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    GAO: DOD knows little about its acquisition employees

    Defense Department officials know little about their acquisition workforce’s makeup, which creates problems when analyzing their employees and contractors, according to a report.

    DOD also doesn’t have information on why it turns to contractors for support. That limits its ability to determine when contractors are the best choice to back up the government acquisition employees, according to a report by Government Accountability Office released March 25.

    To find gaps in the workforce, officials can compare the number and the skills of their department's employees with what it needs; however, DOD doesn’t really know what it has and what it needs, GAO also found.

    The department’s Office of the Under Secretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics is currently assessing the skills of its current workforce. Although GAO calls that useful, it also said the review still won’t give insight on the size and composition of the workforce and the employees’ skills. GAO recommended DOD officials begin regularly collecting detailed information on its employees, which would help to know where to shift the department's resources.

    Ashton Carter, President Barack Obama’s nominee for undersecretary of defense for acquisition technology and logistics, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 26 that the size of the acquisition workforce caused procurement problems such as cost overruns and delays in projects.

    Carter also said DOD needs to carefully examine whether it has become too dependent on contractors, given the current mix of private and public employees. The Senate has not confirmed Carter.

    In its report, GAO recommended laying out clear policies on when to turn to contractors.

    Many government officials and experts already say DOD relies too much on contractors, particularly for services contracts, and it needs to find a way to end that dependence. However, they also acknowledge that it can’t be done quickly or completely.

    As result, one member of Congress is taking a simple route. Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) introduced a bill March 18, which would require the defense secretary to train members of the Armed Services before they are deployed on how to manage contracts and contractors.

    About the Author

    Matthew Weigelt is acquisition editor for Federal Computer Week.

    Reader comments

    Mon, May 18, 2009 Larry

    I retired after 34 years civil services at OSD level in Nov 2008 and now work as a contractor. I'm a DAU level III and an a member of the Defense Acquisition Corp and I can say that the skill sets and level of expertise does not exists in the civil service community to fill the shortfalls in manning to fill critical billets. The contractor fills the void and until DoD gets onboard with hiring people with the right skill sets and aptitudes and, fixing the civilian hiring process the use of contractors will not go away.

    Thu, Apr 23, 2009

    It seems to me that DoD is jumping on the bandwagon of other federal agencies in their use of contractors and it has gotten way out of hand. It's more about competition between agencies than a real need.

    Sun, Apr 12, 2009

    Yes, there are too many contractors in defense acquisition, but it isn't their fault. Ironically, most of them are former military or civilian defense workers. it would be better to give the same people incentives to return as government employees in a special status (rehired annuitant, temporary, part time, etc) but only after the department develops and funds a plan to recruit, train and employ enough employees with the right skills to meet its needs. the facts are too plain to ignore, contractors in government positions are a high cost expedient for poor planning and poor results.

    Wed, Apr 1, 2009 Arlington, VA

    There will always be officers who treat contractors as employees. There will also be government civilians who do the same. Then there are officers and government civilians who treat contractors as scum who are always trying to cheat the Government. That is rarely the case. I think there should be training on how to treat contractors as partners. Many successful acquisition personnel know how to manage contractors to accomplish a mission. As a former Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), I have witnessed some nightmares where government has given away the store. And then I have seen contractors abused for protesting a procurement that went way off track because a government person was offended that his judgment was questioned, clearly an abuse of power. Even when senior acquisition staff pulled in his reigns, he was rewarded with a promotion. So his behavior will only get worse. This is unfortunately not an isolated case. Too many organizations feel they can't spare people from their work to get the right training. And then the training is often not sufficient in addressing how to treat contractors. This all needs the "right" overhaul by people who know how to treat contractors as industry partners. The GSA GWAC program has some very good people who should be used to tailor this acquisition training.

    Mon, Mar 30, 2009 Willie G USA

    The information on how to "treat" contractors is out there. Most Officers receive briefings. Those Enlisted who are to come into contact with contractors also receive this information. The problem is not training. The problem is that it is ignored. Contractors are treated as employees. End of story.

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