The cut in payment to the subcontractor is not passed along to the government or the taxpayers. If the subcontractor refuses, the general contractor is free to choose any subcontractor who will perform the specified job at the reduced price.
Bid shopping harms both the subcontractors and the taxpayers.
It keeps the federal government from getting the full value for taxpayers dollars. Subcontractors should be paid fairly. They should not be forced to lose work unfairly or risk reducing quality or sacrificing safety. The only winner in bid shopping is the general contractor. Mr. Petzen will testify about Congressman Kanjorski s bipartisan bill before the House Subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology Thursday.