Easy Ride Predicted for Procurement Policy Nominee President Obama’s nominee to head procurement policy says he will concentrate on growing and improving the acquisition workforce. “Our procurement budget has increased dramatically in the past decade, yet the growth in the workforce has not kept pace,” Daniel Gordon said at his Nov. 10 confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Committee chairman Joseph Lieberman, I-CT, said he will push for a quick Senate vote on what he called a “broadly supported, uncontroversial” nominee to head the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. Gordon is a career lawyer with the Government Accountability Office. He was serving as acting general counsel when President Obama tapped him for the OFPP post last month. He has had extensive experience with acquisition issues while supervising 150 attorneys who conduct audits and adjudicate bid protests. In addition to strengthening the acquisition workforce, Gordon listed his other priorities as saving money and reducing risk in acquisitions; improving acquisition planning; and strengthening contract management. In written responses to questions from the committee, Gordon said, “I believe that the prior Administration may have gone too far in its reliance on contractors, and I support the President’s direction to clarify when outsourcing is and is not appropriate.” But he returned repeatedly to workforce issues during his testimony. “We need to focus our attention on developing an acquisition workforce – including contracting officers’ technical representatives and program managers, as well as contracting officers and contract specialists—that allows us to meet our mission goals and deliver value to the public,” he said. The committee’s ranking Republican, Susan Collins of Maine, said she was disappointed by the administration’s moves to strengthen the workforce. She had earlier called the guidance from OFPP “boilerplate.” (SAA, 11/6) “There are no silver bullets,” Gordon said. “There are no quick solutions to any of these challenges. Each will require hard work and focused attention.”