A Legacy of Reform

eidre Lee will leave her post as administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy in June to become director of Defense procurement. Confirmed by the Senate in July 1998, Lee will have served in her governmentwide acquisition policy post for almost two years before moving to the Pentagon.

When appointed to a high-level, Senate-confirmed position, such as Federal Procurement Policy administrator, you get a fancy document that represents your commission to serve. The document, signed by the President and the Secretary of State, attests to your abilities and states that you are awarded that position with the "advice and consent of the Senate." The narrative states in small print that you serve "during the pleasure of the President of the United States." Then it adds in even smaller print, "for the time being."

Needless to say, these are not lifetime jobs. As an administration draws to a close, presidential appointees are expected to submit their resignations. So, when the top Defense acquisition career position became open for the first time in about 15 years, Lee's decision to move was easy.

Lee's career in the procurement field started at Defense Department sites in Okinawa, Utah and Massachusetts. She then moved to various NASA positions and later to the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. The Defense position would seem like going home again.

"I still had more to do, and being able to work in a large agency that often sets the trends and patterns (for procurement reform) is a great opportunity," Lee says.

For the last two years, Lee has emphasized consolidating initiatives and focusing on performance. Rather than break new ground, she reinforced the paths laid out throughout the last decade. These include adapting commercial-style measures for acquiring goods and services. Such measures include streamlining competitions, selecting contractors based on past performance, and focusing on results through performance-based contracting and management techniques.

These innovations reflect the temper of the times in their embrace of purchase cards and electronic purchasing, as paper becomes less desirable in the acquisition process. For large information technology purchases in particular, the increase in government wide multiple-award contracting vehicles (GWACs) offers a relatively quick and easy way to obtain products and services from all types of vendors. A similar set of advantages is provided through the General Services Administration's federal supply schedules.

An example of the electronic commerce reforms under way is the Electronic Posting System (EPS) pilot. In place for some time, the pilot system could eventually serve as a single electronic point of entry for firms interested in federal marketing opportunities. Both GSA and the Transportation Department have been heavily involved in developing the EPS. If the system is successful, EPS postings could replace required notices in the Commerce Business Daily.

Feet to the Fire

Improving performance and using information technology to modernize are key elements in any long-term reforms. But these paths have their challenges. Some might argue that the host of new contracting vehicles, both GWACs and schedules, reduces the government's buying power by diluting it over so many different contracts. Others might complain that the commercial-style competition evolving from these types of contracts is straying from the government's standard of full and open competition, established under the Competition in Contracting Act in the mid-1980s.

In the commercial world, we are seeing new purchasing alliances established by the major automakers as well as by aircraft manufacturers to harness that buying power. Do these new government vehicles offer similar strengths?

The challenge for reformers is to document the benefits of these initiatives to counter any efforts that might turn back the clock. Assembling data on best practices is one way to achieve results, but another is ensuring that the workforce is up to the job of carrying out these reforms.

Lee says a trained workforce is critical to adapting to changes and recognizing the importance of a competitive process. Similarly, agencies must provide training to ease the shift toward commercial-style business management. Agencies also need the tools to recruit, retain and promote employees with the necessary leadership ability to further these reforms. Investment in human capital offers the greatest payoff. "This is about people," Lee says.

Lee has kept agencies' feet to the fire on implementing this reform agenda. She established the new Procurement Executives Council and is encouraged by its progress in tackling acquisition problems on a governmentwide basis. With cross-agency teams working these issues, Lee believes the base for continued progress will be much stronger.

As for advice for her successor, Lee says, "Listen to the people in the field, because they really know what needs to be done."

Allan V. Burman, a former Office of Federal Procurement Policy administrator, is president of Jefferson Solutions in Washington.