Software Companies Push Senate to Weaken Lowest Price Contracting Rule

With encouragement from technology vendors BSA/The Software Alliance, members of Congress are reevaluating the use of Lowest Price Technically Acceptable contracting decisions, hoping to encourage federal agencies to spend a little more, to get better products and services. BSA vice president Craig Albright argues that “LPTA’s priority of price over value leads to acquisition outcomes that actually prevent the government from getting the most for its money.”

Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA) and Mark Meadows (R-NC) introduced an amendment to the House bill that would prevent agency buyers from applying LPTA “in circumstances that would deny the benefits of cost and technical tradeoffs in the source selection process.” The amendment was agreed to in a voice vote by the House Armed Services Committee.