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Mar
4
My dad spent decades bidding on and fulfilling contracts for stuff (yes, stuff) put out to bid by the State of Connecticut. Three years ago, during a visit to Cleveland, he came with me to a Meet the Bloggers session – it was with John Corlett, formerly of the Center for Community Solutions and now the state director of Medicaid.
During the MTB session, my dad raised the problem of procurement systems at least once or twice to illustrate where he believes the real play to pay and overpayment schemes lurk. It’s his opinion – and has been for many, many years, that nothing will change if we don’t change procurement systems.
Lo and behold, the AP reports today on President Obama’s desire to do just that.
President Barack Obama approved an order Wednesday to overhaul the way the U.S. government awards contracts for work to be done by the private sector, reversing a Bush administration policy.
Obama joined Republican Sen. John McCain, his presidential campaign rival, and other congressional figures to announce an executive memorandum that commits his administration to a new set of marching orders for awarding contracts. Obama said “the days of giving government contractors a blank check are over” and said changes could save up to $40 billion a year.
…
Obama’s presidential memo…directs Peter Orszag, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, to work with Cabinet and agency officials to draft new contracting rules by the end of September. Those new rules, White House aides say, will make it more difficult for contractors to bilk taxpayers and make some half-trillion dollars in federal contracts each year more accessible to independent contractors.
Obama said the package of reforms could save up to $40 billion each year.
I grew up in a household filled with the paperwork and voices of figuring out and negotiating cost and price of things like 250,000 plastic forks and 10,000 black-toothed combs for state prisons. And, oh, so much more. The stories, the stories I could tell.
Might have to start another blog, Dad. (Just kidding – promise) But my father would be as good a consultant as anyone. Now there’s an idea…Miller and Zimon – or would it be…Zimon and Miller?
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:43 am March 4th, 2009 in Barack Obama, Business, Government
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One Response to “For Dad: Obama to change federal procurement system, McCain gives support”
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I’d agree that reforms to improve transparency in procurement at every level of government would be an excellent way to shake up the good old boys networks wherever they exist.