GSA offers new contracts for personnel services

Federal agencies suffering from cuts in the ranks of human resources specialists now have a world of personnel expertise available to them under a new schedule of contracts introduced by the General Services Administration.

The new multiple award schedule consists of human resources services that can be obtained from more than 50 contractors. Among the services offered are pre-employment screening, position classification, training, recruitment and employee assistance programs.

"Use of these contracts will free existing human resources specialists within the federal government to concentrate on such other critical needs as comprehensive workforce planning," GSA officials said in announcing the new schedule this week.

According to GSA, government downsizing has decreased the ranks of federal personnel specialists by 21 percent since 1993.

At the same time, top federal leaders and, most recently, President Clinton, have pushed for increased attention to workforce planning. Last week Clinton issued an executive memo to agency heads, alerting them to anticipate waves of retirement in the near future, and urging managers to pay more attention to employee recruitment and development.

Jack Wachsstock, director of GSA's Federal Supply Service Acquisition Center, which negotiated the contracts, said federal personnelists demanded more options.

"This new schedule is a direct result of the open communications between GSA and its federal customers," he said.

GSA is offering the new contracts as an extension to its equal employment opportunity services currently available to agencies.