Competitive Sourcing/A-76
President Bush, as part of his Management Agenda, stated that "Government should be market-based – we should not be afraid of competition, innovation, and choice. I will open government to the discipline of competition." He charged each agency with conducting a review of at least fifty percent of its federal workforce performing commercial activities to determine if any of the activities being performed could be provided by the private sector at less cost to the government.
In furtherance of the Administration's policy, the Department of Energy has been conducting studies on various portions of its workforce to compare ways of performing services, including continued use of the DOE workforce, contracts with private firms, or arrangements with other federal agencies.
Several functions within the Office of Fossil Energy are affected by the competitive sourcing/A-76 review process, including the Information Technology and Albany Research Center functions.
What is A-76?
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular No. A-76, Performance of Commercial Activities, was first issued during the Eisenhower Administration. At the core of A-76 is the fundamental precept that government should not compete with the private sector in providing services considered "commercial activities," i.e., work that is not considered inherently governmental and can be provided by the private sector. The A-76 Circular identifies procedures to be used in conducting managed competitions between the public and private sectors for commercial activities. Ultimately, these competitions determine whether it is more efficient for a function to be performed by the private sector, by an in-house government workforce, or via an inter-service support agreement with another government entity.
Albany Research Center Competition
On September 30, 2005, a Special Notice [DOE-SNOTE-050930-001] was posted on the Department of Energy's Industry Interactive Procurement System and published in Federal Business Opportunities communication forums announcing DOE's intent to conduct a standard competition of Fossil Energy's Albany Research Center (ARC) consistent with the OMB Circular A-76. This competition is for support services to provide materials, research and development activities at ARC located in Albany, Oregon. The functions being competed are currently being performed by seventy full time equivalent employees.
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