Reprint Of Insourcing Article

House Panel Proposes Adding Experts to Competitive Sourcing
Personnel and readiness undersecretary would get preliminary planning responsibilities
By Matthew Weigelt May 10, 2011
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Bob McKeon (R-Calif.) has proposed that a broader
segment of senior Defense Department officials get involved in the competitive sourcing process that pits
the private sector against the public sector for federal government work.
McKeon wants to give the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness the responsibility to
issue guidance and procedures for preliminary planning for competitions between contractors and
federal employees, according to a committee document released May 9 with descriptions of
provisions in the forthcoming fiscal 2012 National Defense Authorization Act. The exact language has
not been released.
“The committee believes that preliminary planning for public-private competitions should include an
increased and more active role for the manpower and personnel communities, which have greater
expertise in determining manpower requirements, whether military, civilian, or contractor personnel,” the
report states.
The undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics is now responsible for all
elements of public-private competitions, which are under the Office of Management and Budget Circular
A-76.
The undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics still would conduct the
acquisition component of the process because the necessary procurement expertise.
In more proposed changes, the committee would like to have the undersecretary for acquisition realign
the responsibility for the competitions from the deputy undersecretary for installations and environment
to the director of defense for procurement and acquisition policy.
Meanwhile, it’s early in the process for making the authorization bill law. The Armed Services
Committee has yet to approve the bill, and the Senate has not released its version of the measure.
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