Selection of outsourcing panel members drawing to a close

Members of a new panel that will study current and future outsourcing needs in the federal government will be chosen soon, the General Accounting Office said Friday. GAO issued a notice in Friday's Federal Register asking for input on the kinds of issues the panel should study and written information on subjects related to outsourcing. The fiscal 2001 Defense Authorization Act requires the comptroller general to convene a panel of experts to study the procedures outlined in OMB Circular A-76, which governs public-private competitions. Last December, GAO issued a notice in the Federal Register asking for suggestions on who should serve on the panel. The agency is in the process of selecting the body, which will include members from the Defense Department, industry, federal unions and the Office of Management and Budget. Bill Woods, project director for the panel, said that Comptroller General David Walker hopes to announce the members of the panel in the next few weeks. "We are thinking we need about 10 to 12 people on the panel, but we have not made any decisions yet," said Woods. The panel will review procedures determining whether certain functions should be performed by the government, the cost of performing jobs in-house versus the cost of outsourcing, and implementation of the 1998 Federal Activities Inventory Reform (FAIR) Act. The FAIR Act requires agencies to review their workforces each year and come up with lists of federal jobs that could be performed by contractors. The comptroller general must submit to Congress the results of the panel's study, including any recommended changes for implementing the FAIR Act, by May 1, 2002. The panel will hold hearings during its tenure and continue to solicit public comments on outsourcing. In a March 9 memo, OMB Deputy Director Sean O'Keefe directed agencies to develop plans for competing positions listed on their FAIR Act inventories. These plans must include the function, location, training requirements and planned contract support for each position being competed. The memo also directs agencies to outline their plans to compete FAIR Act positions in their annual performance plans, which are due to Congress on April 3. Suggestions on panel topics must be submitted by May 7. Written comments can be e-mailed to: A76panel@gao.gov or sent to: William T. Woods
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