GovernmentExecutive.com

Return to Article: DHS under fire for use of consultants in job competition

• 2005
  

  This is a great ruse the government uses. The people think the words fair and diverse and all of the other phony words they use in Washington are real. The government already have the winners picked out for the really big bucks. The little businesses (people) get the crumbs.

  Why are we still putting up with this junk?

  Misinformation is a great way to snow the people, if anyone gets close to the truth, King George classifies the work and away it goes.

  GovExec.com reader Posted October 31, 2003 7:39 AM
• 2002
  

  I, for one, am pleased by the commitment DHS has made to the taxpayer and to its employees by bringing on these contractors. It's hard enough to get agencies to compete their commercial activities. It is quite another thing to do it well and ask managers to divert their attention from day to day operations. By bringing in some experts to "guide the process," the quality of the solicitation and the quality (competitiveness) of the MEO will improve. That is a good thing. Can't be done without federal involvement, but having folks around that know what is going on, have some experience and can bring in a range of needed skills suggests that DHS is trying to do it right. I don't understand the complaint. Does Congress just want to throw these folks to the wolves on their own? I say what ever it takes to give these folks a fair shot. How many feds do you know who have ever prepared a bid for a contract?

  GovExec.com reader Posted October 31, 2003 7:14 AM
• 1964
  

  A-76 is not a hard process. It's not a matter of the private sector consultants bringing a "special" magic-like skill-set. Here why you use consultants...If you were at the top, and had to be a part of process that can lead to RIF's, change and workforce issues, won't you hire someone? Using consultants is a way for leaders to deflect some the heat from themselves.

  I have one more comment; why do we always see names like Grant, BAH, MAI. The idea behind A-76 is to use competition to gain effectiveness and efficiencies, but then the government limits the competition to few very expensive consulting firms. As an A-76 consultant, I can do the work for less and with far more "function-centric" focus than Grant, BAH, and others that have government employees so snowed into the idea that only they have the "special" A-76 powder to complete the process.

  GovExec.com reader Posted October 28, 2003 1:00 PM
• 1951
  

  After reading this article, the question begs to be asked. Exactly who are the obviously less than highly intelligent Justice officials who asked Grant Thornton's participation in the first place?! They apparently weren't coherent enough to conduct the study themselves. Russ Knocke is admitting it in so many words.

  And what's with this Thornton acting as a "guide" remark?! What are you people? A bunch of sled dogs following the designated leader?! I'll bet that gives you a real perspective on the road ahead. And, if this whole process is so labor intensive as Alan Chvotkin says (yet ANOTHER contractor) all that just translates into big bucks for any contractor. Is THAT being added to the real costs of contracting out?! It should be.

  What a grand study in bovine scatology this is. To even consider contracting out these positions is totally assinine. Or is it worst than that? Washington politics as usual. Perhaps the illustrious senators should inform Tom Ridge the circus has left town. So it may be wise for him to gather his clowns and tell them to hit the road.

  Art Doss Posted October 27, 2003 1:47 PM
• 1944
  

  How ignorant can all of the folks be? The government can't do anything with a consultant. Federal employees hold no credibility without having some "name" behind what they do. We did a competition three years ago and had a consultant assist us. No one seemed to mind that we paid $1.9M for a consultant to learn the process with us. After all, they can now use it for their resume. Oh yea, we lost.

  GovExec.com reader Posted October 27, 2003 8:09 AM
• 1943
  

  CIS spokesman Russ Knocke said, "It's a fair and healthy competition." It would have been even funnier had he said "fair and balanced".

  GovExec.com reader Posted October 27, 2003 7:58 AM