Jenkins to be FAI director

Donna Jenkins will be the next official director of the Federal Acquisition Institute.

Jenkins has been the acting director of FAI since last Aug. 23. She expects to get the new title Feb. 27.

The institute, which is under the auspices of General Services Administration, works to develop the federal acquisition workforce by providing training for civilian agencies’ employees.

Senators have pushed for reforms in the FAI. In 2010, the Senate passed Sen. Susan Collins’ (R-Maine) legislation to strengthen the institute with more authorities over the acquisition workforce training fund, as well as clearing up ambiguities about whom FAI reports to.

The legislation would also have put the choice of who would lead FAI into the hands of the administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy and move the director of the institute to the Office of Management and Budget’s procurement policy office. However, the House never considered the bill, and such a bill has not been introduced in the current Congress.