The General Services Administration’s acting deputy administrator, Kathleen Turco, said the agency might consider a formal reduction in force as a way to bring down operating costs in the Federal Supply Service and the Federal Technology Service, which may have exceeded revenues by $45.7 million in fiscal 2006, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The agency recently offered about 400 retirement or buyout incentives, and as GSA awaits Senate approval for merging the FSS and the FTS funds, CRS said questions remain as to the actual implementation of the agency’s reorganization.
It said GSA’s Federal Buildings Service will continue to operate within 11 existing GSA regions, but that the Federal Acquisition Service would be divided into six zones within those regions, and that it is not readily apparent from GSA’s design plan how the new regional structure would function.
GSA officials ‘arguably” need to clarify reporting authorities and responsibilities between the FAS commissioner and the zones and regions, CRS said.
It said GSA documents don’t explain why its chief acquisition officer is no longer designated to oversee FAS’s acquisition management division, as was specified in a draft plan from May 2005.
CRS said further details on that change would be helpful in understanding the CAO’s role in acquisition oversight within FAS.
