FederalDaily - June 9, 2006

Public-Private Competition Rules Upheld

The House Appropriations Committee maintained current legal restrictions on government worker/contractor competitions in the 2007 Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill, which the committee approved on Tuesday. The move upholds the requirement that contractor bids must provide at least enough cost savings over government bids to offset the costs of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) competition review. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) applauded both political parties for the decision. In a written statement, AFGE President John Gage said, “…The American people get the best of both worlds: Federal agencies get the services they need and at the quality they need, but at the lowest possible price for taxpayers.” This past April, OMB issued a report recommending that Congress rescind the contractor cost savings requirement in public-private competitions.

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Curbing Federal Purchase Card Spending

A bill aimed at eliminating wasteful spending with government purchase cards was recently approved by the Senate, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, announced. The Purchase Card Waste Elimination Act, authored by Collins and Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., would require agencies—under direction from the Office of Management and Budget—to better train purchase card users and more carefully analyze spending. Further, the General Services Administration would have to provide additional purchase card guidance and increase efforts to obtain discounts from vendors. In the past, some federal employees used the cards to purchase unauthorized items such as designer luggage, a motorcycle, two cars and enhancement surgeries, according to Feingold. “Fiscal responsibility is always important, but never more than today when the government is running a huge budget deficit,” added Collins. “This legislation is one way to help reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending.”

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Army to Use Blue Uniform as Standard

The Army will begin transitioning to using only a blue service uniform starting in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2007, according to a June 5 announcement. Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston stated, “The blue Army Service Uniform is a traditional uniform that is consistent with the Army’s most honored traditions.” Gen. Peter Schoomaker, the Army’s Chief of Staff, added that it “makes sense” to use one uniform rather than the current three variations (blue, green and white) available. According to the Army, a wear-out date for the green and white uniforms will be determined later.

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Amendment Cuts DHS Funding for Limousine Use

The House version of the 2007 Homeland Security Appropriations bill now includes an amendment to reallocate funding otherwise spent on limousines for Department of Homeland Security employees to instead pay for grants for local fire departments, Rep. John R. Kuhl, R-N.Y., said Tuesday. “I was shocked and appalled to learn recently that the Department of Homeland Security had a $22 million contract with a limo company in Virginia to provide limousine service to Department bureaucrats to ride around Washington,” Kuhl said. He called the request a “gross misuse of taxpayer funds.” If the current version becomes law, the amendment—sponsored by Kuhl and Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga.—would redirect those funds to local fire departments for equipment, safety programs and training.

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