overseas.”
“Correa told contractors that ‘if contract performance is affected due to the COVID-19 situation, such as the need for alternate work locations, or travel or schedule changes, the contracting officer is the authority to discuss this with your company.’”
“Those kinds of contracting adjustments among federal agencies and their commercial industry counterparts will be the norm in the coming days, according to Alan Chvotkin, executive vice president and counsel for the Professional Services Council.”
“‘Most responses will be local,’ he said, because of localized impact of the disease’s spread. Agencies and contractors, he told FCW in an interview, should be prepared to alter how contracting personnel work, searching for alternatives such as alternate sites and telework. In the case of classified or sensitive work that depends on secure locations and connections, they should prioritize the most sensitive programs.”
“Chvotkin said PSC is hoping for more detailed guidance from the Office of Management and Budget on how agencies should proceed with contracts, similar to the guidance it issued on the same subject during the last government shutdown. That guidance hasn’t come yet, however…” Read the full article here.
Source: Contractors and COVID-19 – By Mark Rockwell, March 9, 2020. FCW.
