IRMCO looks in depth at green buying

General Services Administration officials are planning to emphasize “green” procurements and shrinking the government’s environmental footprint in their agency's upcoming two-day conference.

On March 15, the first day of the Interagency Resources Management Conference (IRMCO), officials will discuss how they are advancing sustainability efforts and why they believe it’s necessary.

(Visit the IRMCO website for more details on the conference)

Sustainability policy continues to grow in prominence, particularly under GSA Administrator Martha Johnson’s leadership team. Senior Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) officials recently sat down at a day-long seminar on going green. (Read some of what they learned)

Late on the second day of IRMCO, a panel will look at “greening” the supply chain, another advancement that many GSA officials believe they can influence directly. FAS Commissioner Steve Kempf will follow up as a moderator of another panel discussing data center consolidation. The Office of Management and Budget has a goal of closing 800 centers over the next four years, and the panelists may shed some light on how the government will do that.

There will also be a question-and-answer session with Dan Gordon, administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, as the acquisition workforce will be debated IRMCO. If the government wants to turn itself green, officials realize they need buyers who know what green is and whether it's a good investment.

Vivek Kundra, the federal CIO, will speak about the obstacles to his 25-point plan to improving IT acquisition and program management.

Finally, congressional staff members are on the agenda to give their thoughts on House and Senate leaders’ priorities. As agencies look to sustainability, these staffers may share whether members of Congress are considering green as an option.

Posted by Matthew Weigelt on Mar 04, 2011 at 9:31 AM