OMB Releases Competitive Sourcing Plans Federal agencies have identified more than 103,000 jobs for public-private competitions, the Office of Management and Budget said. OMB issued a new report Oct. 6 on individual agencies’ competitive sourcing plans. It shows that agencies plan competitions for anywhere from 1.3% of their commercial jobs, in the Veterans Affairs Department, to 36% in EPA. The Bush administration announced last summer that it was dropping the requirement that agencies compete 15% of the jobs that are commercial in nature before the end of fiscal 2003. Instead, OMB negotiated with each agency for an individual plan. “We continue to make good progress in Competitive Sourcing. Agencies are moving forward with tailor-made plans that fit their missions, and more competitions are being held in a fair and open manner,” said Clay Johnson, Deputy Director of Management for OMB. “We are confident that the savings and service benefits expected from this effort will soon follow.” But congressional opposition is still strong. The 2004 defense authorization bill passed by Congress includes some restrictions on outsourcing of small units in the Defense Department. The House voted last month to kill OMB’s revised Circular A-76, which sets the rules for competitive sourcing; that provision is in the Transportation-Treasury appropriations bill, which will be considered by a conference committee later this fall. Several other pending appropriations bills contain restrictions on competitive sourcing in other agencies. The report does not include plans from the Homeland Security Department, SBA, AID and OMB itself. Highlights of agency plans: •Agriculture, 5,822 jobs to be competed, 12.5% of its commercial jobs; •Commerce, 1,203 to be competed, 14% of total; •Defense 67,800, 16.5%; •Education 220, 0.7%; •Energy 1,180, 15%; •EPA 215, 36%; •HHS 2,510, 8%; •HUD 870, 11%; •Interior 3,041, 9%; •Labor 420, 7%; •State 306, 13%; •Transportation 3,029, 8%; •Treasury 4,253, 16%; •VA 2,500, 1.3%; •AID n/a; •Army Corps of Engineers (civilian) 5,711, 24.5%; •GSA 734, 12%; •NASA 921, 12%; •Office of Personnel Management 184, 17%; •SBA n/a; •Social Security 1,691, 15%. The full report, including details on the types of jobs being competed, is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/procurement/comp_sourc.addendum.pdf. The Federal Acquisition Council has published two new guides to the revised Circular A-76, available at www.fac.gov.