in

GMU GovCon Center Offers Industry Update on COVID-19 Response; Jerry McGinn Comments

gmu-govcon-center-offers-industry-update-on-covid-19-response-jerry-mcginn-comments
Jerry McGinn
Jerry McGinn

A report by George Mason University’s Center for Government Contracting says the federal government continues to engage with industry in the fight against COVID-19, provides guidance to ensure continuity of operations while protecting the overall workforce health and opens more doors for organizations that want to play a vital role in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“There have been some significant developments in terms of the [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act], trends in federal obligations and in opportunities for companies, not-for-profits and universities to help,” Jerry McGinn, executive director of the GMU Center for Government Contracting, told ExecutiveBiz.

McGinn said the CARES Act injects $1B into the Defense Production Act fund and raises the cap for projects aimed at increasing the production capacity for personal protective equipment and pharmaceutical products.

He added that the coronavirus relief package allows the departments of Defense and Health and Human Services to use other transaction authority to strengthen capabilities for ongoing response efforts and improve preparedness.

The center’s analysis of data from the Federal Procurement Data System and USASpending.gov showed that non-defense obligations on contract awards responding to the coronavirus pandemic hit nearly $1.97B by April 5.

DoD, HHS, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Veterans Affairs put out request notices on the SAM website, opening business opportunities for the private sector to help the government address COVID-19.

Click here to read the “COVID-19 Response — Executive Update” prepared by McGinn and Eric Lofgren, a research fellow at the Center for Government Contracting.

ExecutiveBiz Logo

Sign Up Now! ExecutiveBiz provides you with Daily Updates and News Briefings about Technology

mm

Written by Mary-Louise Hoffman

is a writer of news summaries about executive-level business activity in the government contracting sector. Her reports for ExecutiveBiz are focused on trends and events that drive the GovCon industry to include commercial technologies that private companies are developing for federal government use. She contributes news content to ExecutiveBiz’s sister sites GovCon Wire and ExecutiveGov.

sap-ns2-ossia-form-end-to-end-iot-partnership-kyle-rice-quoted
SAP NS2, Ossia Form End-to-End IoT Partnership; Kyle Rice Quoted