Lurita Doan to be change agent at GSA

Lurita Doan promised one thing in her first public address since taking the reins at the General Services Administration last week?change.

In a speech at the Coalition for Government Procurement's annual spring conference, and in remarks to reporters afterwards, Doan said she will work quickly and undertake several initiatives to improve not only how the agency interacts with its federal customers but with industry as well.

"I know GSA has its challenges?, but I believe that if you don't just dive right in, you'll never get anything started," Doan told the standing-room only audience.

In particular, Doan said she will shorten the amount of time it takes for a business to get on a GSA schedule to 30 days and asked that CGP members provide suggestions on this issue in a month.

"We have all the rules anyone needs, all we have to do is execute," Doan said after her speech.

Doan also promised a more efficient and responsive workforce so the agency can better respond to national emergencies.

"We at GSA are going to retool our abilities to respond to national emergencies and you can expect some real innovative ideas on this," she said. "You can actually expect them in the next few days."

Rob Thormeyer is a staff writer for Washington Technology's sister publication, Government Computer News.