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OMB Pushes Job Competitions Agencies will be permitted to use GSA schedules when conducting public-private job competitions, an OMB official says. Matthew Blum, who oversees A-76 competitions for OMB, said a pilot project allowing the Energy Department to solicit offers through the schedules was successful and other agencies will be granted permission to go to the schedules on a case-by-case basis. Dennis O’Brien, director of Energy’s Office of Competitive Sourcing, said the department received six offers from schedule contractors for its competition. Many contractors have refused to participate in the Bush administration’s competitive sourcing initiative, partly because OMB figures show federal employees have won more than 80% of the competitions in most years. “We aren’t getting enough competition (from contractors),” O’Brien said. “We just aren’t.” OMB’s 2005 report shows almost two-thirds of competitions attracted at least two private sector offers. The year before, fewer than half the competitions received two offers. Officials outlined plans for job competitions at the National Center for Public-Private Partnerships’ Washington conference May 24. The Navy plans to compete around 3,500 jobs this year and nearly 5,000 in fiscal 2007. Many of the jobs are now filled by sailors who will be transferred to war-fighting positions, said Mark Zenthoefer, branch chief for competitive sourcing. He said Navy employees may look for contractor partners to replace the sailors. OMB’s Blum said the administration continues to press Congress to remove restrictions on job competitions, especially the requirement that contractors must underbid the agency’s cost by at least 10% in order to win. But there is little likelihood that Congress will permit the Veterans Affairs Department to compete jobs in its hospitals and clinics, according to Dennis Duffy, acting assistant VA secretary. The congressional prohibition covers 210,000 jobs. The Senate has voted to repeal it, but Duffy said there is “little likelihood” that the House will agree.
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