Federal Government Shutdown Having Limited Affect on Federal Highway Administration Construction, but Affecting Federal Contract Solicitation and Awards

As the shutdown of the federal government enters its second week, its impact on federally funded construction projects has been somewhat muted because of the way that certain federal agencies receive their funding.  For example, because the Federal Highway Administration is funded by the Highway Trust Fund, which still has funding through the end of the 2014 fiscal year, the shutdown has virtually no impact on any Federal Highway Administration construction projects.  The Airport Improvement Program is also funded by a trust, and thus, the federal government shutdown will have much less of an impact on Airport Improvement Program construction projects.  Other agencies, including the Federal Transit Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration are not funded by a trust fund, and therefore, the government shutdown will have a much more significant impact on those agencies’ construction projects.

Overall, however, because funding has already been appropriated for most ongoing and already awarded direct federal construction projects, the federal government shutdown will have virtually no impact on ongoing and already awarded contracts.  Rather, the furloughs of non-essential government employees has suspended pending solicitations and awards, including task orders for existing multiple award contracts, until the shutdown comes to an end.

More information on the impact of the shutdown on federal construction contracts is available at the Association of General Contractors’ website.  The source of the information in this post is available here.