The General Services Administration’s chief acquisition officer, Anne Rung, is reviewing internal procurement procedures in the wake of the agency’s recent inspector general report on management interference with schedule contract negotiations.

Acting GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini sent an email to staff yesterday, which was obtained by Federal News Radio, announcing the review to “ensure our contracting work is performed with transparency and honesty.”

“That review will be another part of our effort to ensure that every aspect of this agency is meeting the strictest standards of public service,” Tangherlini wrote. “The women and men of GSA have been essential to that effort and this most recent report would have been impossible had GSA employees not come forward with their concerns. As you recall, one of my first actions as acting administrator was to send a joint statement with Brian Miller, GSA’s Inspector General, to every GSA employee stressing the importance of reporting concerns to the supervisory chain or the OIG, as appropriate.”

Rung’s internal review coincides with an instructional letter coming from Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Tom Sharpe on how to ensure effective communication between management, contracting officers and other stakeholders.

Both of these examinations are in reaction to the IG’s report that found FAS managers improperly interfered with negotiations for new schedule contracts for Carahsoft, Deloitte and Oracle.

In addition to these internal reviews, GSA put Warren Blankenship on administrative leave while it continues to look into the matter exposed by the IG.

“While our managers play an essential role in supporting our mission by overseeing the work of contracting officers, improper intervention in procurement processes is unacceptable,” Tangherlini wrote.

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