Preparing U.S. Federal Procurement Supply Chains for Conflict with China – Learning from Sustainable Procurement Approaches.
Open Access Depositedspecifically, the hesitation and failure of countries to share qualification information regarding their contractors. However, this problem can be overcome by learning from and building upon several promising aspects of the EU’s procurement directive and the United States Mexico Canada Agreement. By encouraging the sharing of qualification information, a past performance or responsibility approach to reducing the risk posed by China in supply chains better prepares the United States for conflict with China.
For decades, the tensions between the United States and China have continued to rise, raising concerns of potential armed conflict between the two superpowers. The ability of the United States to prepare for hostilities, though, is undermined by reliance on China to procure and develop goods necessary to engage in those very hostilities. Current legal regimes, such as the ban on procuring or using equipment from Huawei, are typical of how the United States has sought to protect procurement supply chains from the threats posed by China. However, outright bans have proven extremely difficult in practice and are questionable as to effectiveness, requiring that new approaches be developed. This paper examines several sustainable procurement methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within supply chains, and examines their applicability and effectiveness to removing Chinese influence and threat within the federal procurement system. This paper finds that labeling and use of a technical evaluation factor are two such tools that are effective in sustainable procurement, but may not be suitable in reducing reliance upon China within a national security context. Utilizing a phased approach to responsibility to encourage contractors to protect their supply chains differs from unsuccessful implementation attempts in sustainable procurement in several ways that make it an encouraging alternative to bans. Additionally, using past performance evaluations to address reliance on China provides a more gradual approach that reduces the most severe impacts of alternative options. Lastly, this paper addresses a significant impediment to successfully implementing a responsibility or past performance-based approach
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