A-76 | The Contracting Education Academy

June 29, 2017 By AMK

OMB ‘out of practice’ on competitive sourcing, adviser says

Preliminary moves by the White House to ease the moratorium on reviewing federal jobs for outsourcing under the guidelines in Circular A-76 have drawn some skepticism within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Linda Springer, President Trump’s senior adviser on management issues who recently announced her June 30 retirement, told reporters during a June 15 briefing on curbing agency reporting requirements that her “personal view is that OMB is out of practice in running those competitions [for whether the public or private sector should perform work]. Before undertaking it,” she said, “it would be better to do some educating.”

OMB Circular A-76, which dates to 1966 before being revised, outlines a “formal, complex, and often lengthy process for managing public-private competitions to perform functions for the federal government,” as a Congressional Research Service report phrased it.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.govexec.com/contracting/2017/06/omb-out-practice-competitive-sourcing-adviser-says/138838

January 10, 2017 By AMK

It’s time to bury A-76 — It worked once, but its day is past

Last month, Government Executive’s Charlie Clark posited the question of whether, in a Trump Administration, public-private competitions under the policy and methodology known as A-76 would be or should be revived.

stan-soloway As the article demonstrated, opinions on the issue, which was for many years the focus of harsh, often bitter debate, have not changed much.

But mine has.

Despite having long been, and continuing to be, an outspoken advocate of expanding the use of competition to drive higher government performance and greater efficiency, I believe A-76’s time has passed and it would be wise to let this sleeping dog lie.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.govexec.com/excellence/promising-practices/2017/01/its-time-bury-76it-worked-once-its-day-past/134305

March 14, 2013 By AMK

Outsourcing at the local level: Examining the role of the Chief Procurement Officer in the decision-making process

Outsourcing in the public sector means “contracting out” functions that historically have been provided by public employees. The belief that there are functions best performed by the private sector is not new, and moving these functions from the public to the private sector requires a fair and open process in the public’s best interest.

The Institute for Public Procurement recognizes that the outsourcing of particular governmental functions can be a fiscally sound tool of responsible public administration. However, identifying and assessing the elements of public performance most appropriate for outsourcing — and ensuring a successfully executed outsourcing decision – is a substantial challenge for everyone.

Public procurement offers a uniquely qualified and professional resource for government decision-makers considering outsourcing alternatives. The Chief Procurement Officer (CPO), Procurement Director or Purchasing Manager serves a strategic role in a public entity’s decision to outsource. The CPO is central to a fair, transparent and effective outsourcing process. While the decision is ultimately reserved for an elected body or senior executive, the CPO is prepared to provide informed insight on market structure, cost, risk, competitive methods and contract form as these factors impact the quality and cost of services. The CPO is uniquely positioned to help design and manage a process to achieve a successful public outsourcing effort. It is therefore important to engage the CPO early as a strategic partner to assess and to administer any ensuing selection and contract formation process.

Keep reading this article at: http://govpro.com/resource_center/procurement_prof/public-sector-outsourcing-201212-201301/

July 19, 2011 By AMK

A-76 set for possible DoD revival

Amendments to a $649 billion defense appropriations bill approved by the House of Representatives July 8 would make it easier for the Defense Department to hold public-private competitions for functions currently performed by civil servants.

One amendment (.pdf), proposed by Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), would strike a provision approved by the House Appropriations Committee that would prevent the DoD from expending funds for “A-76” competitions, or what commonly is known as “outsourcing,” despite the fact that civil servants typically won such competitions when A-76 enjoyed a Bush administration-era resurgence.

A-76 competitions are so named for the Office of Management and Budget circular that governs their methodology. The amendment passed on a 217-204 partisan vote [3], with no Democrats voting in support.

Another amendment (.pdf), proposed by Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) and approved 212-208 along party lines, would undo House Appropriations Committee-approved language requiring that outsourcing contracts save the DoD a minimum of $10 million or 10 percent of the department’s performance costs.

“Independent studies have found that public-private competitions lower costs by between 10 and 40 percent regardless of whether the competition is won by a private contractor or the government. Rather than stand in the way of public-private competitions, Congress should cut the red tape and make the use of this cost-saving process easier, not harder,” Amash said, according to the Congressional Record.

However, even if the Amash amendment becomes law, the Defense Department would still be bound by the $10 million/10 percent threshold, since Congress codified it into Title 10 law under the fiscal 2008 national defense authorization act, said Alan Chvotkin, executive vice president of Professional Services Council industry association.

The House bill still faces reconciliation with a still unwritten Senate version.

— by David Perera – Fierce Government IT – published 7/11/2011 at http://www.fiercegovernmentit.com/story/76-set-possible-dod-revival/2011-07-11?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal

Preliminary moves by the White House to ease the moratorium on reviewing federal jobs for outsourcing under the guidelines in Circular A-76 have drawn some skepticism within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Last month, Government Executive’s Charlie Clark posited the question of whether, in a Trump Administration, public-private competitions under the policy and methodology known as A-76 would be or should be revived.

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