Return to Article: Bush administration touts savings from job competitions
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5032
In response to the A-76 Consultant...it's nice to see an educated viewpoint among the numerous "poor me's" that are posted here every day. Unfortunately, many who respond to these articles are too busy complaining about their plight in life as a government employee to think rationally and deal with the facts. It's all about claiming "victim status" and milking the public for another "well-deserved" pay raise. If these individuals had their way, we'd be living in Canada.
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4880
Poorly disguised plan for union busting. Hidden agenda is to make it easier for Good 'Ol Rich Boys Club to gain more wealth at the expense of workers. There will be no total tax savings and the product produced will be no better than it is at present. Unfortunately, in the end the bottom liner accountants will probably win. Boot lickers and butt kissers will rule the work place.
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4875
Since everyone sees these results differently, and of course, the only one who speaks truth in the speaker's eyes is the speaker... I suggest you read every response with a "What's in it for them?" attitude. Management wants them to look good. The union and commercial interests have the exact same desire - make them look unfair towards "Us" and totally biased for "Them." Consultants want your contracts. Did I miss anybody?
I've assisted the gov't both in writing both PWS' and their MEO bids in these studies. Due primarily to the union line on how every study is solely an attempt to take away the civil service jobs, we frequently have to spend the first 6 months of the 12 we have just trying to get a staff to help themselves by providing information on what they do. Meanwhile they do everything in their power to obscure reality from us, causing delays, additional expense and poor results. Then, when a final product is rushed, they moaned over why they lost.
I've also had a couple of staffs that were very helpful and eagerly participated from the beginning. These were the staffs that finished their study on time, within original budget, and won in-house.
The best thing you can do for yourself is get familiar with the regs that govern the process. To give you truth regarding two of the more regularly heard uniformed complaints: Contract administration costs are added to the commercial bids, and a 10%/$10 million maximum compensatory cost is also added to the commercial bid in order to ensure the gov't doesn't change for minimal benefit. Generally, the larger the study, the better the chance of a gov't win. Lower grade employees have the best chance of losing, higher grade have a better chance of winning. Make sure your organization truly captures an entire function, not just the lower-level "worker bees."
Get knowledgable and don't just listen to the complainers. It's your future that is up for bid. They'll continue to be there stirring up trouble even if you get replaced...
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4849
When the King George tells people to make it look good, they save a dollar a year and then tell us (we will never catch on) that the savings is millions of dollars over time.
Yup we alll b stupidd
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4845
Stanley, my boy! Who's stacking the competition in favor of the feds? No one - what do you think the fuss about us not being allowed to bid against the outside vendor is about?
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4842
My function has been targeted for Competitive Sourcing and I am not exactly thrilled with the prospect that I may be looking for work again. I am a mature person and was so thrilled to get this job and while many of my co-workers have been with the government for many, many years and I am a newbie, it makes little sense to me. I am the focal point in this office, the one everyone comes to, the one who answers the phone, receives visitors, deals with the mail, faxes, and photocopies. I make the least amount of money and probably work the hardest. I am the one who can least afford to lose my job to someone for less money as I am head of household. If I am advanced, it will cost my agency money they cannot necessarily afford to spend on this. It will cost people who are already assuming many responsibilities and are busy trying to be good public servants time and effort to try and prove I am worth keeping when they already know this. It stinks.
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4841
The honest, hard-working, tax paying, American citizen contract workers in this office complain royally how they have not had a raise in the last 5 years, their sick leave/personal leave is virtually non-existent, and their health care coverage stinks! Shame on you to admit any savings at all exists from outsourcing at this price when you look at whose picking up the tab!!!!
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4839
This report is truly a big surprise!
OMB gets to rate its own program and reports enthusiastically that it is a grand success. Stan Soloway [advocate for the rich contractors] even endorses the program, yet another big surprise. Unfortunately, he expresses concern in the form of pathetic hand wringing when he admits that contractors have not been able to win more competitions.
This report appears to be another round of self serving 'spin' brought to us by a failing, and uncaring administration.
We need to have a fair and balanced independent assessment of the program, not self aggrandizement. Let's consider all of the data, not just the favorable ones proffered by OMB and rich contractors friends.
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4838
I agree that the contracting out is mostly advantages are mostly smoke and mirrors. Never have I seen included in the costs of contracting out the costs of implementing and managing government contracts. There is a massive structure in place of Contract Officers, Project Officers, Project managers (WAMs, TOPOs, etc.) finance departments, and auditors to make sure all the paperwork is done correctly. This is all free????
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4832
This administration waste hundreds of billions and they brag about a 1.1 billion savings. The biggest waste is the farce of Homeland Security, nothing changed other than money spent.
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4829
Over 5 years, the average savings on 17,595 jobs is $12,503 PER YEAR!? This sounds like more smoke and mirrors to me...especially since Feds won 89% of the competitions...
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4827
Saving money is great but I have concerns when it deals with my personal information being available to anyone. For example, the Thrift Investment Board (they run the TSP) is opening a new call center with civilian employees in July. We are being told it will save participants money but what worries me is security. These civilian employees will have access to all the information they need to commit identity theft and fraud. If you read the proposal for the new call center on the Thrift Investment Boards website it really doesn't mention much about security background checks on the civilian employees. At least I know that the call center employees in New Orleans are federal workers so their security background checks have been conducted. But I guess anything to save money right? I will be waiting to hear about the first report of theft from a TSP account from a civilian worker.
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4825
Who are they trying to kid-- One billion dollar savings over 3-5 years is a lousy return considering the cost of these studies and the negative impact on the lives of federal employees dealing with the potential loss of their jobs.
This whole program is an outrage, an embarrassment, and has done more damage to federal recruitment and retention than any other program in the last generation. I don't think a one billion dollar savings divided over 5 years was worth the psychological and spiritual cost.
HR Specialist
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4822
After working for the federal Government for over 35 years, I think the one thing that infurates me the most is this. Washington actually expects the country to believe the total crock of crap they put out. And, they demand it's employees smile and act like the old farmer's "honey wagon" and spread the manure around so it doesn't stink so much. Projections, estimates, antisipated savings. Horses, pigs or cows. It's all crap. Bottom line, these halfwits can play their smoke and mirrors games forever. And they still won't have the faintest idea what the real money involved truly is. I gotta ask myself. Who's side are these people really on?!
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4821
Carl DeMaio was right on target in that some of the competitive sourcing work would have been done regardless of the management tool used to review and access federal workforce requirements. Federal managers do look for innovative ways to accomplish their mission more effectively and efficiently. The federal workforce is learning to do a better job in competitions thus producing more "wins" over the private sector. Look back about 10-15 years and you will see that a private sector win was the norm. Its good to see competition and good to see that the federal employees are competitive.
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