Dan Gordon is leaving as Office of Federal Procurement Policy Administrator. Roger Waldron, president of the Coalition for Government Procurement, and Rob Burton, partner at Venable law firm and a former OFPP acting administrator, outline what they think the criteria should be for the new OFPP administrator in an interview with In Depth with Francis Rose:

• Understanding of procurement process

  Ideally, the new OFPP administrator will have experience in both government and industry, Waldron said.

  Waldron, who worked in government for 20 years before moving to the private sector, said his work in industry informed him of how much regulatory changes impact companies and “actually do increase costs,” he said.

• Political background

  The new administrator should be politically savvy and “have the ear of colleagues at the political level,” Waldron said.

• Encourage communication

  One of Gordon’s legacies is the “myth-buster” campaign to fight the myth that agencies and industry cannot talk to each other.

  “That thoughtful approach and engaging in conversation ultimately benefits all of us in the procurement community and I believe ultimately benefits the taxpayer as well,” Waldron said.

• Career position

  Most administrators stay on the job for only two years, which is how long Gordon was in the position.

  “It’s very hard to accomplish anything in federal government in that short period of time,” Burton said.

  Burton added that the administrator usually relies heavily on the career appointees.

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