Federal Daily - March 27, 2009

GAO: DoD Needs to Improve Tracking, Management of Acquisition Contractors

DoD needs to do a better job in tracking and managing its contractor acquisition workforce, according to a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released on March 25. Despite the fact that private contractors represent about one-third of the approximately 100,000-member civilian DoD acquisition force, the agency does not collect department-wide data on contractor personnel, the report said. This is a critical time for the DoD acquisitions workforce, which last year oversaw $388 billion in spending on goods and services—more than double the amount recorded in 2001, GAO said. Although DoD spending has increased from Fiscal Years 2001 to 2007, the number of civilian and military acquisition personnel in 13 fields reviewed by GAO declined overall by 2.5 percent. Moreover, DoD has reported that the number of major defense acquisition programs has increased from 70 to 95. To augment its declining in-house acquisition workforce, DoD has relied more heavily on contractor personnel. But DoD lacks information on why contractor personnel are used, which limits the department’s ability to determine whether contractors are being used appropriately, the report said. “Program office decisions to use contractor personnel are often driven by factors such as quicker hiring time frames and civilian staffing limits,” the report said, “rather than by the skills needed or the nature or criticality of the work.” To see more, go to: www.gao.gov/highlights/d09342high.pdf.

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USPS Will Evaluate 5-Day Delivery Week, Potter Says

To overcome an ever-widening budget gap, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will continue to explore the viability of moving to a five-day delivery week, Postmaster General John E. Potter told lawmakers on March 25. In testimony before the House Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia, Potter said the ailing economy will drive mail volume lower this year, to about 180 billion pieces by the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2009, from 212 billion pieces in FY 2007. Following up on a recommendation to shorten the delivery week he made earlier this year, Potter said USPS would initiate a discussion on the five-day week with Congress and major stakeholders. If initiated, removing one delivery day from the current six-day week could save USPS $3.5 billion a year, Potter said. In addition, Potter urged lawmakers to provide the Postal Service greater flexibility in making mandated payments to fund retiree health care benefits. Potter asked Congress to pass H.R. 22 and modify the funding requirement for those benefits, reversing a policy that was instituted when USPS experienced large surpluses—and resulting in at least $2 billion in annual savings over an eight-year period. “Even with our aggressive cost-cutting measures, our situation is critical,” Potter said. “We cannot overcome the economic forces without help from Congress.” To see more, go to: www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/testimony/
2009/pr09_pmg0325.htm.

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Bill Would Expand Federal Telework, Create Uniform Policy

House lawmakers on March 25 introduced a measure that would—if signed into law—allow eligible federal employees to telework 20 percent of every two-week period, and create a uniform Office of Personnel Management (OPM) telework policy for all agencies. Introduced by Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md., the bipartisan bill, the Telework Improvement Act, would expand telework opportunities to more of the federal workforce. In addition to the 20 percent mandate, the measure would designate a telework managing officer in each agency; expand training opportunities for both employees and managers on telework; strengthen protections against punitive treatment for those who wish to telework; require OPM to compile government-wide data on telework; and require the Government Accountability Office to evaluate agency telework compliance. The bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Frank Wolf, R-Va., and Gerald Connolly. D-Va. A companion bill is expected to be offered soon in the Senate. The bill also is supported by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), a longtime champion of expanding federal telework opportunities. “There is everything to gain by significantly expanding telework in the federal sector, and nothing to lose,” said NTEU President Colleen Kelley. “When (federal) managers can overcome their initial reluctance, they learn that telework boosts morale and productivity.” To see more, go to: www.nteu.org.

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