ADVANCE LOOK AT FY’16 SHOWS SOME SURPRISES

This fiscal year will end and you want to be prepared for what comes next. While exact spending numbers for FY’16, and timing, are still a ways out, there are both familiar and unfamiliar agencies that are in line to get more money next year. While the base budget for DOD is slated to remain unchanged, that number is misleading. Several House members, for instance, have vowed to add billions in additional money that would not count against the “base” budget and, importantly, would be exempt from any sequestration actions. DOD is quite likely to have more to spend next year. The Department of Energy also pops up as an agency that is slated to get an additional $1 billion. Much of this will likely to go cyber and physical security projects to protect critical infrastructure, good news for contractors. VA will get additional dollars, though Congress may attach several strings to how that money will be spent. Some, for example, could go to bailing out construction projects, but other money will likely go for systems to improve the delivery of healthcare services. One agency that looks to be about stagnant: DHS. While the agency has multiple important roles to play, the static budget figure may reflect Congressional frustration with its lack of ability to consistently operate at a strategic level. Stay tuned.