ADMINISTRATION NAMES PEOPLE TO GSA TEAM – IN GOV. AFFAIRS

The Trump Administration named five appointees to the General Services Administration last week, but all five will work on the agency’s legislative and government affairs portfolio.  The impact on acquisition policy or innovative acquisition will likely be minimal.  The agency’s additional appointees, however, include Chief Staff Jack St. John.  He and his team are certainly reviewing recommendations for action.  Without a permanent Administrator or Deputy Administrator, however, the agency will continue to have an uphill climb to implement new programs or end unpopular ones, such as the TDR pilot that has turned into a fiasco for contractors and a cause celebre for the IG community.  Unfortunately, the world of federal acquisition continues to move forward, even as GSA essentially stays in place.  It now seems virtually certain that the agency’s largest customer, DOD, will turn away from it to at least some extent for commercial product buys in favor of on-line, commercially-based e-commerce solutions.  GSA officials are certainly aware of this, yet if they are working on a response, no one in industry seems to know about it.  Those who support the mission of a strong GSA with innovative programs are frustrated.