Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Training
    • Class Registration
    • On-demand Training
  • Useful Links
  • Team Directory
    • Albany Counselor
    • Atlanta Counselors
    • Augusta Counselor
    • Carrollton Counselor
    • Columbus Counselor
    • Gainesville Counselor
    • Savannah Counselor
    • Warner Robins Counselor
  • Directions
    • Atlanta – Training Facility
    • Atlanta – Office
    • Albany
    • Augusta
    • Carrollton
    • Columbus
    • Gainesville
    • Savannah
    • Warner Robins
  • New Client Application
  • Contact Us

Concern grows over stalled GSA nomination

January 11, 2010 By ei2admin

By Robert Brodsky rbrodsky@govexec.com January 11, 2010

For more than eight months, Martha Johnson has been in bureaucratic purgatory.

President Obama nominated Johnson on April 3, 2009, to serve as chief of the General Services Administration, and she easily cleared the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in June. But, Johnson’s name has yet to reach the Senate floor for a full vote due to a hold by Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., involving a Kansas City building project.

A former GSA chief of staff during the Clinton administration, Johnson now has waited longer than any other Obama nominee to be confirmed. And, some are beginning to suggest that the White House is not doing enough to break the stalemate.

“One has to wonder why the president is not being more aggressive and energetic in his defense of Martha Johnson,” said GSA former Administrator Lurita A. Doan, who held the spot from May 2006 until she resigned in controversy in April 2008 and is now a Federal News Radio commentator. “The GSA administrator is an important position with broad responsibilities. Martha Johnson was President Obama’s nominee. Obama could push Johnson’s confirmation forward if he wanted to, but he seems content to allow her to twist in the wind.”

Doan was forced out of the job after butting heads with Democratic lawmakers, GSA’s inspector general and eventually, the Bush White House. Since then, the agency has been in perpetual transition.

David Bibb served as acting administrator from May 2008 until his retirement three months later. Jim Williams, the commissioner of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, filled in until the Obama administration appointed Paul Prouty as acting chief in January 2009. Prouty, whose family is in Denver, opted to return home last month and resume his former job as assistant regional administrator in the Public Buildings Service in GSA’s Rocky Mountain Region. Stephen Leeds, who had been working as a senior counselor to Prouty, was named the fourth acting administrator in 20 months.

The ongoing management upheaval apparently has taken its toll. Last week, Danielle Germain, named GSA’s chief of staff in June, stepped down, citing the lengthy delay in Johnson’s nomination. Meanwhile, Barnaby Brasseux, who served as GSA’s deputy administrator since September 2008, retired in early January.

“Fundamentally, the agency can still function, almost on autopilot,” said a former GSA official who requested anonymity to speak freely about the situation. “But, without a leader there is no one really setting the agenda or laying out their vision of what needs to be done.”

GSA spokeswoman Sahar Wali said the delays have not hurt morale or general operations, but rather kept the agency in a permanent transition period.

“Imagine a business being without a CEO,” Wali said. “Now imagine that for two years.”

An industry source said part of the problem is GSA is not a high-visibility agency and Johnson lacks the political connections to broker a deal. And, while GSA is undergoing its share of personnel upheaval, sources said the situation pales in comparison to the void at the Transportation Security Administration, where, in the midst of several crises, including an attempted terrorist attack on Christmas Day, Erroll Southers’ nomination to serve as administrator has been delayed by a hold from Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.

“I’ve worried all along about nominees that get held up, particularly when it has nothing to do with the nominee or his or her qualifications,” the industry source said. “Given all of the high-priority issues on the table, the need to make all kinds of deals, how much is the White House willing to give for an individual?”

Another well-informed acquisition source said the White House has “hung [Johnson] out to dry.” But, sources told Government Executive the White House is not considering alternatives to Johnson at this point.

The Office of Management and Budget did not respond to a request for comment.

By February, the Senate is expected to invoke cloture on Johnson’s nomination, along with several other appointees currently being bogged down by holds, according to one government source familiar with discussions. Cloture — a process in which debate on a bill or nomination is brought to an end — can be complicated. It requires 60 votes, can take 30 hours of debate and no other legislative matters can be considered until the process is complete.

“They just need to set aside time for debate,” the government source said. “That’s the big issue right now.”

Some lawmakers, however, are getting impatient. Leslie Phillips, a spokeswoman for the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said Chairman Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., is “frustrated” by the delay in Johnson’s confirmation.

“It is contrary to the public interest to block a qualified nominee based on parochial interests, and irresponsible to block a nominee for this length of time,” Phillips said. “GSA needs strong, focused leadership, and the hold on Martha Johnson’s nomination puts the entire agency at a disadvantage.”

Bond’s hold apparently has little to do with Johnson’s qualifications, which sources indicated are not in doubt. The senator wants GSA to close down the federally owned Bannister Federal Complex outside Kansas City and relocate the 1,200 employees who work there to office space downtown, as part of a major revitalization project.

The original plan, submitted to Congress in 2008, had been for a local developer to build a new office center and lease it back to GSA. Sources said Brad Scott, who served as GSA’s regional administrator in Kansas City during President George W. Bush’s administration, brokered the plan. Scott was Bond’s deputy chief of staff for 12 years.

GSA officials said they still plan to move employees from the Bannister complex but have changed their strategy from leasing the new space to building and buying it. Bond’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

“GSA has done what it can to move forward with this process,” Wali said.


(C) 2010 BY NATIONAL JOURNAL GROUP, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Filed Under: Contracting News Tagged With: government contracting, GSA

8 stories to keep watching in 2010

December 11, 2009 By ei2admin

Each year, there are big important stories, and few would argue with our picks for 2009.

But we highlight these particular stories not only for the immediate impact they had but also for the lasting influence they continue to exercise.

In essence, these stories aren’t over. They will keep people talking and make headlines in 2010 and beyond.

— Nick Wakeman

1. Obama sets sights on procurement reform
The economy and Iraq were at the top of the agenda when the Obama administration took over the White House Jan. 20. But when the Office of Management and Budget released memos outlining the administration’s procurement goals, it was obvious that contracting also was very much a priority.

The memos and guidance that followed have set forth goals that affect outsourcing, picking which type of contract to use, categorizing work as inherently governmental and determining conflicts of interest.

Although industry experts at organizations such as the Professional Services Council have said that the direction coming from the White House is reasonable and reflects good procurement principles, the jury is still out on how individual agencies will apply those principles.

2. Beware of government poachers
The rising number of contractor employees being recruited to work at government agencies has sparked complaints from industry.

There have been reports of agencies having lists of contractor employees they want to hire. In some cases, agencies have used job pitches that incorporate economic fears, such as claiming that there are plans to cancel contracts, leaving the contract employee without a job.

Questions also have been raised about the ethics of hiring contractor employees. The government should follow the same rules industry does when it hires a government person, some say.

3. M&A continues to remake the market
Two major hardware players — Dell Inc. and Xerox — made large deals that involve services companies with significant government business. Dell acquired Perot Systems, picking up an outsourcing and systems integration business. Xerox went after Affiliated Computer Services Inc.

Dell said it already had a large services business that supports its products, but Perot will bring higher-end work in areas such as education and health care.

For Xerox, ACS brings business process outsourcing capabilities on programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. ACS also will gain a broader international footprint.

The third big deal of the year was Northrop Grumman’s decision to sell TASC. They were forced into the deal because of tougher organizational conflict-of-interest rules.

TASC is being bought by equity groups General Atlantic and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Co. Because of its size, which limits potential buyers, TASC could be headed toward an initial public offering in the coming years. It could become a long-term independent player in the market.

4. GSA under a leadership vacuum
This was one of the sadder chapters of the past year. Martha Johnson, who sailed through the confirmation process at the committee level, now sits and waits.

Using the Senate’s arcane rules to his advantage, Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) has put a hold on a full Senate vote on Johnson’s nomination. He wants assurances that a federal office building will be built in downtown Kansas City.

The timing is poor because Johnson’s nomination was hailed by many inside and outside GSA as just what the agency needed to continue its comeback as an efficient contracting partner for the rest of government.

In a time when the highest levels of government are pushing a variety of procurement initiatives, the lack of an administrator at GSA works against the best interests of the government.

5. Growing acceptance of cloud computing
As vendors address security concerns, it has become harder for agencies to deny the benefits of cloud computing, such as trimming costs, adding new services and increasing capacity.

No one expects an agency to put everything on the cloud, and a public cloud might not be the answer for many agencies. But the tide has turned in favor of cloud computing.

A big reason is the high-level support of White House officials such as Vivek Kundra, who, with the General Services Administration, opened a cloud computing storefront for agencies to easily purchase cloud services.

Many of the large systems integrators also have begun embracing the cloud as a line of business.

6. Contract protests
During the past few years, contract protests on losing bids have moved from being an unfavorable tactic to a common business tactic.

The huge Alliant contract was delayed nearly a year because of protests. GSA’s solution eventually was to award nearly all bidders a spot on the multiple-award contract.

The current poster child for protests is the Transportation Security Administration’s Information Technology Infrastructure Program. It was hit by protests at the downselect stage, and TSA let all bidders back in. More protests followed when TSA awarded the contract to Computer Sciences Corp.

Work on ITIP is on hold until the dispute is resolved.

One factor that breeds more protests, industry observers say, is that companies face little to no consequences for protesting. So why not protest?

7. Leadership changes
Two of the largest government contractors in the market will see leadership transitions in the coming year.

At General Dynamics Corp., Nicholas Chabraja turned over the chief executive title to Jay Johnson July 1. In May 2010, he will relinquish the chairman’s title.

Ken Dahlberg is following a similar path at Science Applications International Corp. Walter Havenstein became CEO in September, and in June 2010, Dahlberg will turn over the chairman’s role.

Both companies have planned transitions, but new leadership will undoubtedly bring new initiatives and goals for the companies.

8. Farewell, EDS
Hewlett-Packard erased one of the most storied names in the government and commercial markets this year when it dropped the EDS brand in favor of HP Enterprise Services.

EDS, known originally as Electronic Data Systems, was one of the creators of the market for outsourced IT services, particularly data centers. The name survived for 47 years, including a stint of ownership by General Motors.

But there are a lot of reasons for the change, such as creating a single company culture and presenting a single face to the market.

Dropping the name EDS also signaled that integration of the acquisition was over. It’s now time for the billions spent to start paying off.

Filed Under: Contracting News Tagged With: cloud, contract protests, GSA, leadership, outsourcing, procurement reform

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43

Recent Posts

  • Contractors must update EEO poster
  • SBA scorecard shows federal government continues to prioritize small business contracting
  • The risk of organizational conflicts of interest
  • The gap widens between COFC and GAO on late is late rule
  • OMB releases guidance related to small business goals

Popular Topics

8(a) abuse Army bid protest budget budget cuts certification construction contract awards contracting opportunities cybersecurity DoD DOJ False Claims Act FAR federal contracting federal contracts fraud GAO Georgia Tech government contracting government contract training government trends GSA GSA Schedule GTPAC HUBZone innovation IT Justice Dept. marketing NDAA OMB SBA SDVOSB set-aside small business small business goals spending subcontracting technology VA veteran owned business VOSB wosb

Contracting News

SBA scorecard shows federal government continues to prioritize small business contracting

OMB releases guidance related to small business goals

OMB issues guidance on impact of injunction on government contractor vaccine mandate

Changes coming to DOD’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification under CMMC 2.0

Judge issues nationwide injunction halting enforcement of COVID-19 vaccine mandate

Read More

Contracting Tips

Contractors must update EEO poster

The risk of organizational conflicts of interest

The gap widens between COFC and GAO on late is late rule

Are verbal agreements good enough for government contractors?

CMMC 2.0 simplifies requirements but raises risks for government contractors

Read More

GTPAC News

VA direct access program events in 2022

Sandia National Laboratories seeks small business suppliers

Navy OSBP hosting DCAA overview (part 2) event Jan. 12, 2022

Navy OSBP hosting cybersecurity “ask me anything” event Dec. 16th

State of Georgia hosting supplier systems training on January 26, 2022

Read More

Georgia Tech News

Undergraduate enrollment growth reflects inclusive excellence

Georgia Tech delivers $4 billion in economic impact to the State of Georgia

Georgia Tech awards first round of seed grants to support team-based research

Georgia Tech announces inaugural Associate Vice President of Corporate Engagement

DoD funds Georgia Tech to enhance U.S. hypersonics capabilities

Read More

  • SAM.gov registration is free, and help with SAM is free, too
APTAC RSS Twitter GTPAC - 30th Year of Service

Copyright © 2023 · Georgia Tech - Enterprise Innovation Institute