Bass, Berry & Sims attorney Richard Arnholt discussed the impact that recent executive orders (EO) in conjunction with the Buy American Act (BAA) will have on the metal fabrication industry that sell products to federal agencies. President Trump’s EO 13881 – implemented on February 22, 2021 – requires that iron and steel products will have to contain 95% domestic steel inputs, up from the previous requirement of 50%. The new 95% requirement does not apply to commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) fasteners.
“That may not be economically feasible, and even it if is, it may not be possible before the date on which these new rules will be incorporated into solicitations and resulting contracts,” explained Richard.
The full article, “‘Buy American’ Rules More Significant for Metal Fabricators,” was published by The Fabricator on March 15 and is available online. To learn more about the Buy American Act, register for the upcoming webinar on March 24 or read the February 18 GovCon & Trade blog post.