Federal Daily - July 31, 2009

OMB Issues Rules to Control Contracting, Save $40 Billion

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on July 29 unveiled a series of contracting and workforce reforms designed to reduce the use of private contractors and return some work to federal employees. The OMB strategy, which the Obama administration hopes will save at least $40 billion a year, calls on agencies to cancel ineffective contracts and build up their acquisition workforces to provide better control of the contracting process and oversight of contractors. The OMB guidance also requires agencies to reduce their share of high-risk contracts by 10 percent by the end of this year. These include sole-source, cost-plus and time-and-materials contracts. “We are taking steps that are effective immediately to change the culture of government contracting, putting the focus on providing the best services for the taxpayers,” said OMB Director Peter Orszag. Since 2002, spending on federal contracts has more than doubled, reaching more than $500 billion in 2008, OMB said. During this same period, there has been an increase in the dollars obligated noncompetitively and without sufficient competition—from $82 billion to $188 billion. National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) President Colleen Kelley applauded the move. “NTEU’s position on government contracting has been clear for a long time,” Kelley said, “namely, that given the appropriate tools, resources and training, no one can perform the work of the federal government as well as trained, dedicated and accountable federal employees.” To see more, go to: www.whitehouse.gov/omb/news_072909_reform or www.nteu.org/PressKits/PressRelease/PressRelease.aspx?ID=1467.

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Senate Committee Approves Expanded Whistleblowers Protections

A Senate committee on July 29 unanimously approved a bill that would—if signed into law—expand federal whistleblower protections, including the right to challenge disciplinary actions before a jury. By approving S. 372, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee would give most federal workers the right to appeal adverse Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) decisions to the federal circuit where they live, and give them access to a jury trial. The Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA) overhaul bill would also provide whistleblower protections, for the first time, to Transportation Security Officers, giving them the right to bring their complaints to the Office of Special Counsel and MSPB. The committee bill does not extend jury trial provisions to those at intelligence agencies over concerns that allowing national security employees to have their cases heard in open court could lead to the improper disclosure of classified information. However, the bill would allow whistleblowers to disclose classified information to lawmakers on relevant oversight committees or their staff. The bill also would close certain loopholes in existing whistleblower protection laws, end the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals monopoly on appellate review of WPA cases, make permanent a ban on agency gag orders and add protections for federal scientists. “This is a giant step on the road to the promised land for federal whistleblowers,” said Tom Devine, legal director for the Government Accountability Project, which supported the bill. Labor groups also praised the measure. “Whistleblowers should be among the most respected employees—those who place morals and ethics above all else,” said American Federation of Government Employees President John Gage. “Whistleblower protections are a necessity, not a luxury.” A companion bill, H.R. 1507, is pending in the House. To see more, go to: www.afge.org/Index.cfm?Page=PressReleases&PressReleaseID=1030, http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.372:2009 or http://whistleblower.org/content/press_detail.cfm?press_id=1726.

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Senate Panel OKs Bill to Streamline Federal Hiring

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on July 29 approved a bill that would, if passed into law, streamline federal recruiting and hiring, making it easier for agencies to attract qualified applicants. The Federal Hiring Process Improvement Act, S. 736, would mandate clear language in job postings and abolish “knowledge, skills and abilities” (KSA) essays, allowing applicants instead to submit resumes and cover letters for federal jobs. The bill also would mandate timely notification of applicants as to their application status—with a 10-day deadline for notifying non-successful candidates. And, S. 736 would require the head of each executive agency to develop a strategic workforce plan to include hiring projections; strategic human capital planning to address critical skills deficiencies, and recruitment strategies to attract qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds. “Federal recruitment and hiring systems are broken,” said bill sponsor Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, D-Hawaii. “It is crucial that the federal government improve the cumbersome, slow application process to maximize its ability to attract and hire talented individuals to public service.” To see more, go to: http://akaka.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Press
Releases.Home&month=7&year=2009&release_id=2742 or http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.736:2009.

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