The Senate has confirmed David Safavian to be head of the Office of
Management and Budget’s Office of Federal Procurement Policy, a
position that makes him the administration’s point person for the
“competitive sourcing” initiative that has drawn significant opposition
from federal unions and some members of Congress.
It was those controversies that kept the nomination on hold for about
a year, a period in which Congress and the White House continued a
back-and-forth over revisions that OFPP issued in 2003 to Circular A-
76, OMB’s contracting-out guidance. Many of the same battles are
expected to recur in 2005.
Safavian previously was chief of staff at the General Services
Administration and for Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah.