IIBEC Encourages Congress to Pass Legislation Important to Contractors

By John Boling

In the past month IIBEC has signed two coalition letters to Congress urging action on items that impact the construction sector.

The first letter urges the US Senate to retain language that benefits small contractors on federal projects when they take up the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) later this month. Specifically, the language would allow a small contractor to request payment for a change order forced on them by their federal partner, meaning the contractor can get paid months earlier than the current process allows. The language originated in the Small Business Payment for Performance Act (H.R. 8273), which was introduced by US Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN), after hearing from the Construction Industry Procurement Coalition about the financial difficulties forced change orders cause small contractors. Stauber successfully attached the bill to the House’s version of the NDAA before it was passed and sent to the Senate for consideration.

The second letter encourages Congress to finish its work and pass the biennial Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (S. 3591/H.R. 7575). The legislation is an essential step forward as Congress works to invest in our nation’s water resources infrastructure.  The bills also include building resiliency projects across the nation. Finally, the predictability of WRDA being passed every two years is critical for construction industry stakeholders involved in the planning and execution of the projects.