Outsider, Insider To Lead New GSA Buying Unit GSA’s new Federal Acquisition Service will be headed by Barbara Shelton, who has been acting commissioner of the Federal Technology Service. Deidre Lee, one of the government’s most experienced acquisition leaders, will be assistant commissioner for Integrated Technology Services. The Federal Acquisition Service will be formed by the merger of the Federal Supply Service, which runs GSA schedules, and the Federal Technology Service, which provides assisted procurements. Shelton became acting commissioner of FTS in February after serving for three years as GSA’s Mid-Atlantic regional administrator, a political appointment. She previously worked in Pennsylvania state government and in industry. Some observers questioned her appointment to head the Acquisition Service because of her relative lack of high-level federal experience. Lee, on the other hand, has held the two top jobs in federal procurement. She has been director of defense procurement and acquisition policy since 2000 and formerly served as administrator of OMB’s Office of Federal Procurement Policy. She earlier was NASA’s procurement executive. She is a highly visible spokeswoman who has been a vocal defender of her fellow career acquisition professionals during the recent spate of revelations and accusations of wrongdoing. GSA Administrator Stephen Perry called Lee “a distinguished leader in the federal acquisition community.” She will head the largest component of the Acquisition Service, with responsibility for the information technology, professional services and telecommunications business lines, including GSA schedules, the acquisition workforce, and the two large governmentwide acquisition contracts that are currently in development, Alliant and Networx. A second component of the Acquisition Service will handle General Supplies and Services and a third arm will be responsible for Travel and Personal Property Disposal Services, including purchase cards. In announcing Shelton’s appointment, Perry said, “Barbara has been a key leader of the team that has worked to develop the draft plan for the very challenging task of consolidating FTS and FSS into FAS. Through her leadership and expertise, she has contributed significantly to the effort to develop an FAS organization.” Perry announced a draft reorganization plan last month and said he hoped to produce a final plan by the end of July. Some industry groups have criticized the draft as too vague. When the reorganization will take place is not certain. Legislation to allow the merger of GSA’s Information Technology Fund with the General Supply Fund, a key component of the plan, was passed by the House last month, but no Senate vote has been set.