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Fingers are pointing in many directions in the wake of the scandal at the General Services Administration. Lawmakers on both the sides of the aisle have expressed outrage at the "culture of waste," but opinions on who's to blame for that culture are as divided as ever along party lines. Two congressmen told In Depth host Francis Rose about their very different ideas.
Experts say all the focus on Capitol Hill and within agencies will lead to better management and give more respect to whistleblowers. Carolyn Lerner, the head of the Office of Special Counsel, said the attention on the misdeeds of the Public Buildings Service would bolster the need for stronger ethics and integrity.
Kimberley Hayes, is the president and cofounder of the Ambit Group, joined Francis Rose for an interview on Industry Chatter, to discuss the ways that agencies can bolster cooperation among vendors, the acquisition office and the program office.
Embattled GSA official Jeff Neely ran his region like a "fiefdom" and was the agencies "weakest link," Congressman Elijah Cummings told In Depth on Thursday. And while he supports investigating conference practices government-wide, that isn't an excuse for fed bashing, he said.
A roundtable discussion of the events at this years' Public Service Recognition Week. April 20, 2012
The software company received more than $357 million in sales from its schedule contract in 2011. GSA's decision affects Oracle's professional services offerings under the IT Schedule 70 Program.
The Massachusetts Republican said in a letter to the President that the misconduct and violations at NOAA are much worse than those at GSA. He said the IG found unethical behavior and broken procurement rules.
The watchdog overseeing contract spending in Afghanistan said the amount of waste and fraud is "significant" in that country. "Contingency contracting is an area that is susceptible to waste, fraud and abuse, more so, certainly, than domestic government contracting," said Steven Trent, acting Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, in an interview with The Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp.
Current and former General Services Administration this week faced tough questioning from lawmakers on a $823,000 tab to taxpayers for a 2010 conference in Las Vegas. But this example of lavish spending is only the latest incident in the "horrible track record" at GSA and raises the question if the agency needs to be restructured — or dismantled altogether, argues one lawmaker.
From Darleen Druyun to Jack Abramoff to wartime contracting, history shows the Public Buildings Service's lavish spending is small potatoes. Experts say the energy and time Congress has put into hearing on the GSA conference near Las Vegas could be better used to address bigger, most costly problems.
Washington attorney Bill Bransford joins host Mike Causey to answer questions that affect whistleblowers in the federal government. April 18, 2012
General Services Administration Inspector General Brian Miller told senators on Wednesday his office had made a criminal referral to the Justice Department relating to the ongoing spending scandal. Speaking at the last of four congressional hearings about the GSA, Miller testified that he has heard from "a lot" of whistleblowers since his report was released several weeks ago.
The Accountability in Government Act would require agency leaders to sign off on any conference costing more than $200,000.
After a decade in which relatively few questions were asked about resource allocations, Navy and Marine Corps acquisition leaders are moving to adjust to a new reality.