GSA TO HOLD NATIONAL “FAST” CONFERENCE

While “April in Atlanta” may not have the same ring as “April in Paris” the return of GSA’s national training event and conference is music to the ears of many in government and industry.  GSA Administrator Emily Murphy announced the conference, to be known as “FAST”, during the Coalition for Government Procurement Spring Conference.  “FAST”, which stands for “Federal Acquisition Service Training”, will be held April 14-16, 2020.  Murphy emphasized that the show is NOT a new Expo, but the show will have a somewhat familiar format.  Thousands of hours of training from qualified instructors will be available for both GSA federal customers and contractors.  A small show room floor may also be in the works.  If so, this format would closely follow that of two recent regional shows that GSA held in Huntsville, Alabama.  Indeed, Murphy stated that it is her agency’s intent to hold more regional events, in addition to the national conference.  The bottom line is that this is good news for anyone who does business with GSA.  While the agency has done a credible job recently of increasing its web-based training, sometimes there is no substitute for getting people together in the same location.  The discussions, education, and relationship building that take place at such events truly has a positive impact on acquisition.  Kudos to Murphy for throwing off the ghosts of the past and moving her agency ahead.