The FY 2022 Budget Request is good news for contractors

In early April, the Office of Management and Budget released the Biden administration’s first cut at the fiscal year (FY) 2022 Discretionary Budget Request. The proposed budget includes $1.5 trillion in discretionary budget requests for federal departments and agencies. (Federal Times May 12, 2022)

The Department of Defense budget slightly increased by 1.6 percent or $715 billion up from $703.7 billion in Fiscal Year 2021. The civilian agencies, however, will see a 16 percent increase. Education will potentially increase by 40.8 percent, Commerce 28.1 percent, Health and Human Services 23.1 percent, EPA 21.7 percent, and the National Science Foundations rounding out at 20 percent. (ibid)

The Biden budget shows continued growth in spending to revive the economy. This comes after record-breaking stimulus spending. With the uptick in spending comes an increase in contract awards to Small Disadvantaged Businesses and programs supporting women, people of color, and underserved entrepreneurs. (ibid)

There are a few things contractors should keep front of mind while reviewing the FY 2022 budget:

• Congress may be conservative with spending after the number of stimulus bills recently passed
• Expect to see opportunities from DOD for the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence
• Look for DOD to switch up their resources from legacy systems to priority technologies, cybersecurity, and cloud computing (ibid)

An increased budget suggests additional spending and an increased number of contracts awarded throughout 2022. Contractors who understand the spending priorities and policies will benefit most.

If you have questions about agency spending trends or if GSA is right for you, please give us a call.