The administration’s 2007 budget request in a section on
“managing for results,” criticizes legislative restrictions
on competitive sourcing that require agencies to choose the
cheapest provider.
The White House said it wants to expand the criteria for
deciding job competitions to select the provider that offers
the best value, so that the taxpayer could get the best results,
rather than the most savings.
To date, the administration has touted savings — $5.2 billion
over the next three to five years by its count — as well as
leaner operations resulting from agencies having to fight for
their jobs. But unions and some in Congress are skeptical
about the claimed savings and argue that the shift in
terminology to include value could add a measure of subjectivity
to deciding whether a function goes to the private sector or
remains in the federal government.
“While cost will always be a key consideration in every decision,
agencies must be able to look at innovative solutions and
enhanced services that can provide better value to the taxpayer,”
the budget request said.
