GSA Receives House Approval to Establish The New Federal Acquisition Service

GSA #10224

April 6, 2006
Contact:  Neil Franz, (202) 501-1231
neil.franz@gsa.gov    

Washington, DC – The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced today that its plan to create the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) has received approval from the U.S. House Appropriations subcommittee with oversight for the agency.  GSA hopes for a quick and similar response from Senate Appropriations leaders.  FAS will be formed by the merger of GSA’s Federal Supply Service (FSS) and the Federal Technology Service (FTS).

“We are very pleased that the House has granted us the approval to move ahead, and we have received encouraging signs from the Senate,” said Acting GSA Administrator David L. Bibb.  “Final congressional approval will put us squarely on the path to strengthen our agency’s ability to compete in the changing marketplace.”

The FAS plan was approved by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, The Judiciary, District of Columbia and Independent Agencies, chaired by Rep. Joseph Knollenberg (R-MI).  GSA delivered the plan to Congress on February 27, following a request for review by the House and Senate Appropriations committees.

This new FAS will include five major customer centers, among these:

• Customer Accounts and Research (CAR).  CAR will permit FAS to better understand customer requirements and become a strategic partner in helping agencies meet their requirements.
• Acquisition Management.  The FAS emphasis on acquisition management will ensure that its activities are fully compliant with laws, regulations and policies, and that operating practices are consistent across business lines.
• Integrated Technology Services.  This portfolio combines the business lines from information technology, some professional services, and telecommunications.
• General Supplies and Services.  This portfolio acquires a broad range of commercial products as well as some professional services, as well as GSA specialized logistics-based activities.
• Travel, Motor, Vehicle, and Card Services.  This portfolio operates with respective supplier industries but shares commonalities for customers that provide opportunities for synergy and scale.

In turn, each portfolio will be comprised of various divisions in order to serve customer needs and establish GSA as the federal community’s agency of choice when it comes to acquiring goods, services and other workplace needs.

The new FAS competencies in acquisition excellence, program expertise and policy compliance will provide value to the taxpayer by:

• Lowering the cost of government by efficiently leveraging the government’s buying power to obtain the best value in products and services from suppliers at the lowest possible transaction cost.
• Increasing value to commercial suppliers of all types and sizes, by creating consistent and innovative processes to offer their products and services to government agencies more efficiently.

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GSA is a centralized, federal procurement, property management, policy development and information provision agency, created by Congress to improve government efficiency and help federal agencies better serve the public.  In this role, GSA acquires products and services on behalf of federal agencies; plays a key role in developing and implementing government-wide policies; provides services and solutions for the office operations of more than one million federal workers; and encourages a citizen-centric relationship with government by providing a single "point of entry" to the information and services citizens need in a timeframe they can appreciate.  This allows citizens to receive accurate, timely and consistent answers and information, and helps federal agencies better respond to citizen inquiries.