GSA nominee faces Senate panel and charms 'em

Senators say nominee Martha Johnson has plenty of private-sector and government experience

Martha Johnson, President Barack Obama’s nominee to be administrator of the General Services Administration, seems to be a shoo-in for the job.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said at Johnson’s confirmation hearing June 3 that he would work to quickly get her nomination approved by the committee and then the Senate.

He also said Obama made a wise choice in nominating her. “GSA, the president and the government need you to be at your desk,” he told Johnson.

Other senators mentioned Johnson’s qualifications and experience in the nonprofit and private sectors and the federal government, particularly as chief of staff at GSA in the 1990s when David Barram was administrator.

Johnson said she’s thrilled to go back to GSA. “‘Thrilled’ is actually a code word for me and for the agency,” she said.

Johnson said her highest priorities are to:

1. Demand, model and secure an uncompromising demonstration of ethical behavior and an organizational culture of values and trust.
2. Guarantee consistent, prompt and high-value performance for GSA’s customers.
3. Work to meet the demands of the economic stimulus law.
4. Support the Obama administration’s promise of a more transparent government.
   
5. Build and nurture strong leadership.

Lieberman and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the committee’s ranking member, told Johnson that agencies have turned from GSA to do their own procurements because they’re skeptical of GSA's services.

“Some agencies have lost confidence in the ability of GSA to provide the best products and at the best prices and have begun to negotiate their own contracts that duplicate services offered by GSA,” Lieberman said. “That defeats the purpose of GSA.”

The wave of interagency contracts is a market gesture against GSA’s performance, Johnson said. But another major underlying issue that has driven agencies to do their own procurements is the freedom to not use GSA. Legislative changes made the 1990s, including the Clinger-Cohen Act, lifted rules that made GSA the primary source for buying certain products and services. As a result, agencies decided to take the work into their own hands. They could more tightly control and tailor contracts to suit their needs, she said.

Although the competition among contracts often brings better value and lower prices, too much overlap can have the opposite effect, Johnson said, adding that she doesn’t believe GSA should be a monolithic source for purchasing.

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Bill would put more eyes on purchase cards

Federal employees who use government purchase cards could have more eyes watching them.

Under the Government Credit Card Abuse Prevention Act (S. 789), the IGs would have to regularly report to the Office of Management and Budget about violations and punishments, as well as agency trends that might lead to improper behaviors. They would also suggest other ways of aggregating an agency’s spending, according to the bill.

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Committee approves Williams nomination

The nomination of Jim Williams as administrator of the General Services Administration was approved unanimously today by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and sent to the full Senate.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), the committee’s chairman, said he was satisfied with Williams’ answers regarding a controversy involving Sun Microsystems, and called Williams an outstanding candidate for the position.

Lieberman and the committee's ranking member, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), said they questioned Williams extensively regarding his role in renegotiations of a contract with Sun, which stirred controversy. The contract raised concerns about whether the company had not provided the government with the appropriate discounts on its products and services.

“I don’t know if his actions were perfect in retrospect, but I am convinced that his motivations were always in the best interest of the taxpayers,” Collins said. “I believe he is the ideal person for this position at a very critical time.”

However, as reported July 29, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) is expected put a hold on the nomination, which would keep the Senate from considering Williams. (Read more here.)

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Grassley plans hold on Williams nomination

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) will put a hold on on the nomination of Jim Williams to be administrator of the General Services Administration if the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approves Williams' nomination tomorrow, a spokeswoman for Grassley confirmed today.

Grassley had opposed Williams' nomination, saying July 24 that his "concerns are based on my investigation of a dubious GSA contract with Sun Microsystems.”

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Officials seek information on departing employees

Officials don’t have any clear evidence of why government acquisition employees leave the contracting community or where they go afterward. However, they will seek that information.

The Federal Acquisition Institute has been trying to learn where agencies' employees go when they switch jobs. Officials are sorting out the information gathered, and they expect to have preliminary results in a new section of the institute's annual workforce report that's due in late spring, said FAI Director Karen Pica.

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Contracting reform bill heads to Senate

Acquisition reforms moved forward today when the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee easily approved the Senate’s version of the Accountability in Contracting Act, which would institute far-reaching reforms.

The bill would create a position within the Office of Federal Procurement Policy to lead workforce programs. The person in that job would supervise training, oversee an intern program and help build a strategic plan for the contracting workforce. The bill would authorize appropriators to give $5 million in fiscal 2008 and 2009 to the workforce training fund.

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Walker: Redefine 'inherently governmental'

The definition of an inherently governmental function needs a re-examination because public employees and private-sector contractors are almost indistinguishable, U.S. Comptroller General David Walker told a Senate committee Tuesday.

“We need to look at when and under what circumstances is it appropriate to be contracting and when is it not, because we are in a very different situation today, and we’re likely to continue to have to rely on contractors…to accomplish the government’s mission,” he told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

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DHS has too many buying chiefs

Having too many chiefs can lead to confusion, which two lawmakers see happening at the Homeland Security Department, despite assurances from DHS that everyone is working with a clear sense of direction.

The lawmakers focused on two chiefs: DHS’ chief procurement officer and its chief acquisition officer, who also is undersecretary for management. The chief procurement officer oversees DHS’ procurement and contracting functions. The chief acquisition officer monitors acquisition performance and programs, making sure acquisitions are legal.

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