GSA #10097

July 13, 2004
Contact: Mary Alice Johnson (202) 501-1231
maryalice.johnson@gsa.gov

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) today unveiled a comprehensive plan designed to ensure improved contracting operations and proper use of GSA’s contracting vehicles.  

The GSA “Get It Right” plan, will provide a fully integrated approach to assessing regulatory compliance and providing feedback to customer agencies, industry partners, the acquisition workforce, and stakeholders. The plan also calls for GSA to proactively supervise the proper use of its contract vehicles and services to ensure best value for the American taxpayer and federal agencies.  The plan was discussed at a meeting of GSA associates and personnel from the U.S. Department of Defense, GSA’s largest customer.

“This is strong action on the part of the Bush Administration, the GSA management team and its acquisition officials and a change in direction for the entire federal acquisition workforce,” stated GSA Administrator Stephen A. Perry. He added, “We are implementing the ‘Get It Right’ plan because acquisition is the core of what we do as an agency and because we take seriously the trust placed in GSA by our federal agency customers, the Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, and most importantly, the taxpayers.” He further added, “I am confident that as the federal acquisition community works to implement this fully integrated approach and we gather feedback, that we will identify and close any gaps that exist and take specific actions to achieve improvements, ultimately resulting in a reinvigoration of commitment to excellence in acquisition.”

The major objectives of the “Get It Right” plan are to:

• Ensure compliance with federal contracting regulations.
• Make contracting policies and procedures clear and explicit.
• Ensure the integrity of GSA’s contract vehicles and services.
• Improve competition in the marketplace when GSA’s contract vehicles and services are used.
• Improve transparency relating to how GSA’s contract vehicles and services are used.
• Ensure that taxpayers get the best value for their tax dollar whenever GSA’s contract vehicles or services are used.

Hundreds of contracting and program personnel from GSA and DoD attended the meeting to hear discussion of the new procedures. The meeting was also broadcast via Webcast to GSA associates nationwide. 

GSA is a centralized federal procurement, property management and policy agency created by Congress to improve government efficiency and help federal agencies better serve the public. It acquires, on behalf of federal agencies, office space, equipment, telecommunications, information technology, supplies and services. It also plays a key role in developing and implementing governmentwide policies. GSA, comprised of 13,000 associates, provides services and solutions for the office operations of over one million federal workers located in more than 8,000 government-owned and leased buildings in 2,000 U.S. communities.