Outsourcing panel to let public in on debates

The Commercial Activities Panel will convene the first of three public hearings on outsourcing issues on June 11 in Washington, the General Accounting Office said Wednesday. The first hearing will explore the principles and policies that should govern decisions to perform government work in-house or shift it to the private sector, GAO announced in the Federal Register. The panel will convene additional public hearings in Indianapolis on Aug. 8 and San Antonio Aug. 15. The GAO panel is studying issues ranging from public-private competition to implementation of the 1998 Federal Activities Inventory Reform (FAIR) Act. A provision of the 2001 Defense Authorization Act directed GAO to convene the panel and provide recommendations to Congress by May 2002. The Indianapolis hearing will focus on alternatives to the public-private competition process outlined in Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76. One week later, in San Antonio, panel members will hear examples of how A-76 competitions actually work. The June 11 hearing will be held at the Walsh-Reckord Hall of States at One Massachusetts Ave. N.W. in Washington. Individuals who wish to attend or make presentations should contact GAO's Bill Woods at 202-512-8214 or woodsw@gao.gov by June 4.