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If Not Earmarks,
What?
In 2007 Republican Members of Congress
refused to fund over 10,000 earmarks that were left over in FY
2007 appropriations bills from the previous year. But the
earmarks and the expenditure didn't go away - pet projects
were created and funded at the Federal agency level. How?
Subpart 15.6 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)
allows agencies to accept unsolicited proposals for projects
and ideas that do not fall within publicized grant or contract
opportunities. Or, organizations can avoid an earmark ban in
the House by going to the Senate, or skirt prohibitions on
business earmarks by partnering with a non-profit. And if all
else fails, organizations can lobby for contract extensions
which, while not technically a non-competitive funding source,
can certainly serve the same purpose. |
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The
Earmark Distraction
Expect a long, contentious budget
season with many distractions - the first being
earmarks, on which action is to be taken in Congress
this week. House Democrats and Republicans have proposed
a one-year moratorium on earmarks, those non-
competitive member items that allocated $15.9 billion
toward favored projects in the current fiscal year,
according to Taxpayers for Common Sense.
Regardless of whether the House
ultimately removes or includes earmarks, the concern is
that nonprofits that really need the money will feel the
pinch, while those organizations that know how to get
around an earmark distraction will see business as
usual. |
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Selective
Funding
Youth Today reports that the
number of earmarks for youth and youth agencies continue
to decline, from 1,363 items in 2005 to 1,000 in 2009 to
just 813 in 2010. The House Labor-Health and Human
Services Appropriation bill, which carries most youth,
health and human services earmark requests, saw a 42.2%
decrease from $618.8 million in earmarks in fiscal 2009
to $357.4 million in fiscal 2010. |
Pending
Reforms
Added to the distraction are calls
for "reforms" of earmarks, including an Obama
Administration suggestion that earmarks for businesses
be made competitive - that is, subject to the same
competitive bidding requirements as Federal contracts.
While organizations do not currently compete in a formal
process, they do have to convince a Member of Congress
to fund their request; historically less than half of
earmark requests are actually funded. But the Washington
Post reported this week that the president's rhetoric on
earmark reform has been inconsistent - and there's
reason to think he has bigger fish to fry this budget
season. |
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 About Proposal Pro,
Inc.
If only Government funding were all
about non-competitive allocations. But the trend in this
administration is toward more, not less,
competition. Let Proposal Pro give you an
edge: We helped our clients to win more than $50
million in Government grants and contracts last year by
helping them to focus on what the agency evaluators need
and want to see.
Proposal Pro writes to win -
helping businesses and non-profits to secure the
large-scale, multi-year contracts that ensure their
growth and profitability. We offer technical
writing, complete proposal preparation and strategic
consulting that gets results for our clients and have
demonstrated ability to increase their scores in the
competitive RFP
process. |
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Are
You Ready to Win in 2010?
Proposal Pro's Write to
Win™ training materials provide the inside
information that savvy proposers use to win
large-scale contract awards. Our audio CD reveals what
to read an RFP for, what the evaluators want to see, and
what mistakes to avoid. In addition to providing a
step-by-step review of a Government RFP, each disk
includes the worksheets and forms that we use to create
proposals that evaluators respond to - with contract
awards! And remember, the purchase of
training materials is a tax-deductible business
expense.
To purchase, contact us
at 914-633-3352 or visit our website at http://www.wingovtcontracts.com
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For further information or a free
10-minute consultation,
contact:
Judie
Eisenberg
President
Proposal Pro,
Inc.
914-633-3352
info@proposalpro.com
Send
Story Suggestions, Questions or Comments
to
info@proposalpro.com
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