Lankford Holds Hearing to Cut Taxpayer Waste Within Federal Acquisition Workforce

Press Release

Congressman James Lankford (R-OK), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform, held a hearing today entitled "On the Frontlines in the Acquisition Workforce's Battle Against Taxpayer Waste." The hearing examined several key challenges facing the federal acquisition workforce including cost overruns, lack of competition, poorly structured or incorrect contracts and little to non-existent oversight.

The subcommittee first heard testimony from Dan Gordon, Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP). Administrator Gordon spoke on the need to streamline the acquisition process and provide better training for federal contracting officers. He also testified on the progress that has been made at the OFPP during his tenure as administrator.

"Mr. Gordon's testimony clearly shows that there is still significant room for progress within the federal procurement process," said Congressman Lankford. "I have heard from contractors in my district in Oklahoma and here in Washington that federal contracting officers often lack adequate skills and experience. This shows that these issues are consistently of concern across the entire federal acquisition workforce. The government must address these problems with improved training programs that will better equip the workforce with the tools and IT resources needed to perform their jobs."

The second panel included experts from the Federal Acquisition Institute, Defense Acquisition University, Government Accountability Office and Professional Services Council. The panel testified on the duplication of training programs, contract reviews and the need to replace the increasing number of contracting officers who will be retiring over the next five to seven years.

"Even as the government purchases more goods and services, the number of experienced contracting officers handling these bids will shrink," continued Congressman Lankford. "As this retirement bubble approaches, we need to improve the quality and efficiency of our training programs. A quality and experienced federal acquisition workforce is vital to ensure contracts are properly reviewed, determining best value, and that contracting officers are using an appropriate level of risk aversion to protect against taxpayer waste."

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