Congressional Testimony
FPI Competition In Contracting ActSTATEMENT OF JACK R. WILLIAMS, JR.
GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION APRIL 7, 2004 Chairman Fitzgerald and Members of the Subcommittee, I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today, on behalf of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), to discuss your ideas to establish a government-wide policy requiring competition in certain procurements from Federal Prison Industries (FPI). GSA supports the Subcommittee’s interest in requiring competition to the maximum extent practicable whenever taxpayer dollars are being spent to ensure positive results in government acquisition. Two fundamental principles need to be satisfied in any legislative or administrative reforms. Agencies should have the flexibility through competition to purchase quality goods and services at fair and reasonable prices with the expectation of timely performance. At the same time FPI is an important national program, and the Attorney General must be able to maintain adequate work opportunities at Federal prisons to counter the potentially dangerous affects of inmate idleness and prepare prisoners for reintegration into society. Finding a results oriented approach to meeting FPI’s national objectives (providing work opportunities for inmates) while obtaining additional competition and transparency in the government procurement process will result in the taxpayer getting better value for their tax dollar and give the Federal agency customer a greater range of choices. As this Subcommittee knows, the President has called upon the entire Federal Government to improve performance by focusing on results. Among other things, we have been charged with making our agencies citizen-centered, market-based and results-driven. Accountability requires that we spend the taxpayers' dollars wisely and provide greater insight into how their money is being spent. Senate Bill 346 and other Bills are being considered by the Senate with regard to the reform of FPI. The Administration has taken a neutral position on all bills. Therefore, I will not be commenting on the specifics of S. 346. A number of previous actions by Congress and this Administration are promoting competition and helping create a level playing field with the private sector. GSA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Department of Defense (DoD) revised the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) four (4) times over the past year to implement results oriented reforms, namely:
GSA supports reform of FPI and looks forward to working with this Subcommittee in making sure our procurement system is based on competitive procedures that are focused on achieving results. This concludes my prepared remarks. I am happy to answer any questions you may have. Index of Congressional Testimony
Last Reviewed 9/30/2008
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