The Government Playing Field

I’m angry and frustrated. With what, you ask? Here’s a hint: It’s one of my two big frustrations with our society. No, not bad parenting; the other one. That’s right, our government. Here’s what has me fuming this time.

I'm a government contractor, which means I work for a company that is under contract to do work for the government. Yesterday, my co-workers and I had a meeting with our company’s VP of Business Development, who came to talk to us about the fact that the company’s contract with the government is about to end and the company will not be re-bidding for it. It isn’t out of lack of interest in continuing the work, but because the company has become ineligible for the contract. See, the government has decided, in all its bureaucratic wisdom, that the contract must be awarded to a service-disabled veteran-owned small business.

The VP spent an hour and a half with us, explaining the process in great detail and trying to alleviate any concerns we might have. During the meeting, he made several statements that many people likely believe, but that I found completely infuriating.

“This is just how the government works.”

True, this is how the government works, but it doesn't have to work this way. Our government is not some immutable entity operating under random rules. We elected the people who serve in our government and those people are making the rules. Remember? It’s a “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” At least, that's how it's supposed to be. But that's a whole other can of worms for another time, another post.

“The government is just trying to level the playing field.”

Wrong. A level playing field would exist if all companies were given an equal opportunity to compete for the contract. The company that was most qualified and offered the best value would then be awarded the contract. That is a level playing field, resulting in a fair outcome.

“This is the nature of competition.”

Wrong! (It was at this point in the meeting that I let out a loud, “Ha!” Oops.) The nature of competition is to endeavor to be the best and, in turn, reap some kind of reward for achieving that goal. Our government’s practice of distributing rewards (contracts) without them being earned (being the most qualified and best value for the government’s dollar, i.e., your taxes!) does not encourage anything other than mediocrity.

Don’t get me wrong. I'm not saying that all service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses do mediocre work or that they shouldn’t be awarded government contracts. They absolutely should get contracts if—and only if—they are the best businesses for the jobs. All things being equal, I’m all for giving contracts to these businesses over others, but only if all things are equal. That’s not the case here.

During the meeting and in some subsequent conversations I had with my co-workers, the only concerns voiced were about how the change could affect our salaries and benefits. Obviously, these are issues of concern for anyone faced with a possible change in employment. But no one seemed to even think about why this was happening.

I’m not suggesting that everyone turn in a two-week notice in protest against our government’s contracting practices. But, at the least, I hope my co-workers spend some time thinking about why they have a new employer, talking to other people who may not be familiar with our government’s contracting practices, and then remember it all when elections roll around.