FederalDaily - October 4, 2005

Federal Procurement Problems

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security, said last week that the federal government lacks any means of tracking what it buys and what price it pays for goods and services. Following a hearing on federal procurement, Coburn said the General Services Administration’s Federal Procurement Data System:

• only records purchases over $2,500;
• only captures broad categories of products, such as “books,” meaning there’s not a way to know exactly what the product was;
• does not record information about all bids, including rejected bids and their pricing information; and
• is not universally used by government agencies. The Department of Defense, which is responsible for 60 percent of federal procurement, is not using the system.

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Reimbursing Troops for Safety Equipment

Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., announced last week that he will again introduce legislation directing the Department of Defense (DoD) to reimburse soldiers who purchase essential military equipment for serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The current law allows for claims of up to $1,100 to be filed by troops and evaluated and approved by the DoD secretary. These reimbursements were to be made for purchases made between September 11, 2001, and July 31, 2004. Dodd said because there have been recent reports that the DoD secretary has lagged behind in making these reimbursements, the new legislation would take the reimbursement program out of the secretary's hands and instead allow troops' unit commanders to decide which equipment was eligible for reimbursement.

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Push to Evaluate/Cut Federal Programs

Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., introduced the Government Reorganization and Program Performance Improvement Act of 2005, S. 1399, in July. Last week, in push to get the bill enacted, he contacted all his Senate colleagues seeking support for the bill. “My bill will not only inventory [government] programs, but identify those that should be eliminated. Many programs are not fulfilling their stated mission, are duplicative, and redundant,” said Thomas. “At a time when we face record spending, I believe we must look for ways to save in other areas to offset some of these costs.”

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DHS Personnel System Appropriations Cut

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fiscal year 2006 appropriation for implementing a proposed new personnel system—called MaxHR—was cut by around $23 million by a House-Senate conference committee. The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) applauded the cut in funding for MaxHR. “The decision…on the DHS appropriations bill recognizes that funding the troubled MaxHR system should take a back seat to other more pressing DHS priorities,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley. Now, instead of the $53 million that DHS sought to implement MaxHR, it will likely receive $30 million. The union has been fighting against the MaxHR system, alleging that it lacks credibility with employees and could erode collective bargaining, due process and appeal rights.

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