OPM opens USAJOBS Web site to competition

The Office of Personnel Management is seeking contractors who are interested in running the federal government's recruiting centerpiece, the USAJOBS Web site.

Technology contractor Monster.com was originally awarded a 10-year contract to develop and manage USAJOBS, with one base year and nine option years. OPM officials said they are happy with Monster.com's performance, but a market survey earlier this year revealed a variety of interesting new options, according to Ronald Flom, a senior procurement executive at OPM.

"We are required to do a market survey before we exercise any options," Flom said, noting that OPM issued a request for information in March. "We found that there were a number of companies out there that could do this kind of work for us. Some of them were offering some new and innovative approaches."

Flom said the 10-year arrangement was a mistake.

"To think that a technology contract could run for 10 years is ludicrous," he told Government Executive on Monday. "Anybody who thought, when this contract was awarded, that it would run for 10 years was dreaming … the landscape five years from now will be something we can't even imagine."

OPM is planning to issue a five-year contract-one base year and four extension years-to the next contractor.

Federal officials are concerned about ensuring the smooth operation of the USAJOBS Web site, and they are pushing to receive bids for the new contract by the end of August. The contract with Monster.com will expire at the end of September, although OPM officials might have to coordinate a short-term extension to allow a new contractor to get up to speed, according to Flom. If Monster.com wins the next contract, that would not be an issue.

"We're very happy with their performance," Flom said. "They are one of the companies that answered our request for information. They are very interested in keeping the contract."

Avue Technologies Corp, a federal human resources contracting company, said the OPM decision is overdue. The company previously criticized the USAJOBS Web site and contract award process.

"I think that the re-compete was a long time coming," said Linda Rix, co-CEO of Avue. She said she believes OPM is trying to do too much with the Web site. Avue is planning to wait for the requirements that OPM puts forward for the next USAJOBS contractor, and will then decide whether or not to compete, according to Rix.

Flom said OPM might be able to negotiate a lower price for the same level of service, but the agency is open to new technologies or ideas for the USAJOBS site, even if it means paying a little more.

"What we're looking for is best value," he said. "If somebody comes in with bells and whistles, things that we want, that serve our customer base … we may pay a higher price for that."