Often overlooked, members of the acquisition workforce play an important role in handling government contracting as they serve as the first set of eyes to analyze and digest government contracts before anything is settled.
As massive cutting of federal spending is the talk of Washington, Dan Gordon, administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, is voicing his concerns about the security and future of the acquisition workforce.
Before a House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform, Gordon said that government contracting professionals grew by around 6.5 percent between 2009 and 2010. Gordon outlined his case about the importance of acquisition workers.
“We cannot protect the federal acquisition process without a good federal acquisition workforce,” Gordon said. “I’m very concerned that budgetary pressures are going to unroll much of the progress we’ve had.”
Gordon identified the fact that in fiscal year 2010, the government spent less on contracting for the first time in 13 years, a decrease of nearly $15 billion. He also attributed these achievements to better training programs and resources, in addition to new standards and guidelines for acquisition officers to follow.
“As stewards of the taxpayer dollars, we are responsible for ensuring that agencies are achieving the best results possible from their contractors,†said Gordon.
