Davis lays out committee agenda

Procurement policy will be center stage in a series of congressional hearings this winter and spring, Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., told information technology industry and government employees Feb. 12.

He spoke at PSX Expo, a professional services training and exhibition conference in Washington.

"It is important, particularly after [the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11] when we are putting a lot of money out on the street for security, for defense, that we spend it wisely, and that we have a procurement system that can get the American taxpayer the most value for their dollar," said Davis, chairman of the House Government Reform subcommittee on technology and procurement policy.

That's where the subcommittee comes in, Davis said. Its legislative and oversight agenda in the coming months includes:

*A Feb. 26 hearing on information sharing between the private and public sectors;

*A March 7 hearing on the Services Acquisition Reform Act, sponsored by Davis, which would authorize additional contract vehicles, such as share-in-savings contracts, and establish a fund for contracting officer training;

*A March 24 hearing to investigate ways to integrate the work of the General Services Administration's Federal Supply Service and Federal Technology Service;

*A March 21 hearing on the successes and failures of enterprise architecture in federal agencies;

*An April 11 hearing on e-government, addressing state and local IT grant management and the results of a year-long Government Accounting Office review of how federal rules affect state and local governments trying to update their IT management;

*An April 25 hearing on technology for public building security;

*A May 10 hearing on intellectual property and the ability of civilian agencies to contract for research and development and prototypes needed to assist in homeland security and defense;

*A May 24 hearing on the results of the Government Accounting Office commercial activities panel study of the A-76 outsourcing process.

"I think we're going to be at the center of a lot of decisions the government makes in the coming months, as it relates to overall acquisition strategies for government agencies and the ongoing war on terrorism," Davis said.

Davis said he believes there will be a push for more flexibility in procurement and ongoing debate about outsourcing government work.