Advisory Group to Review Acquisition Policies An expert advisory panel will be named shortly to begin a yearlong review of acquisition laws and regulations. Robert Burton, acting administrator of OMB’s Office of Federal Procurement Policy, told Set-Aside Alert the members have been tentatively chosen and will be announced as soon as background checks are complete. In a provision of the Services Acquisition Reform Act passed last year, Congress ordered OMB to appoint “recognized experts” to “review laws and regulations regarding the use of commercial practices, performance-based contracting, the performance of acquisition functions across agency lines of responsibility, and the use of governmentwide contracts.” The law requires that members include representatives of both government and the private sector, including academic experts. Burton has said at least one member will be a small business advocate. The Senate passed an amendment to the 2005 Defense Authorization bill directing the panel to consider small business interests in formulating procurement policy. The sponsor, Senate Small Business Committee Chair Olympia Snowe (R-ME), said, “This amendment assures that the voice of government contractors who are small business concerns will be heard.” The bill has not yet received final congressional approval. Burton said the panel will hold public meetings, probably beginning this fall, and will solicit ideas from representatives of the contractor community. It will have one year to submit a report to the White House and Congress.